One Medical has put its own spin on healthcare by offering concierge primary care services to patients. Though it’s based in San Francisco, the company has offices across the country where members can get assistance from providers. Locations include Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
Earlier this year, One Medical announced an investment of up to $350 by The Carlyle Group. It intends to use the funds to double its offices and members over the coming years.
A large part of the startup’s approach involves technology. In a phone interview, One Medical chief technology officer Kimber Lockhart weighed in on how her company is harnessing IT to achieve its goals.
One of its largest tasks involved building its own EHR and practice management system.
“It’s one of those big challenges that I would file as absolutely worth it,” Lockhart said. Since the EHR didn’t have to support a plethora of specialties, One Medical could focus on building one that’s “laser-focused on primary care,” she added.
Through the development process, the company was better able to look at how the EHR is utilized from the perspective of the provider, the administrator and the patient.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
In addition to the electronic health record, Lockhart helped develop the One Medical mobile app, which allows patients to book appointments, send messages to their primary care provider, renew prescriptions and get on-demand care via video visits.
The ultimate goal is to make the patient experience smoother and more streamlined, Lockhart noted.
Photo: MATJAZ SLANIC, Getty Images
