Hello Health-Concierge Care for All

Yesterday I watched Dr. Jay Parkinson introduce more details about Hello Health, the Starbucks of Primary Care, at the HIMSS Summit DC 2008 (thanks Bob Coffield for the tipoff and pre-show slide link).

Sitting in the chilly conference room munching the obligatory table mints, I had the distinct feeling that I was seeing healthcare history in the making. During some portions of Jay’s slideshow, I actually got goosebumps.

Unfortunately, the presentation (held from 2:30 - 3:30pm on a Monday) was not well-attended…I was one of 14 people in the room other than Jay. On the flipside, it felt like I was attending a private lecture rather than a packed conference event.

Jay hung out with me in the empty Press Room after his talk and chatted for about 10 minutes - interview material will be released later.

There’s been some chatter lately about the utility of Twitter as a micro-blogging tool, and I’ve found it excessively useful at conferences to record observations and quotes in real-time.

I live-tweeted during about 3/4 of Jay’s presentation on Twitter.com. Here’s a transcript of observations (spelling errors removed):

Myca (Jay Parkinson) working on BIG things (watch the video on Myca’s front page - it’s AMAZING) - “Facebook mixed with an EMR” …he’s demoing snapshot of EHR now, it is BEAUTIFUL
there are probably only 15 people here. That’s a damn crime. Body language is twitchy, overwhelmed…except for me and one lady in the back
all being designed in Adobe Flex and FLASH “I’m not designing this for the bluehaired physicians - I’m designing this for me”
“I’m doing this for consumers who are comfortable technology…because they shouldn’t have to wait 10 years for healthcare to catch up.”
“You have to create a strong consumer brand because without the consumer brand it fails miserably.” For new doctors like myself -
For new doctors. For older docs who are tech savvy - about 25 docs a day contacting Jay for more info, becoming Hello Health docs?
{Hello Health is} creating social network that lets docs join, community is creating much of technology they throw up widgets, docs vote on them, Myca develops
“much of functionality has come from community” - opening July 1 in Williamsburg Brooklyn 105 Berry Street (first one)
WOW. Anyone want to go visit Jay on opening day?
“This is concierge medicine for all…” I want to give concierge service to everybody, because we can. Technology really streamlines it.
In 10 mins, Jay has thrown out the following brands: ZipCar, Apple, Google, Whole Foods, etc
“Patients want to be heard, so if they can literally almost write the history for us, that streamlines alot.” (Personal health narrative!)
Getting really slanty looks here Tweeting - question from the audience - what % of your patients use consumer driven HC? Jay: don’t know
Good point - ins. agents who sell CDHCPs get 5% commission, why sell more of these if they have to work harder to sell consumer plans?!
“so if we can provide this sort of consumer experience people expect, I think people will gladly pay 25$ a month as throw away money” {Hello Health charges $25/month retainer fee, each encounter patient is charged between 75-100$ depending upon complexity of visit)
Jay’s Myca practice is cash only practice-? from audience - don’t you want to use this to help insurance clean up?
Jay: no way. It’s their own problem. I don’t want them meddling with this relationship. If consumers want it, they’ll pay cash.
Audience: WHO has bible of healthcare delivery, 2/3 of people go through 3rd party
You have to use cash pay consumers to refine service platform before you take them to Medicare/Medicaid payees
“I’m starting with the people who actually want this experience and can pay for it. You have to start somewhere.”
“Really, it’s 10 years of govt. bureaucracy crap, of pilot studies. I’m going to people who want accessible doc, and are willing to pay.”
“I look at the health insurance industry as something I wouldn’t invest in in the next 10 years.” you can’t raise the premiums much more
“I think there’s going to be significant reform in who pays for what - around “intelligent, accessible, communicative care”
“The insurance industry needs to stop ‘acting a fool’”
“Jet blue type dashboard is doing triage - increasing volume - normal doc has 1800, 2k in practice, this is 5k…” {Goal is for each Hello Health ‘node’ or franchise, supported by storefront in neighborhood, to support 5k patients - extremely ambitious- docs now serve 1800 -2000 patients, Jay’s argument is efficiency of scale presented by complete backend tech offered by Myca/Hello Health will make this kind of volume possible).
We’re selling like Zipcar is selling - neighborhood to neighborhood, marketing the hell out it, then moving to another neighborhood
I can’t believe more people weren’t at Jays talk…people seem a little bit shell shocked, slightly defensive.
I don’t blame them. One idea, Starbucks of primary care, doodled on a napkin, seems a bunch like what Jay is actually opening July 1
if it works, it will revolutionize care. Jay’s building will be in a storefront that ‘organically’ fits in the neighborhood.
I’d like to be the first patient!
how patients pay: @%$ per month + per episode fees, 75-100$ depending on complexity
apparently docs do NOT get paid for email, paid per hour “if an email takes me 5 secs to respond to that’s a whole lot of nothing”
compliment “it’s a great model - I’m sure you’ll figure it out” from a doc in the audience