The new cycle of care: results to resolution to relationship

I enjoyed watching Serena Williams play during this year’s U.S. Open. After reflecting on her doubles match alongside her sister, Venus, I automatically thought of Richard, their father. In the mid-1990s, he had said about Venus, “If you think this one is good, wait til you see the younger one. Serena.” 

Was he crazy? 

He was right. And in retrospect, it's much easier to see that what he was doing back then was not predicting the future as much as shaping it. He had both the vision and the plan to execute that vision, but nobody outside his world could see it. And so, let it be with healthcare. What does it look like to imagine a much better future that may not be an obvious destination based on the present but can be executed from this spot? That is how I've been thinking about the work we’re trying to do at Everly Health and the key question we’re addressing here. 

Consumers are tired of feeling like bystanders in their healthcare. They want healthcare they can access and understand. They want radically approachable experiences and improved access without sacrificing clinical rigor. Seventy-one percent of consumers are frustrated with their healthcare (Link), and nearly 25% say reliable and secure digital tools would motivate them to take a more active role in managing their health (Link). At Everly Health, we’ve built our product around the member. We work to be user-centered, convenient, and transparent in pricing our offerings.

I want to stress that at Everly Health, we’re not looking to replace care providers; instead, we work with them. We leverage a network of independent clinicians with coverage in all 50 states to provide up-front and follow-up care.

Even as the future of healthcare will involve more virtual engagement and digital tools, advances in health technology won't eliminate the role of the trusted clinician. And, I don't think it should be undermined. Modalities of engagement can and will evolve, but the importance of a trusted clinician will remain. 79% of our test takers reported having a primary care physician.

Even with these advances in making healthcare more convenient, a primary care provider is considered the #1 source of truth for patients. CVS Health data shows that 59% of consumers indicated their primary care physician was their most trusted health care provider vs. 49% in 2021.

Doctors and hospitals have offered at-home lab tests for decades, in many cases. What’s disruptive is how test-takers can access this information wherever they are. Continuity of care is driven by our customers' ability to share results with any physician. In the case of the health plans we work with through our enterprise brand, Everly Health Solutions, we use Direct Trust to securely share test results with the patient’s physician of record. 

I think that if I started today and mapped out my preventive health care needs, I could build a sketch of all the screenings I will need for the rest of my life. And I could update that list on an ongoing basis, based on changes in my health status. It's deterministic and predictable. In the not-too-distant future, at-home collection for complete blood count (CBC) and comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) tests, two staples of any regular health screen, will be possible. In the future I envision, those tests will be drop-shipped to my home one month before my next physical. My processed results will trigger the scheduling of my annual physical, during which I will discuss those results and next steps with my physician, rather than directions to the lab in the basement to complete those blood draws in the first place. That simple operational shift will fundamentally change the interaction with my most trusted source of health care information for the better.

I imagine a future where my health plan knows when my 45th birthday is and drop ships a FIT kit to my porch, as we do with our health plans today for their Medicare members,  to initiate the colorectal cancer screening process. It's a future in which at-home testing is mature – in other words, reimbursed – and, therefore, adopted as a standard practice because of its convenience and best practice because of its compliance. 

We’re committed to the complete cycle of care at Everly Health: the result is the first step, which comes from the initial test. Resolution includes adding next steps or a consult to inform guidance and treatment. The relationship comes from completing cycles of virtual care with engagement platforms, including use cases that require ongoing or sustained care.