Heal was created in 2014 by founders Nick Desai (CEO), Dr. Renee Dua; their original business model was to have a way for doctors to make house calls. Considering the covid-19 pandemic, they have adjusted the business model to include telemedicine, which many doctors and health insurance companies have started using since the pandemic.
Even my primary care physician now has telemedicine, which, when I got sick at the end of July that was my first appointment, a telemedicine call. She determined that I need to go into the office under the suspicion that I had covid-19. I had to drive 45 mins to her office. Go to the back of the building and call and let someone know I was there. Then I had to wait in my car for someone to get me and take me through the back door and into a room next to the door. Everyone I saw was covered head to toe because they said I had covid even though I tested negative twice. However, because I live with someone who tested positive, I was considered positive. For me, that whole process seemed very extreme. I know it was best because of the concerns of covid.
Now, here is where Heal is different than all the others. If Heal was available in my area and my insurance accepted them, then after the telemedicine call, if a doctor needed to see me, they would make an appointment to come to see me in my home. I could have stayed in bed, and I would not have felt like Typhoid Mary. I think that more people will start using the benefits of a doctor who makes house calls. Such as the elderly and others that are homebound and unable to leave their homes. Single parents who have a sick child do not want to get all the children up and out to a doctor’s office. How about that stubborn person who is sick in bed but refuses to go to the doctor? Well, with Heal, the doctor can go to them instead. The Doctors with Heal also get a better picture of you, and they can see what kinds of foods you are eating by checking out your pantry or kitchen. They can see what medicines you have been taking by checking out the medicine cabinet. This is much simpler than keeping up with a food and medicine diary for your office doctor.
I learned about this in one of my classes last year. I would say that I was at the implementation stage because I have used telemedicine and enjoyed the experience. Plus, I could see the benefits of this even though I was asked to come into the office. I think it would be even more beneficial if a doctor could come to my home. Currently, this is unavailable in my area, so it may be a while before getting to the confirmation stage.
I would be in the early adopter category if available in my area and accepted by my insurance. The reason I would be in this category is that I like staying home. I work, go to school and shop from home. I only go to the store to get fresh food. When I feel sick, I would not want to leave the house.
Another example of innovation that I would have been in a different category is cell phones. I would have put myself into the late majority or even laggards. Many of my friends had cell phones, while I still had a landline and a voice recorder. I think my oldest daughter was about two years old before I jumped on the cell phone wagon, and then it was a basic flip phone that I had to pay for minutes.
Here is a video I created:
I hope someday that Heal is available in my area.
References
CNBC.com staff. (2020, June 16). CNBC Disruptor 50 13. Heal. Retrieved from CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/16/heal-disruptor-50.html
How Heal works. (2020, n/a n/a). Retrieved from Heal: https://heal.com/how-it-works/
I also used various images from google images for the video.
