Health IT, Telemedicine

Beam launches with digital care platform for small medical practices

The New York City startup, which launched at the Health 2.0 conference, lets patients call, video chat and text their physician and also handles billing insurance so doctors get paid for eligible services.

telehealth, telemedicine, physician, tablet, medicine

New York City startup Beam launched on September 17 at the Health 2.0 conference. The company offers a digital health tool specifically geared toward small medical practices.

Beam’s platform has three primary features: phone and video chat, texting and insurance billing. In addition to enabling patients to text, call or virtually consult their doctor, Beam handles billing the insurance company so physicians can get paid for eligible services.

In a phone interview, Beam founder and CEO Sas Ponnapalli presented additional details about how the tool works from the physician perspective. A doctor creates a profile on the platform and gets validated. He or she then enters their credit card information and can start adding patients.

Ponnapalli added that a new phone number is generated for doctors so they don’t have to text patients from their personal cell phone number.

From the patient perspective, the individual will receive a link and confirm their profile on Beam. What makes the company unique is that patients don’t have to download an app to use the service, Ponnapalli noted. Instead, they can simply open a link and connect to their doctor.

As for the startup’s business model, Ponnapalli said it charges doctors $10 per patient per month. “You can defer payment onto the patient or pay for the patient yourself,” he said.

He described Beam’s approach as a pay-as-you-go model. “We only make money if the doctor’s using the app,” he noted.

Thus far, the startup counts New York City-based Battery Park Pediatrics among its clients. It’s also worked with general practices and family medicine practices. Some dentists have also shown interest in Beam as a way to better reach out to and interact with their patients. Overall, its platform is practice-agnostic and can be used within various medical specialties.

When asked what sets the company apart from competitors in the space, Ponnapalli pointed to how Beam offers a service for doctors by working on insurance billing.

Ponnapalli’s interest in creating Beam began during his experience as the former CTO of PlushCare, a telemedicine startup headquartered in San Francisco. While there, he noticed larger medical facilities seem to have a leg up over smaller practices, particularly when it comes to technology advancements. Thus, he set out to start a platform built specifically for small medical practices and formed Beam about five months ago.

Ultimately, the New York City startup’s goal is to help practices better care for mobile-reliant patients and improve patient loyalty.

Photo: nito100, Getty Images

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