Groove Health, a Chicago-based startup working in the medication adherence space, has raised $1.6 million in funding, according to a company announcement.
In a recent phone interview, founder and CEO Andrew Hourani said the startup is not releasing names of investors at this time. He noted that participation came from physicians, investment firms and healthcare-focused angel investors.
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Groove Health’s model involves working with insurers, employers and providers to improve medication adherence via analytics and patient engagement.
Its analytics platform (which integrates directly into an organization’s enterprise workflow) mixes existing medical data with patient-generated data from Groove’s mobile app. That mobile app is then a key part of the startup’s patient engagement program, which works to influence the behaviors of high-risk patients.
Hourani created the company last year after watching a family member deal with the challenges that accompany having a chronic illness, including an elaborate medication plan.
“When you have a complex medication regimen, there’s a number of different things you need help with,” he said. “There weren’t many great solutions out there at the time.”
The startup has a number of partnerships in the pipeline. Hourani declined to share names of said partners, but noted that they range from health insurers to pharmacies.
“Medication adherence benefits everybody in the healthcare system,” he said. “With so many opportunities in all the verticals of healthcare, we want to take an inclusive approach.”
Looking ahead, Groove Health’s top goal is to change the way in which medication adherence is handled. Instead of focusing on one specific player in the space, the company is seeking to instill a collaborative approach between providers, insurers and pharmacists.
But ultimately, it comes down to assisting patients. “First and foremost, we want to help patients improve their quality of life,” Hourani said.
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