Galileo, a modern digital medical practice designed to deliver team-based, expert primary and specialty care, recently added care navigation, advocacy, and behavioral health care to its employer offering.

Founded by Thomas Lee, MD, the healthcare pioneer behind One Medical, Galileo includes a team of full-time primary care providers and board certified specialists who work together to deliver peer-reviewed care plans. By providing urgent, behavioral, primary, and complex chronic specialty care in a single care platform, Galileo delivers faster and more accurate diagnosis and treatment, resulting in lower cost of care and better outcomes. 

In a time when 25% of the U.S. population still doesn’t have a primary care provider and 40%+ struggle to get needed mental health care, many employers are tackling access and engagement issues with standalone navigation and mental health services. Galileo’s integrated and holistic approach introduces an option for employers to get more from their virtual care dollar, consolidate services, or provide additional support for their workforce. And employees get a one-stop-shop for 24/7 virtual primary and specialty care – including mental health – and navigation/advocacy to improve overall health outcomes and combat a typically fragmented and frustrating healthcare experience.

Galileo’s new services further extend the value delivered to its members and employer clients.

Care navigation: In 90% of cases, members’ issues are managed without a referral – a result of the built-in second opinion from specialists who increase the breadth and depth of treatment Galileo PCPs can provide. When a referral to brick-and-mortar services is needed, employees will be guided to in-network specialists or labs for procedures or to pharmacies preferred by their plan. Dedicated team members act as personal healthcare assistants to schedule appointments, handle prior authorizations, obtain medical records, and ensure care is coordinated.

Advocacy: Healthcare advocates partner with employer benefits teams to serve as an extended team of benefit experts, explain employer-specific plan coverage, negotiate payment arrangements, and maximize the utilization of other employee benefits. In a recent employer case study, Galileo saved over 45 hours of employee time and $6,500 from claims disputed on members’ behalf within a six-month period. The employer also saw a 13% increase in utilization of their point solutions, driven by referrals from Galileo physicians.

Behavioral health: Galileo provides integrated behavioral health care through 24/7 access to primary care providers trained in behavioral health, supported by Galileo-employed psychiatrists. Galileo PCPs provide care for mild to moderate behavioral health needs, including assessment and prescribing of non-controlled substances. With Galileo's new offering, employees can access integrated therapy and coaching programs in conjunction with primary care-led medication management. PCPs can refer to Galileo coaches and therapists for short-term, evidence-based treatment which generates clinically significant improvement in over 90% of patients within 6 weeks. The average time to behavioral health care via Galileo is less than 12 hours, compared to the national average of five to six weeks.

“The end result of our integrated approach is that members receive the care most appropriate to their individual needs without having to bounce around to many different offices, apps or services. Our members' whole journey is supported by a team of healthcare experts who help minimize the typical hassles of healthcare.” shared Dr. Jason Chirichigno, Galileo’s Clinical Lead.