Brighter

Brighter is a Santa Monica-based internet and healthcare company that connects dentists, patients, and dental insurers. The company licenses a consumer-driven dental benefits experience to insurance carriers to help them administer dental plans more efficiently and offer patient-friendly services such as online and mobile provider directories, patient reviews, and a proprietary online appointment scheduling feature, Brighter Schedule.[1] The company's founder and CEO is internet entrepreneur Jake Winebaum.

Brighter
IndustryTechnology
Health care
Founded2010
FounderJake Winebaum
HeadquartersSanta Monica, California
ParentCigna
Websitewww.brighter.com

Brighter's technology powers member engagement tools used by major dental insurers including Cigna, Aetna, and Delta Dental.

In December 2017, Brighter was acquired by Cigna.[2]

Early products

The company's first product was a dental savings plan geared toward uninsured patients. It was profiled in several national publications, including Good Morning America,[3] ABC World News with Diane Sawyer,[4] The Los Angeles Times,[5] Bloomberg BusinessWeek,[6] Reuters,[7] and TechCrunch.[8]

In 2014, the company launched Brighter PRO, a dental benefit plan for self-funding companies.[9] Companies use self-insured preferred-provider (PPO) dental plans, with access to an online platform to search for local providers, compare, and select a dentist.[10]

Licensing

As of 2017, three of the largest dental insurers in the United States utilize Brighter products, through the company's licensing agreements with Cigna, Delta Dental, and Aetna.

In 2015, Cigna began licensing Brighter's platform to power the myCigna website and mobile app. The licensing agreement includes profiles of in-network providers, estimated copays, and online appointment scheduling.[11]

Delta Dental added Brighter's appointment scheduling software, Brighter Schedule, to its mobile application in March 2017.[12] Online scheduling was extended to DeltaDental.com in July 2017.

In August 2017, Aetna announced that it would be launching an updated experience on its Aetna Navigator site in January 2018. The new experience will include all of its dental customers and feature Brighter's entire suite of member engagement tools.[13]

Funding and Acquisition

Brighter secured about $49 million in investments, with backing from General Catalyst, Mayfield Fund, Benchmark, DAG Ventures, and Tenaya Capital.[14]

In December 2017, Cigna announced that it had acquired Brighter. In the announcement, Cigna said it planned to create new digital products for its members and for health care providers and to integrate Brighter's technology into existing products and services.[15]

References
  1. Brighter. About Brighter Brighter. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
  2. Cigna (CI) Buys Brighter to Enhance Technology Investment NASDAQ. NASDAQ, 15 December 2017. Web.
  3. Good Morning America. How to Save Money at the Dentist. ABC News. Good Morning America, 7 Oct 2015. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
  4. Faris, Paula. ‘Real Money’ Tips to Make That Dentist Visit a Little Less Painful. ABC News. ABC News Network, 17 July 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  5. Zamosky, Lisa. Cutting the Cost of Dental Care. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  6. Clark, Patrick. A Dental Care Startup Sees Profit in Obamacare's Gaps. Archived September 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine BusinessWeek. Bloomberg Business Week, 03 June 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  7. McBride, Sarah. Start-up Tries Tapping Market of Uninsured Dental Patients. Reuters. Reuters, 3 June 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  8. Empson, Rip. Brighter Launches A New, Free Version Of Its Dental Service To Bring Affordable Care To The Uninsured. TechCrunch. TechCrunch, 3 June 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  9. Brighter Turns To Employers With Brighter PRO Archived March 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine SoCal Tech. SoCal Tech, 26 September 2014. Web.
  10. Taufen, Amber. Ancillary Plans Get a New Spin Benefits Pro. Benefits PRO, 9 June 2014. Web.
  11. New online tools available for Cigna dental customers and practices Dentistry IQ. Dentistry IQ, 10 December 2015. Web.
  12. Delta Dental to add consumer scheduling tool to app Dr. Bicuspid. Dr. Biscuspid, 6 January 2017. Web.
  13. New tools let Aetna dental plan members rate, review and book a trip to the dentist online, Digital Commerce 360, 8 August 2017. Web.
  14. Brighter raises $21 million in push to boost transparency for dental benefits Med City News. Med City News, 20 April 2016. Web.
  15. Cigna Acquires Brighter, A Leader in Digital Engagement of Health Care Consumers Cigna. Cigna, 14 December 2017. Web.
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