California-based Midi Health provides a virtual care clinic for women aged 40 and above, offering specialised virtual care for menopausal and perimenopausal women.  The company this week announced a partnership with Memorial Hermann Health System, a large healthcare system based in Houston. 

Why it's Notable:

• Midi offers telehealth services guided by a network of nurse practitioners, physicians and researchers. It provides personalised care plans based on protocols developed by experts in perimenopause and menopause, as well as services like lifestyle coaching and prescription medication. The collaboration with Memorial Hermann Health System aims to expand access to specialised healthcare services for women at a crucial stage in their lives, and a stage that has often been overlooked in healthcare.

• The Health System encompasses 17 hospitals and a range of specialist facilities indicating a wide reach of patients. Its patients can now access Midi Health by going directly to the company's website or through a referral by a Hermann Health provider. The Midi Health professionals may refer the patient back to Hermann Health for specialist investigations, enabling a fully integrated end-to-end solution to meet the spectrum of health needs for perimenopausal and menopausal patients. 

Industry Implications:

• This is the second health system partnership secured by the company this year, with a similar partnership announced with Lifepoint Health in February, in addition to a partnership with benefits management company Progyny announced in August.  Furthermore, a recent Series A funding round for the company raised $25 million, led by Google Ventures, bringing the company’s total funding to $40 million. The funding will be used to further grow its partnership base with hospital systems and U.S. employers

• The women's digital health market is expected to grow substantially in the coming years, and menopause appears to be an emerging focus area for innovation within this market space. With more than one million women in the U.S. becoming menopausal each year, there are a growing number of vendors aiming to modernise care for menopausal and perimenopausal women. Vendors like Evernow and Upliv provide digital care for menopause, while Ovia Health announced earlier this year its plans to expand their services into menopause offerings. At this year’s HLTH Conference, women’s health was a central topic of conversation, extending beyond traditional focus areas of reproduction and perinatal care, to focus on issues that affect women of menopausal age too.