Tag: COPD

  • Better care with CarePlus: Preventative Screenings in Primary Care

    What if the most important health conditions could be caught early, right at your doctor’s office, without needing multiple appointments, specialists, or delays?

    CarePlus by HealthOcta is a new kind of technology platform built to transform how and where preventative healthcare happens. By enabling diagnostic screenings at the point of primary care, CarePlus helps identify critical health risks earlier, improving outcomes for patients, reducing long-term costs for payers, and empowering providers with better tools.


    What Is CarePlus?

    CarePlus is a software-powered screening platform that equips primary care offices with the tools, training, and workflows to deliver preventative health screenings during routine checkups. Screenings are either automated through structured questionnaires or powered by onsite imaging devices whose results are reviewed remotely by specialists on the CarePlus network.

    Our goal is simple but powerful: Bring preventative care to the frontline of medicine, the Primary Care Provider (PCP).


    What Problems Does CarePlus Solve?

    Preventative screenings are underutilized, despite their proven impact. Why?

    • They often require referrals, separate appointments, or specialized clinics
    • Many practices lack equipment or trained staff
    • Follow-through is low: patients don’t always act on referrals
    • Insurers bear the cost of avoidable disease progression

    CarePlus solves this by:

    • Embedding screenings into routine PCP workflows
    • Providing devices and software directly to the clinic
    • Training staff to capture the data without specialist supervision
    • Enabling remote reviews by credentialed specialists
    • Supporting proper documentation and payer reimbursement

    Our First Solution: Diabetic Retinopathy Screening

    We’re launching CarePlus with a major public health challenge in mind: diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults.

    Why this matters:

    • Over 38 million Americans are diabetic or prediabetic
    • Eye exams are often skipped due to cost, time, logistics or simply the lack of proactive interest by a patient
    • Retinopathy is preventable if caught early

    How CarePlus Works:

    • A smart fundoscope is provided to PCP clinics
    • Medical assistants are trained to capture retinal images during the patient visit
    • Images are uploaded securely and read by licensed ophthalmologists in the CarePlus network
    • PCPs are notified of the results, and at-risk patients are referred
    • Payers reimburse both the screening and reading
    • Patients get better care, without extra effort or delays

    What’s Next: Expanding the Scope of Preventative Screening

    CarePlus is designed to be modular and extensible. Beyond retinopathy, we’re actively developing and validating new screening modules:

    In Development:

    • Mental Health Screenings
      Using evidence-based questionnaires (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5), patients can be screened during visits with automated scoring and referral guidance. This is especially valuable as depression and anxiety go undetected in over 50% of primary care encounters.
    • Peripheral Artery Disease (ABI Testing)
      Early detection can prevent major cardiovascular complications.
    • Chronic Kidney Disease Screening
      With early indicators flagged via simple urinalysis or eGFR integration.
    • Cognitive Impairment / Dementia Screening
      Tools for aging populations using structured assessments (e.g., MoCA).
    • Spirometry for COPD and Asthma Management
      Lung function testing, simplified for use by PCP staff and reviewed remotely.

    Our Vision

    Preventative care should be:

    • Accessible at the point of contact
    • Affordable through payer-aligned workflows
    • Actionable with structured follow-up
    • Scalable across practices and populations

    CarePlus brings all of that together, starting with real tools, in real clinics, solving real problems.


    📩 Want to partner with us or learn how CarePlus can support your clinic or health system?
    Reach out at [email protected] or visit www.healthocta.com/careplus


  • Introducing CarePlus: A Platform Transforming Preventative Screening in Primary Care

    What is CarePlus?

    CarePlus is a technology platform designed to embed preventative health screenings directly into the primary care office workflow. It integrates digital diagnostic devices and patient-friendly questionnaires, enabling medical assistants and PCP staff to perform screenings during routine visits. Data collected, ranging from questionnaire responses to imaging results, is securely transmitted to remote specialists for expert review. The platform further employs algorithmic risk stratification and longitudinal data analysis to support ongoing patient management and timely referrals.

    What Impact Does CarePlus Bring to Healthcare? Who Does It Help?

    CarePlus addresses critical gaps in current healthcare delivery by making preventative screenings more accessible, timely, and efficient. Its impact includes:

    • For Payers and Health Systems: Early identification and management of high-risk patients reduce downstream expenditures and support population health goals through data-driven insights.
    • For Patients: Earlier detection of chronic conditions reduces morbidity and prevents costly complications, improving quality of life. Screenings integrated into routine visits lower barriers such as time, cost, and access to specialists.
    • For Primary Care Providers (PCPs): CarePlus expands clinical capabilities, allowing PCPs to deliver more comprehensive care and receive reimbursement for new services, without significant workflow disruption.
    • For Specialists: Remote interpretation of screening data optimizes specialist time by focusing on clinically significant cases referred through the platform.

    CarePlus and Diabetic Retinopathy Screening: A Use Case

    Diabetic retinopathy (DR) affects over 38 million Americans with diabetes or prediabetes, yet many patients miss annual eye exams, leading to preventable vision loss. CarePlus addresses this by deploying a digital fundoscope within the PCP office, operated by trained staff during routine checkups.

    • Retinal images captured are securely transmitted to a network of remote ophthalmologists who grade the images based on standardized criteria.
    • Patients flagged as at-risk are referred promptly for specialist intervention.
    • Those without immediate risk are scheduled for re-evaluation during their next annual screening.
    • The platform can employ algorithmic analysis and longitudinal tracking to monitor changes over time, ensuring continuous patient surveillance and proactive care management.

    This approach effectively closes the gap between primary care and specialty ophthalmology, improving screening rates and enabling early intervention.

    Extending CarePlus to Other High-Impact Screening Areas

    The CarePlus model, integrating onsite screening tools, remote specialist review, and algorithmic patient monitoring is scalable and adaptable to multiple domains with large patient populations:

    • Mental Health: Questionnaires such as PHQ-9 and GAD-7 administered at the PCP office, with results evaluated remotely to identify depression and anxiety early.
    • Peripheral Artery Disease: ABI testing performed onsite with results digitally reviewed to prevent vascular complications.
    • Chronic Kidney Disease: Lab data integrated with algorithmic alerts for early nephrology referral.
    • Cognitive Impairment: Standardized cognitive assessments facilitating early dementia diagnosis.
    • Pulmonary Function: Simplified spirometry used to identify and monitor COPD and asthma.

    Each use case leverages the same principles of embedding screening into routine primary care visits, remote expert interpretation, and data-driven patient management, targeting conditions with significant public health burden.

    CarePlus is positioned to transform preventative care by operationalizing technology and clinical expertise where it matters most: the primary care office.

    Join Us in Shaping the Future of Preventative Health

    Are you a physician, healthcare operator, or subject matter expert with insight into diagnostics, primary care workflows, or health equity?
    HealthOcta is building an expert advisory group to help us define, refine, and expand our CarePlus offerings. Your experience can directly influence scalable solutions that improve outcomes for millions.

    To express interest, email us at [email protected]