San Francisco, CA – On demand services have been a trend that just continues to pick up steam and the we’ve noticed healthcare being no exception. Lantern, Honor, and Kurbo Health are exploring the thinking beyond the HCP and leveraging thousands of allied healthcare workers to improve our access to quality care.
The next panel at Rock Health focused on the rise of these types of services in healthcare. They are being pushed by companies like Honor, Lantern and Kurbo Health to rethink quality of care. Each of these companies uses innovation and scale to effect change is some dated aspects of the healthcare industry. It was a more of a side note this pane, but one of the biggest takeaways was that all three of these companies seemed to have the same answer when asked what was next for them. They all agreed that the problems they are tackling are big enough. And, “As small company you need to pick the things that you can be really great at,” says Alejandro Foung.
These companies are paying special attention to quality of care. The biggest changes they are making to their respective companies is that of scale. By using technology they can more effectively pair up patients with specific needs and caregivers that have the corresponding skills. One of the biggest changes is that in these markets most of the companies are constrained by their proximity to patients and that everything is still done in pen and paper and often managed by one person causing a bottleneck if that person doesn’t come into work that day. These companies have created networks allowing for broader reach and eliminate bottlenecks that often occur.
Whether it be a caregiver from the Honor company or a obesity coach from Kurbos, the consumers is put first. These special match’s are made possible by the networks of employees that technology is allowing these companies to build and send out into the field. Honor Founder Sandy Jen stated that, “We have to be perceived as a “human company” with a relationship, rather than a technology company. Technology can’t take place of a human bond. The line is drawn where the service has to be fantastic, so the technology can fade into the background. In healthcare the service isn’t transactional. It is important to figure out the quality interaction necessary to uphold a high standard of care.” This important distinction is something that has to be remembered as the healthcare industry moves into a more technology enabled industry.
