Health care was disrupted, and then new company Homeward came up with another reform.
As CEO Dr. Jennifer Schneider puts it, the San Francisco-based startup’s goal of “reimagining rural health care” is undeniably ambitious. Launching Monday The company, which received an initial investment of $20 million from General Catalyst, is seeking to increase access to high-quality, affordable primary and specialty care. But it is not intended to replace or replace suppliers in less populated areas.
“We don’t disturb at all. We don’t take money from existing suppliers,” Schneider said in an interview at the inauguration ViVE Conference Held at the Miami Beach Convention Center. “That would be a very bad business model – frankly very bad for the rural health system. “
Instead, Homeward will offer a hybrid care model to increase access to primary care and specialty services, starting with cardiology. Led largely by former Livongo executives including Schneider, the company has a multidisciplinary care team with virtual care, mobile care units and home remote monitoring.
Where broadband is slow to reach many rural communities, Homeward is using cellular-based monitoring equipment and virtual services to better connect to remote members. The company will also refer its patients to local healthcare providers for care, as needed.
But Homeward isn’t just supplementing the limited available health care in rural areas. Instead, the startup is positioning itself as the first integrated provider to take full risk in rural markets. First, it does this by partnering with Medicare Advantage.
“We charge for our services, and we contract with payers to take responsibility for these risks in Medicare life,” explained Schneider. “So when we deliver below a certain ratio of the total cost of care, we Gain an edge in savings. “
This economic model is not new, she said, and it has been applied time and time again in urban areas, but not in rural areas, where medical services are limited.
“andyou have to use technologyYes,” Schneider said.
That’s where she and the rest of Homeward’s leadership rely on its outcomes-focused models of in-person, virtual and mobile care to provide a better way forward. At the helm of Homeward, Schneider will join Homeward along with Livongo’s former chief product officer, Amar Kendale, who co-founded Homeward with Schneider and will serve as its president.
“We designed healthcare for the urban market,” Schneider said, highlighting vulnerable groups living in rural areas. Centralized care is great if you live nearby; but for someone who lives far from a population center and can’t drive, it doesn’t work, Schneider said.
With Homeward, she The hope is to provide an alternative where care can be provided where people are, no matter where they live.
Photo: marekuliasz, Getty Images
