Wysa, a company offering an AI-enabled mental health chatbot, announced it is merging with April Health, which integrates virtual behavioral health services into primary care.
Wysa's chatbot guides users through cognitive behavioral therapy for concerns like low mood, stress and anxiety. The company's employer offering also includes a self-care library of exercises to improve self-esteem, sleep and mindfulness, and optional access to Wysa human coaches.
In 2022, the company's chatbot received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for use by patients 18 and older with a diagnosis of chronic musculoskeletal pain, depression and anxiety.
April Health provides mental health support through a patient's primary care provider. The company says it addresses stress, anxiety and loneliness and helps people experiencing significant life changes, chronic illness or the loss of a loved one.
The collaboration will combine behavioral health specialists, Wysa's AI offerings and psychiatrists to provide continuous patient care and merge AI with human resources. The company will also allow patients to access support between in-person visits.
The integrated model has been adopted by April Health's existing PCP partners within LifePoint Healthcare and The Newton Clinic, an affiliate of MercyOne.
"No one should have to wait for behavioral health care, yet the reality is most patients face long delays, assuming they ever get the support they need," Ramakant Vempati, cofounder and president of Wysa, said in a statement.
"By bringing Wysa's AI into April Health's care model, we're creating a seamless system where patients can engage with mental health support immediately while still receiving expert-led care."
THE LARGER TREND
Last year, Springfield-based life insurance and financial services company MassMutual added Wysa Assure to its health and wellness offerings.
Wysa Assure is an AI-powered conversational mental health app created by Wysa and Swiss Re, an innovation company specifically for life and health insurers.
The company also announced the launch of Wysa Copilot last year, a hybrid digital and human therapy platform, and a multilingual AI safety initiative dubbed Safety Assessment for LLMs in Mental Health (SAFE-LMH), a platform to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LLMs in mental health conversations.
In 2022, Wysa secured $20 million in a Series B financing round, a little over a year after the company announced a $5.5 million Series A fundraise.