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Open Access 01-02-2013 | Innovation and Improvement: Improvement Happens
Improvement Happens: A Commercial IT Solution for Reviving Primary Care? An Interview with Hello Health CEO Nathanial Findlay and Colleagues
Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine | Issue 2/2013
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The Supreme Court decision upholding health reform and the 2012 residency match results notwithstanding, primary care remains threatened. Expectations are high, reimbursement is low, and practice can be chaotic, making it difficult to sustain the long-term patient–physician relationships that many doctors (and patients) find so rewarding. Hello Health, Inc. is a for-profit company 1 that seeks to reverse some of the trends that have disrupted primary care practice in recent decades. The company develops, markets, and installs practice support software in primary care physicians’ offices. Indeed, the software promises a remarkable range of functionality, from electronic health records to patient scheduling to support for doctor-patient videoconferencing. But the unique thing about this company is the financial model: they install the software for free and then support the physician in soliciting paid patient “subscribers.” Does the model work and can it help save primary care? To find out, JGIM spoke with Hello Health executives Nathanial Findlay (CEO), Stephen Armstrong (Vice President, Marketing), Steven Ferguson (Patient Management Officer), and Matt Beer (Director of Implementation). (Fig. 1).
Figure 1.
Nathanial Findlay, Hello Health CEO
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