NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - June 14, 2016) - axialHealthcare, the national leader in pain care solutions, in partnership with Wellframe, a Boston-based digital healthcare company specializing in care management & patient engagement, announced today the release of axialPATIENT -- the first personalized mobile support application for patients experiencing complex pain conditions and receiving treatment with prescription pain medications.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated that in 2014 there were 10,574 heroin overdose deaths and 14,838 for prescription opioids. Additionally, prescription opioid abusers are 40 times more likely to become addicted to heroin, which has increased across all demographics over the last decade and led to a 286% increase in heroin-related overdose deaths.

"The problem that axialHealthcare is dedicated to addressing is of the highest importance to our country, and we are honored to be able to support them in their mission," said Jacob Sattelmair, Wellframe CEO.

This growing crisis not only negatively impacts those individuals addicted to prescription pain medication, it also has adverse effects on healthcare expenditures. Studies show that $300B in direct healthcare spending is attributable to chronic pain, which accounts for approximately 10% of annual healthcare expenditures. Patients using opioids consume 8 times more healthcare expenditures than the average patient. axialHealthcare's CEO John J. Donahue stated that, "With the release of axialPATIENT, Wellframe and axialHealthcare are collaborating to save lives, improve pain outcomes, reduce opioid dependency, enhance practitioner pain care treatment, and lower overall healthcare costs."

axialPATIENT is administered by practitioners directly to high risk, high cost patients with complex chronic pain. Utilizing Wellframe's advanced approach to patient engagement, axialPATIENT leverages mobile technology to deliver a customized care plan in the form of daily medication reminders, a pedometer to track physical activity goals, surveys and quizzes.

axialPATIENT incorporates two platforms: EMPOWER, which collects self-reported data elements developed and proven in coordination with leading pain experts, and CONSULT, which connects this data with axial's highly specialized clinical pharmacists, who can identify high risk patients and report potential risk factors and personalized care pathways to the practitioners who support these patients.

To learn more about axialPATIENT and meet the axialHealthcare team, please visit Booth 169 during AHIP in Las Vegas, NV on June 15-17th.

About axialHealthcare

axialHealthcare is America's leading pain medication and pain care management company and partners with health insurers nationwide. axial's team of physicians, pharmacists, scientists, technologists and healthcare operators are dedicated to ensuring that patients in pain are continuously engaged and provided with personalized evidence-based care from informed practitioners to deliver exceptional outcomes. axial's solutions optimize pain care outcomes, reduce opioid misuse and materially improve financial performance for those who insure care. For more information, please visit www.axialhealthcare.com.

About Wellframe

Wellframe partners with leading health plans and providers to transform care management & patient engagement. Our mobile platform enables our partners to optimally leverage their existing clinical resources to provide patients ongoing guidance and support when and where they need it. Wellframe's approach delivers improved patient experience, reduced medical spend and increased value-based revenue. We work hand-in-hand with our partners, taking a data-driven approach to evaluating performance and optimizing resource allocation for continuous improvement. For more information on Wellframe, visit http://wellframe.com.