Ceresti Health

Ceresti Health provides a digital health platform focused on the dementia care market, specifically by empowering unpaid family caregivers. The company was founded in 2013 by Dirk Soenksen, a seasoned healthcare executive, along with neuroscientist Kevin Liang and technologist Mark Wrenn. Soenksen, who serves as CEO, previously founded and sold Aperio, a digital pathology company, to Leica Biosystems in 2012. The inspiration for Ceresti came from co-founder Kevin Liang's personal experience with grandparents who had dementia, combined with Soenksen's search for a new venture in healthcare. They initially raised $4 million from friends and family to start the company.

Ceresti's business model targets payers and providers, such as Medicare Advantage plans, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and at-risk medical groups. The company generates revenue by charging a monthly fee per enrolled caregiver and patient pair, aiming to reduce medical costs for its clients by preventing avoidable hospitalizations. Independent studies have shown that Ceresti's program can significantly reduce hospitalizations and overall medical costs for enrolled members.

The core offering is a technology-enabled service, the Digital Caregiver Activation Platform (DCAP), which is provided at no cost to the family caregivers. This program delivers personalized education, coaching from social workers, and remote monitoring tools through a dedicated tablet sent to the caregiver's home. The platform analyzes claims data and risk factors to tailor the content for each patient and caregiver's specific situation, addressing the complexities of dementia often coupled with other chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease. The program aims to build caregiver confidence and skills, helping them to proactively monitor their loved one's condition, improve care plan adherence, and report symptoms more accurately to physicians. Ceresti has also formed strategic partnerships, such as one with Neura Health, to expand its services under the CMS Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, which facilitates faster access to virtual neurology assessments.

Keywords: dementia care, caregiver support, digital health, population health management, value-based care, Medicare Advantage, remote patient monitoring, elder care technology, chronic condition management, family caregivers, GUIDE model, virtual care, health cost reduction, patient engagement, ACO solutions, at-risk providers, caregiver coaching, cognitive impairment, home-based care, Alzheimer's care