Health IT, Startups

Healthcare logistics service acts like Uber for nurses, medical staff

A health IT company that has developed a cloud-based logistics tool to delivery physicians to patients' homes is raising $1.75 million.

A health IT company that has developed a cloud-based logistics tool to deliver physicians and medical staff to patients’ homes is raising $1.75 million, according to a form D filing with the SEC. Paired Health wants to help cut hospitals’ readmission rates by improving follow-up care for patients at home who have limited mobility and who would otherwise find it tough to get to their doctor’s office.

The Raleigh, North Carolina company was selected for a pilot with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to develop a care transition model as part of an effort to reduce readmission rates.

In addition to scheduling home visits, the platform also lets patients request home care.

The company sends out mobile teams of hospital nurse practitioners or physician assistants with Paired Health navigators. They offer acute care services in the community, according to its website. Each team is supported by the Paired Health mobile unit — cars that serve as wi-fi enabled mobile medical offices.

Although aspects of the business sound like the Uber car service, the company likens its services to FedEx, Open Table and Amazon. Its risk-based analytics tool is integrated into the discharge process and identifies patients based on their risk type. It selects a best-practice care plan based on the patients clinical and psychosocial profile, according to Paired Health’s website.

The idea of reintroducing the traditional house call has appealed to a few companies. Well Car, developed at University of Kansas in collaboration with Ford and Sprint, envisions a service to solve the doctor shortage, underserved patient populations with chronic conditions and reduce reasdmissions. On Call envisions itself as a convenience service people would pay a little extra for to have physical therapists, counselors or a doctor drop by their home.

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