CaringWire, U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health, Walmart Health Virtual Care debut health platform
BY ROB SCHAEFER
10.10.2023
Digital health platform CaringWire is partnering with the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health (USCAH) and Walmart Health Virtual Care to debut a new sports product called Holistic Athlete Health Solutions (HAHS). The HAHS mobile platform, available for iOS and Android, connects athletes to telehealth providers, offers self-paced online courses on topics related to sports health and wellness, and features live/on-demand webinars from company partners. It will be sold to institutions as a subscription package that CaringWire founder/CEO Michael Sentz described to SBJ as “less than the cost of an urgent care visit” per athlete per month.
“Healthcare as a consumer is extremely stressful. It’s challenging. You don’t know where to go or what to do,” CaringWire founder/CEO Michael Sentz told SBJ. “We set out to use technology to create these connected consumer experiences with care, pairing education and services in real-time.”
Founded in 2019, CaringWire’s non-sports client base primarily consists of self-funded employer groups and health insurance companies. The HAHS platform is an application of the core mobile technology used in those markets but customized for athletes, offering on-demand urgent care, on-demand mental health care, and primary care services. Walmart will integrate their nationwide network of vetted telehealth providers into the platform, while USCAH will integrate its Athlete Academy curriculum.
“The way we’ve structured it, HAHS is a non-insurance benefit,” Sentz added. “It doesn’t matter if you have insurance or what your insurance is. You can get comprehensive support with no copays, unlimited visits, using HAHS for a subscription fee.”
CaringWire is focused on collegiate and youth sports programs of all sizes as it rolls out HAHS, Sentz said. He added that the company is in talks with multiple Power 5 conferences about adopting the platform for their member schools, and that a DTC offering is coming soon in addition to its B2B model.
