Instacart and Mount Sinai Solutions, a division of Mount Sinai Health System serving employers and unions, have announced a partnership that provides Instacart Health Fresh Funds grocery stipends as a benefit for post-operative and post-partum patients insured by a health plan sponsored by a Mount Sinai Solutions employer or union customer.
The program is designed to alleviate challenges to accessing fresh groceries, pantry staples, and household essentials following a major life event, such as a joint replacement, birth, or bariatric surgery. Working in partnership with employers and unions, Mount Sinai Solutions offers access to care and services that enhance the patient experience through a simplified health benefits ecosystem.
“Instacart has transformed grocery shopping, giving families nationwide access to a broad selection of retailers and quick and convenient delivery. Today, we reach more than 95% of U.S. households, including 93% of U.S. food desert residents, and through Instacart Health, we’re using our reach and technology to create impactful access programs with leading providers and health plans that help solve real patient challenges,” said Sarah Mastrorocco, VP and general manager of Instacart Health, in a statement. “Our powerful platform offers patients the dignity of choice to use their health benefits to purchase groceries that meet their unique tastes, needs and budgets.”
Through the partnership, patients within the Mount Sinai Solutions network will receive $110 in Fresh Funds for the episode of care to pay for delivery of fresh groceries, pantry staples, and household and baby essentials following specialized care and surgery at Mount Sinai facilities in New York City, and extended partners in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Patients will also benefit from a tailored Mount Sinai Virtual Storefront, allowing for easy shopping and delivery of provider-recommended goods from local, regional and national retailers via Instacart. Using Instacart Health tools, the program supports each patient’s recovery with actionable recommendations from Mount Sinai experts.
“Mount Sinai Solutions and our Centers of Excellence are designed to be hyper-focused on a patient’s end-to-end care journey to improve outcomes while driving down costs associated with re-admittance or ER visits,” said Lauren Lisher, SVP of specialty care and partnerships at Mount Sinai Solutions, in a statement. “We are pleased to partner with Instacart to offer a robust grocery delivery solution that provides nourishing foods and essentials needed for a smooth recovery after hospital discharge.”
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