Intuition Robotics has been making inroads into expanding access to its AI social robot ElliQ among older adults through partnerships with Medicare Advantage plans, Managed Care Organizations and state governments.
The company is now growing its footprint with Medicaid participants in Washington state. Washington authorized a statewide reimbursement code for the company's ElliQ companion robot, making it possible for eligible beneficiaries to receive the technology as part of their in-home care services. ElliQ is now available as a smart care device to eligible Washington Medicaid recipients enrolled in the Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports programs of Community First Choice or Roads to Community Living, the company announced in March.
Dor Skuler, Intuition Robotics CEO and co-founder, says it marks the first time nationwide that a social AI robot has been fully reimbursed by Medicaid. Washington is also the first state to open eligibility to suitable Medicaid participants with no cap.
"It's the first time that any healthcare organization is fully reimbursing an AI-native product in the U.S., and it's the first time they are fully reimbursing a talking robot companion," Skuler said.
ElliQ is a voice-operated, AI-enabled care companion robot that looks like a small table lamp with an eyeless head that lights up and swivels. The device promotes independent living, expands client options and supports self-determination that complement existing in-home care services.
ElliQ is designed to be proactive and empathetic—she initiates conversations, offers reminders, suggests personalized wellness activities and engages in two-way dialogue. The robot does daily check-ins, supports health and wellness, provides social engagement and access to services. The use of this interactive technology can help reduce the strain on the shortage of in-person caregivers and help promote independence for those who prefer to live at home rather than in a nursing home.
Intuition Robotics designed ElliQ to use AI to support daily tasks or health-related activities, such as medication and appointment reminders and help adults with physical disabilities or adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities stay connected through activities and communication with family.
The company initially worked with the Olympic Area Agency on Aging in Washington state on a pilot program for individuals in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties. During that pilot, participants engaged with ElliQ an average of 60 times per day while 100% found ElliQ useful in improving wellness and 95% of participants reported reduced loneliness. In addition, 85% of participants noted that ElliQ is easy to use, and 43% of participants noted feeling safer, less lonely and less anxious, due to ElliQ's presence and her connectivity features to family, friends and services.
ElliQ pilot program participants also averaged 145 health-related activities and 130 wellness-related activities each year, demonstrating sustained engagement in practices like exercise, mindfulness, and social connection.
The success of that pilot led Washington state leadership to work on creating new codes to make ElliQ fully reimbursable and available to the Community First Choice population, Skuler said.
Over the past year, Intuition Robotics has added new capabilities, such as a caregiver app, and rolled out advanced AI and large language models to drive more engagement. The ElliQ health agent offers a suite of AI insights such as continuous Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) estimate scoring, personalized check-ins and follow-ups, fall-risk assessments, behavioral change detection, and raising a "check-engine-light" alert that signals to clinicians when, based on the older adults' change in condition, a clinical assessment is advisable.
The ElliQ health agent also drives fulfillment of assessments and screeners such as HRA (health risk assessments), PHQ2, GAD 2 and helps identify and close care gaps related to CAHPS and HEDIS. This allows ElliQ to leverage engagement to support health plans and providers in both quality measures and preventive care workflows, according to the company.
While Intuition Robotics has been expanding its partnerships with Managed Care Organizations and state governments, the company has ambitions to secure broader insurance coverage, particularly Medicaid and Medicare.
"We had to figure out, how do we change the story from just all the good that ElliQ does for the older adults to the good that it does for a health plan or a payer. That's measured in ROI. It's measured on specific populations, as opposed to quality of life, health level and health span of the individual, which is how we were measuring it before. That was a big part of what we did on the go-to-market side, and that means a lot of features and a lot of capabilities," Skuler said.
The Medicaid reimbursement in Washington state sets a foundation for improved access to the ElliQ device while also providing financial ROI for Medicaid programs, he asserted.
"Any solution that can keep the person at home and allow them to retain their independence will improve the quality of life of that individual and reduce the cost for the state, even if it ends up just giving one more year of independence and not necessarily avoiding nursing homes in general, but increasing that health span and increasing that independent span, then it's worthwhile," he said.