Sometimes the biggest barrier to accessing health care is customer experience.
A patient might have good insurance, a great doctor and a knowledgeable pharmacist, but they could still end up filling out the same paperwork over and over again. They could have to sit for an hour or more in a crowded urgent care waiting room, or lose the sticky notes on which they scrawled the various logins and passwords needed for different online health accounts.
These inconveniences can discourage people from getting the care they need, said Kristen Valdes, CEO of Baltimore startup b.well Connected Health.
“Health care is full of friction for consumers,” Valdes said.
That’s why b.well partnered with MedStar Health to create a digital platform that Valdes said streamlines processes, reduces wait times and acts as a one-stop-shop for patients' needs.
Currently, 80% of medical appointments are booked by phone, Valdes said, but MedStar, one of the region's biggest health systems, has committed to promoting digital-first appointments. The searchable, online provider directory will make it easier to identify the right medical professional and find an appointment much sooner, she said.
If the fear of a long wait time is discouraging someone from going to urgent care, Valdes said a patient can now use the b.well platform to hold a place in line remotely, then arrive at a scheduled time. Digitized records accessed through a central platform means fewer forms and less time handwriting answers in a waiting room, she said.
“These little conveniences make a really big difference to consumers,” Valdes said.
The BBJ reported this summer that b.well would partner with MedStar, which operates about 300 locations, including 10 hospitals as well as ambulatory and urgent care centers. Their platform has now been active for about a month.
“We know life is busy and sometimes it can be difficult to make health a priority,” MedStar Chief Transformation Officer John Lock said in a statement. “We wanted to create a tool for our patients that didn’t exist before that helps them manage their health and wellness in as little time as possible at any hour of the day. This helps to connect them to the right care at the right time in the right location and the right care setting. The platform is also open to people who have not been a MedStar Health patient.”
Valdes said MedStar is not b.well’s biggest client, but it is a major partnership and one that’s right in the company’s backyard.
“We believe [Baltimore] is going to be the digital health hub of the U.S.,” Valdes said.
The company switched to remote work during the pandemic, but Valdes said it recently signed a lease on a new space in the city's Federal Hill neighborhood. A spokesman for the startup said the new space will be 8,000 square feet. Valdes said local interior architecture firm the Verve Partnership will be designing the space.
b.well raised $32 million of funding last year and $16 million in 2020. Valdes said the company is now up to 110 employees and is actively hiring.
