Millions Of Americans Will Now Be Eligible For Superhero Healthcare – Forbes
Today, using data-driven technological innovations we can accurately analyze the past, evaluate the present, and predict the future. Literally. Through data-driven technologies we can recognize and detect patterns, forecast threatening conditions on different fronts and spot malfunctions in multiple fields and industries. Data is knowledge and knowledge is power – and those who know how to use it, are improving the lives of millions.
Following Wonder Woman Gal Gadot’s announcement last week that she would be joining forces with healthcare giant K Health, the company got a lot of attention. Today, it announced that its enterprise solution, Hydrogen Health, the Joint Venture the company established with Anthem and Blackstone, will provide targeted primary care 24/7 to ten million more Americans in 2022.
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence, hundreds of affiliated board-certified clinicians, and digital remote care technologies, K Health is working vigorously to close the gap in primary care that plagues millions in the US. Gadot explained in her announcement that after seeing firsthand the benefits of the technology, she wanted to help the health platform further its mission to offer families everywhere better, more affordable services regardless of insurance status or proximity to a doctor.
Offer families everywhere better, more affordable services regardless of insurance status or … [+]
The company is now taking a significant step towards this goal, announcing the nationwide launch of its comprehensive Virtual Primary Care initiative, which it will make available for self-insured employers and insurers through its partners and their affiliated clinical providers.
“We are fundamentally changing ongoing clinical management, making care navigation seamless,” said CEO and Co-Founder Allon Bloch. “At the same time, we are preventing countless ER visits by treating people early and often, and this can reduce 20% of current healthcare costs in America.”
Affordable Healthcare
This announcement comes on the heels of a fruitful collaboration with health insurance leader Anthem. Earlier this year, K Health, Anthem, and Blackstone Growth announced the launch of Hydrogen Health, a joint venture created to increase access to quality, more affordable healthcare. In recent months, Hydrogen Health has enabled the national insurance company to deliver a suite of digital, virtual and in-person care options targeting the direct-to-consumer, direct-to-employer and direct-to-insurer markets. Today, Hydrogen Health is expanding its services to include multiple Fortune 500 employers and large regional health-plan providers, which will hopefully mean that millions of Americans will now enjoy a data-driven, quality, accessible primary care.
Say Goodbye To Dr. Google
Founded in 2016 by Bloch, former Wix Co-CEO & Vroom Co-Founder and former CEO, Ran Shaul, Israel Roth and Taboola CEO Adam Singolda, the company’s platform relies on a comprehensive database that includes physician notes, and the medical history of patients, including lab results, past treatments and past prescriptions.
Surprisingly, prior to K Health’s initiative, most health care providers in the US did not digitize their data to leverage their performance. Initially, the company had to build its platform based on data collected by Maccabi, Israel’s second-largest HMO, over a 20-year period. “We found this data to be rather unique,” says Bloch, as healthcare in Israel is universal and participation in a medical insurance plan is compulsory. “The HMO’s oversee every aspect of care, from primary care to tests, treatments, hospital visits and drug prescriptions. This allows them to collect very comprehensive data which they digitize.” In the US, it’s very challenging to gather this data as these different aspects of care are not provided by one service provider. This means that most of the information about the patient’s medical journey is not synchronized. “We were determined to develop a sophisticated system that would provide the most accurate information on patients,” he says.
“We are preventing countless ER visits by treating people early and often, and this can reduce 20% … [+]
Data-Driven Diagnosis
The more data the platform collects, the better the analysis and care provided. Providing 24/7 service to millions of employees in 2022 will also upgrade care, as the platform constantly learns from the growing data. “Doctors today cannot benefit from the daily learning that broad data allows, as they frequently and understandably do not have access to data collected by other physicians and clinics. This platform can offer accurate prognosis which helps physicians get to the source of the medical problem much faster, avoiding unnecessary procedures and endless tests.”
Doctors In Your Pocket
Bloch explains that the proactive platform, designed to support both acute and chronic health problems, enables an accurate diagnosis in a very short time. “The expectation today in any service or business is that professionals learn from updated data, and doctors should not be any different. Inequality in the US health system can be eliminated by providing low-cost and high-quality primary care. That”, he says, “is our mission. Our joint venture, Hydrogen Health, puts doctors, armed with more medical data than you can imagine, right into people’s pockets 24/7; less of a hassle, primary care becomes more impactful than ever before.”
“Puts doctors, armed with more medical data than you can imagine, right into people’s pockets 24/7.”
The problems associated with in-person primary care, including doctor availability, wait times, travel, and high costs, have prevented many Americans, even those with insurance, from getting the care they need in real time. The problem of cost is compounded for those with high-deductible plans and the over 30% of covered workers who’ve seen an increase in their annual premium. It can be especially expensive for people with chronic conditions.
Peace Of Mind
The company’s new partner, Gal Gadot, has shared her reasons for supporting the platform with millions of her followers: “We’ve gotten to know and love how this technology empowers people to compare their symptoms to those of millions of others and text with a doctor for fast treatment and peace of mind,” she said. “No one should have to choose between medication or a meal for their children, and we want to be a part of helping reach this mission of getting everyone access to affordable, quality healthcare.”
“Getting everyone access to affordable, quality healthcare.”
Through its partnership with Anthem, Hydrogen Health, it has also expanded its affiliated clinician services to enable end-to-end diagnosis and management of more chronic conditions, with virtual and nationwide primary care solutions that do not rely on costly in-person care models. If a patient requires a referral to specialty care, a board-certified clinician will help direct them to affordable providers, with continued follow-up.
The service currently offers text-based chats and video visits with clinicians to treat a range of urgent, chronic and pediatric conditions. “More consumers, including those with complex cases that are traditionally difficult to treat and manage remotely, can now get effective care with less concern around costs or scheduling inconveniences,” concludes Morgan Kendrick, Executive Vice President of Anthem. “We can now offer people 360-degree support with dietary regimens and lab orders, for example, right from their mobile devices – improving outcomes and helping prevent the need for emergency intervention. We look forward to increasing the access of more health plan members to these virtual primary care services and simplifying their healthcare.”
