Hygieia Signs Commercial Agreement Making d-Nav® Insulin Guidance Service Available to At-Risk Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Members in Southeast Michigan

LIVONIA, Mich., June 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hygieia, a digital insulin enhancement company dedicated to making insulin therapy easier for everyone involved, announced that the company has entered into a commercial agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM). Under the initial three-year agreement, Hygieia's d-Nav® Insulin Guidance Service will be covered by BCBSM and available at no cost and with no co-pays to BCBSM members with Type 2 diabetes, starting with at-risk populations in Southeast Michigan. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The agreement is based largely on initial results from a Health Economic Evaluation  conducted among BCBSM members, which demonstrated that the d-Nav Service generates substantial cost savings ? primarily by optimizing insulin therapy and the use of glycemic medications among people with Type 2 diabetes ? while greatly improving clinical outcomes.

"We began evaluating the d-Nav Service as part of our mission to provide innovative solutions for our members with chronic conditions, and we've been pleased and impressed by the results we've seen to date," said Ann Baker, vice president, Care Management for Blue Cross. "Nearly 90 percent of individuals who participated in the d-Nav Service Health Economic Evaluation were better able to manage their insulin therapy and, consequently, eliminate their need for newer, expensive medications. This ultimately lowered the cost of Type 2 diabetes while also helping patients attain better glycemic control."

The Hygieia d-Nav Insulin Guidance Service combines smart cloud-based technology and a small team of healthcare professionals to support primary care physicians and help people with diabetes achieve improved health. The d-Nav Service provides personalized adjustments to enhance and simplify insulin dosing, maximizing its effectiveness for patients and the physicians who prescribe it. The Service has demonstrated ability to sustain hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reductions for at least five years.

Beginning this fall, the d-Nav Service will be available to all BCBSM members in Southeast Michigan who use insulin to treat their Type 2 diabetes and have an HbA1c above 7.0 percent. Clinical practice guidelines published by the American Diabetes Association generally point to HbA1c levels below 7 percent as reasonable targets to help prevent diabetes complications. BCBSM and Hygieia will explore opportunities to make the d-Nav Service available to other populations and markets in the near future.

"We have shown that the d-Nav Service is less costly and provides greater HbA1c reductions than the high-cost medications it can replace, while also leading to better glycemic control," said Eran Bashan, Hygieia CEO. "Given the size of the insulin-using population covered under this agreement, we anticipate it will generate significant growth for Hygieia, enabling us to expand the Service to many more people with Type 2 diabetes."

About Hygieia
Hygieia is a digital insulin enhancement company dedicated to making insulin therapy easier for everyone involved. The company is based in Livonia, Mich. and has a wholly owned subsidiary in Northern Ireland. More information is available at www.hygieia.com.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.6 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies who reside outside the state. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com and MIBluesPerspectives.com.

Note to Editors: The BCBSM-Hygieia commercial agreement and BCBSM's initial experience with the d-Nav Service will be discussed during a panel presentation today at the American Health Insurance Providers (AHIP) annual Institute & Expo in San Diego.

SOURCE Hygieia