HeraMED Validates Digital Pregnancy Model with Lee Health Pilot Success
HeraMED's Phase 1 pilot with Lee Health confirms strong patient adoption and operational efficiency for its digital maternity care platform, setting the stage for broader US rollout.
- 92% virtual adoption and high patient satisfaction
- Digital model reduces prenatal visits from 15 to 11
- Potential to free up 3–5 appointment slots per pregnancy
- Travel burden and costs significantly cut for patients
- Phase 2 scale-up pending Lee Health approval
Pilot Demonstrates Digital Maternity Care Feasibility
HeraMED Limited (ASX:HMD) has successfully completed Phase 1 of its Digital Pregnancy Journey pilot with Lee Health, a prominent US healthcare system in Southwest Florida. The pilot tested HeraMED's HeraCARE platform within a hybrid obstetrics care model designed to reduce in-person visits while maintaining strong patient engagement and clinical outcomes.
The six-month trial focused on combining virtual consultations, HeraCARE’s digital engagement tools, and remote patient monitoring devices such as fetal dopplers and blood pressure monitors. This approach aims to enhance patient convenience and clinic capacity by shifting part of prenatal care to a digital-first model.
Strong Patient Adoption and Satisfaction
Results reveal a 92% adoption rate of virtual care among participating patients, with a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 60 for the overall program and an exceptional 75 for the remote patient monitoring devices. Patients cited convenience, reduced travel, lower stress, and cost savings as key benefits, particularly for those balancing work and childcare responsibilities.
Dr Rachel Wykes from Lee Health emphasised the pilot’s success in rethinking prenatal care delivery: "Better care does not always require more in-person visits," she said, highlighting the model’s potential to improve patient experience while freeing clinic capacity.
Operational Efficiency and Potential Cost Savings
The pilot’s digital pathway reduced the number of prenatal visits from the traditional 15 to 11, potentially freeing up 3 to 5 appointment slots per pregnancy. Modelled outcomes suggest this could translate into approximately 32 additional prenatal visit slots overall, enhancing operational efficiency.
Patients also avoided around 74 miles of travel each, cutting out-of-pocket costs and travel time. These findings support the economic case for the digital pregnancy care model, although financial impacts remain modelled rather than realised at this stage.
Next Steps Toward Scaling the Program
HeraMED is now collaborating with Lee Health to secure final internal approval for Phase 2, which would scale the Digital Pregnancy Journey program. The company anticipates updating shareholders soon once the approval process concludes.
This pilot marks a meaningful step in HeraMED’s US expansion strategy, following earlier commercial agreements with Philips and Lee Health to deploy its digital maternity care solutions. The strong patient feedback and operational indicators from Phase 1 provide a foundation for broader adoption, though the ultimate impact will depend on Lee Health’s commitment to scale and integration within existing care frameworks.
Bottom Line?
HeraMED’s pilot success with Lee Health validates its digital maternity care model’s appeal and efficiency, but scaling hinges on upcoming Phase 2 approval.
Questions in the middle?
- Will Lee Health’s internal approval lead to a significant scale-up of the digital pregnancy program?
- How will HeraMED’s digital model impact long-term clinical outcomes and healthcare costs in maternity care?
- Can HeraMED replicate these pilot results across other US health systems with different patient demographics?
