Brian Sauer, a former executive with Optum, last year experienced firsthand the complexity of attaining and dealing with a sleep apnea diagnosis.
As a result of that experience, Sauer founded the White Bear Lake-based health care startup GEM Health, which launched its first product offering this week. The product is a digital platform called GEM Sleep that aims to help potential sleep apnea sufferers navigate diagnosis and treatment in a one-stop virtual hub.
“In going through the process of trying to get diagnosed and trying to get treatment, I felt it to be a very clunky experience as a patient, very confusing to find out where to go, a lot of handoffs, not a lot of guidance for a patient,” said Sauer, who was formerly the chief operating officer for Optum Care before becoming CEO of Sanvello Health, a Minneapolis-based digital mental health care provider.
After leaving Sanvello, Sauer said he began putting his efforts toward addressing sleep apnea. Formed earlier this year, the startup was supported by a seed funding round, though Sauer did not disclose how much money was raised.
Sleep apnea, a disorder characterized by short interruptions in breathing while asleep, can display symptoms like excessive sleepiness, snoring with periods of silence and gasps for air, as well as restless sleep, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
GEM Health estimates the market for addressing sleep apnea exceeds $4.5 billion annually. Sauer said he believes the GEM Sleep product is well-positioned to aid those who aren’t currently diagnosed or getting treatment.
The GEM Health team, mostly consisting of those based in Minnesota, has five full-time employees and seven contracted employees, including a clinician.
On GEM Sleep, a person is asked health-related questions to determine whether they may be experiencing sleep apnea. Then, they can order an at-home sleep test, where they will wear a WatchPAT sleep study device around the wrist while sleeping. GEM’s clinician then analyzes the results. From there, a diagnosed patient will be connected with a couple of treatment options, like a CPAP machine or an oral appliance. The platform also links users with articles, videos and a peer support group.
“We're bringing it all into one place, bringing it all digital and making it really simple for folks,” Sauer said.
GEM Sleep does not currently accept insurance directly but is in the process of making it available. While the platform is free to use, patients do need to pay for the sleep test and subsequent costs for treatment.
Beyond sleep apnea, Sauer said the company plans to broaden its offerings to address other specialty care conditions within the next two years.
The original version of this story incorrectly identified the stage of funding GEM Health has undergone. It was supported by seed funding.
