PRA Enhances COVID-19 Monitoring Program with Integration of Microsoft Healthcare Bot Service

RALEIGH, N.C., June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRA Health Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAH) announced today the enhancement of its commercial Health Harmony COVID-19 Monitoring Program with the integration of the Microsoft Healthcare Bot service. Users of PRA’s Health Harmony digital platform who enroll in their organization’s COVID-19 Monitoring Program can use the AI-based chatbot, which can recognize and respond to COVID-19-related questions, to enhance their own COVID-19 care.

Through a series of conversational questions and interactions within PRA’s Health Harmony digital health platform, the COVID-19 chatbot compares users’ symptoms to U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidance and then recommends one of three available COVID-19 programs in which they should enroll. For users of the Health Harmony app, the enrollment experience becomes more personalized and is more accurate in determining the level of COVID-19 care needed. For organizations that have implemented PRA’s COVID-19 Monitoring Program, the integration allows them to understand patient flow and to monitor, educate and individualize care with greater agility.

"Collaborating closely with leading edge companies like Microsoft, PRA is uniquely positioned to deliver innovative new models of care to patients as their needs evolve, especially in times of crisis and uncertainty,” said Kent Thoelke, EVP and Chief Scientific Officer at PRA Health Sciences. "With PRA’s Health Harmony app in their hands, patients can track signs, symptoms and self-manage their own COVID-19-related care, but if symptoms escalate, remote monitoring and the help obtained from a healthcare professional can make all the difference. PRA is giving patients more control and better access to personalized healthcare, right from their own devices and on their own schedule.”

Last month, PRA rolled out the program and the Health Harmony mobile app, with the integration of the COVID-19 Healthcare Bot service, to more than 7,000 employees in the United States. Since March, thousands of users from around the globe have downloaded PRA’s Health Harmony app and enrolled in the COVID-19 Monitoring Program. As part of the program, users can track their own COVID-19 symptoms and educate themselves about the disease. The COVID-19 Monitoring Program – available commercially to employers, payers, providers and health systems – offers three levels of support:

• The educational program, which provides vital sign tracking, prevention techniques and mental health support for those who are asymptomatic.
• The quarantine program, which delivers insights on what to watch for, addresses feelings of fear and isolation, and connects with a healthcare professional for those who have been exposed to COVID-19.
• The in-depth monitoring program, which addresses symptom management, frequent monitoring by a healthcare professional and care coordination for those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and who are still at home.

"Healthcare and clinical research should be easily accessible to all people and tailored to fit their unique needs,” said Jean Gabarra, General Manager, Health AI at Microsoft. "When technology like Microsoft’s COVID-19 Healthcare Bot and a user-friendly interface like the Health Harmony app can be combined with the insights and expertise of a global healthcare intelligence partner like PRA, patients’ health and wellbeing will benefit tremendously.”

To learn more about how PRA is delivering technology and R&D solutions to employers, payers and providers during COVID-19, please visit www.prahs.com/covid-19. For more information on the COVID-19 Monitoring Program and Health Harmony mobile platform, visit https://www.careinnovations.com/.

About PRA Health Sciences

PRA Health Sciences is one of the world’s leading global contract research organizations by revenue, providing outsourced clinical development and data solution services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. PRA’s global clinical development platform includes more than 75 offices across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, South Africa, Australia and the Middle East and more than 17,500 employees worldwide. Since 2000, PRA has participated in approximately 4,000 clinical trials worldwide. In addition, PRA has participated in the pivotal or supportive trials that led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration or international regulatory approval of more than 95 drugs. To learn more about PRA, please visit www.prahs.com.

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