![]() ![]() The company told CNBC that about 50 self-insured employers have signed up so far, ranging from Seattle Children's Hospital to Washington-based Red Lion Hotels. One example is the 98point6 assistant, essentially a bot, that conducts about half of the initial interview with the patient and presents that information to the doctor (Cape expects that percentage to increase over time, as the technology gets smarter).ĩ8point6 is also pushing to get companies to cover the service. As more consumers start to use it, that will cut down on the administrative work that is "burning out" doctors, potentially turning them into advocates for the product. "Our hope is that will engage with our users literally every month about something related to their health," he said.Īpart from the price tag, the big draw for consumers is the ability to message a doctor at any time. The subscription model can also help patient health by supporting an ongoing relationship between doctor and patient, Cape believes. It now offers a messaging service for patients and doctors to connect at an introductory price of $20 a year with no additional fees for a visit (after the first year, it costs $120). In general, insurance pays for these services, or they charge patients a fee of $40 to $50 per visit.īut 98point6 believes it's onto something different by blending these two worlds, and leveraging technology to bring down the price. Other start-ups are trying to increase access to primary care by experimenting with virtual-only approaches, such as smartphone apps to connect doctors and patients, like Doctor on Demand or AmericanWell. Direct primary care makes up less than ten percent of physician practices, but the Trump administration is now asking how it could help fund some of these practices for vulnerable seniors on Medicare. "Why I think Amazon does so well," Schwietzer explained, "is that where most companies will look at something and say 'we'll give it to you fast or inexpensive,' Amazon has always said 'why not both?'"Ĭape and Schwietzer are not the first entrepreneurs to hone in on this problem.Ī movement called direct primary care involves charging consumers a subscription fee for access to high-quality doctors, mostly in person. He had his misgivings about health care after a stint in consulting early in his career, but Schwietzer said he saw a big opportunity to bring "price, quality, and convenience" to the sector, similarly to what Amazon did for retail. Years later, when Cape had the idea for 98point6, he reached out to his old friend Schwietzer. To his surprise, Schwietzer responded and the pair had lunch. Back in 2011, Cape contacted Schweitzer out of the blue to get some advice on subscription businesses, as Prime was one of the few services millions of people were willing to pay for every month. ![]() ![]() Schwietzer has teamed up with CEO Robbie Cape, a Microsoft veteran who created Cozi, a family planning software venture, then sold it to Time. "But I do believe that people shouldn't have to make decisions about whether they should go see a doctor when they need one, or go buy groceries for their family." "Health care is really hard," Schwietzer told CNBC.
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