CHICAGO, Feb. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stonebrook Risk Solutions today announced a strategic partnership with Cylinder Health to expand its specialty ecosystem into digestive management, one of the fastest-growing drivers of medical and pharmacy spend in commercial populations.

Digestive conditions including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), GERD and celiac disease represent a significant source of catastrophic claims exposure and specialty drug volatility for stop-loss carriers, third-party administrators (TPAs), regional health plans and self-insured employers. Without coordinated management, these conditions often progress to emergency department visits, hospitalizations and high-cost biologic therapies.

Through this partnership, Stonebrook will offer Cylinder Health’s multidisciplinary digestive management program nationwide. The program is designed to support earlier intervention, stabilize high-acuity cases and improve predictability across medical and pharmacy spend.

Cylinder Health delivers virtual-first, multidisciplinary digestive disease management designed to intervene earlier, optimize treatment pathways and reduce avoidable escalation of care — helping organizations proactively manage GI-related cost risk.

“Stonebrook’s mission is to equip TPAs, regional health plans and stop-loss partners with differentiated capabilities that improve outcomes and lower total cost of care,” said Mark Angard, CEO of Stonebrook Risk Solutions. “Digestive diseases represent one of the most complex and underestimated cost drivers in commercial health care. Cylinder Health strengthens our ecosystem with a clinically rigorous, disease-focused model that helps our partners manage high-acuity GI conditions, mitigate pharmacy spend and reduce avoidable catastrophic claims.”

A digestive health center of excellence

Cylinder operates as a digestive health center of excellence, delivering structured, longitudinal management across the full GI acuity spectrum. From digestive symptoms to disorders of gut-brain interaction to complex inflammatory bowel disease, Cylinder provides coordinated care pathways that integrate:

• Gastroenterologists providing direct virtual care and clinical oversight
• Nutrition therapy delivered by registered dietitians
• Lifestyle and behavioral health interventions
• Ongoing symptom monitoring and data-driven care adjustments

This model emphasizes appropriate triage, specialty drug optimization and proactive early intervention. By supporting medication optimization, adherence and timely reassessment of treatment plans, Cylinder helps prevent avoidable hospitalizations and unnecessary treatment progression while maintaining evidence-based standards of care.

Care integrates seamlessly into existing benefit and claims infrastructures, ensuring coordination with in-network providers and centers of excellence when escalation is clinically appropriate. Outcomes are measured using validated clinical, economic, and patient experience metrics aligned to employer and health plan accountability goals.

Managing disease progression before costs escalate

For many employees, digestive disease is marked by delayed diagnosis, recurrent flares, and fragmented care, often cycling through urgent care visits and specialty appointments before receiving coordinated support that addresses the clinical, nutritional, and behavioral drivers of their condition.

Cylinder replaces this reactive pattern with proactive, multidisciplinary intervention that connects members experiencing GI symptoms to the right level of care earlier. By focusing on structured intervention and appropriate escalation, Cylinder helps reduce unnecessary emergency department visits, avoid duplicative diagnostics, and manage high-cost pharmacy utilization, particularly among members with complex or inflammatory conditions.

“Digestive disease is too often treated only after symptoms escalate,” said Hau Liu, MD, MBA, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Cylinder Health. “Our approach centers on early, coordinated management that supports members across acuity levels. By aligning clinical oversight, nutrition, and behavioral health support in one virtual-first model, we help employers and health plans stabilize costs while improving long-term health outcomes.”

Expanding the Stonebrook ecosystem

Stonebrook’s ecosystem is designed to reduce catastrophic claims exposure, strengthen chronic disease management, and deliver advanced analytics through its integrated platform. The addition of Cylinder Health formally establishes digestive disease as a distinct, specialty category within that strategy.

Together, Stonebrook and Cylinder aim to set a new standard in digestive disease management by addressing one of the most overlooked and complex drivers of total cost of care. The partnership brings accountable, specialty-driven GI support to TPAs, regional health plans and stop loss partners seeking measurable cost containment without compromising clinical quality.

For more information about the partnership and available services, please visit stonebrookrisk.com or CylinderHealth.com.

About Cylinder Health

Cylinder Health helps employers and health plans manage rising digestive health costs, a major but often overlooked spend category. By giving members experiencing GI symptoms convenient access to appropriate care earlier, Cylinder reduces avoidable ED visits, unnecessary specialist care, and time away from work.

Care is delivered through virtual-first access to a multidisciplinary clinical team that supports digestive, nutrition, and behavioral health needs. Results are measured using validated clinical, economic, and patient experience metrics, delivering measurable ROI for leading, large employers nationwide. Learn more at www.CylinderHealth.com.

About Stonebrook Risk Solutions

Stonebrook Risk Solutions is a leading provider of aggregated health care solutions and advanced data analytics, serving stop loss carriers, TPAs, regional health plans, and employer clients nationwide. Through a curated ecosystem of specialty partners, Stonebrook delivers innovative solutions designed to improve outcomes, reduce total cost of care, and manage catastrophic claims risk. Learn more at www.stonebrookrisk.com.

Contact:
Kati Nortrup
knortrup@cylinderhealth.com