Judging from this year’s headlines, one may conclude that 2024 has been a challenging year for virtual care companies. Optum closed its virtual care business in April, Walmart shut down its virtual care offering (as well as its entire healthcare unit) in May, and two of the nation’s largest telehealth providers — Teladoc Health and Amwell — have both laid off a significant number of workers over the past couple years.
But these news items don’t mean that all virtual care companies are doomed, said Michelle Davey, founder and CEO of telehealth startup Wheel.
“Some people think telehealth is on its way out because it’s not as widely used as it was during the pandemic, but I believe that’s far from true,” she remarked. “We’ve noticed that many virtual platforms today tend to focus on addressing specific parts of the healthcare journey, leaving gaps in overall care.”
This week, her startup launched a new AI-powered platform designed to provide patients with more holistic and seamless virtual care journeys. The platform, called Horizon, taps into billions of data points to tailor care experiences to each individual, Davey explained.
Wheel has facilitated millions of patient visits across every state since the startup launched in 2018, she noted. To Davey, it’s clear that consumer expectations have evolved, and the telehealth solutions of the past “just don’t cut it anymore.” She believes the industry is entering the next phase of healthcare access.
“As more of us become comfortable with digital solutions, I can easily see a future where most care starts online. But to make that happen, we need the right infrastructure to ensure virtual care isn’t just a starting point — it needs to be part of a connected health journey,” Davey declared.
The convergence of rising patient demand, historic primary care provider shortages, and the availability of scalable technologies like cloud computing and AI drove Wheel to develop the Horizon platform, she declared.
In her view, the platform addresses three core challenges that have plagued the healthcare industry for years: lack of patient engagement, fragmented and transactional care experiences, and the inability to scale clinical services to meet holistic patient needs.
With the Horizon platform, Wheel’s customers can create more seamless and connected care experiences for their consumers and members, Davey stated. The startup’s customers are retail healthcare providers, virtual care companies, payers and life sciences firms, with Amazon Clinic and GoodRx being two examples.
Wheel’s new comprehensive platform offers access to essential components of virtual care, such as an EHR, AI-powered recommendation engine, national clinical network and patient engagement tools. Horizon also uses data to help treat patients for conditions they may not have even known about — millions of patients seek care for specific health concerns, but many traditional players in today’s healthcare system can miss underlying conditions before they become chronic and urgent, Davey pointed
“The Horizon platform uses our proprietary and trained AI to gather important health information from the patient and facilitate relevant downstream actions like ordering lab tests. Upon receiving results from the labs, our AI enabled workflow engine determines the next best action for the patient, providing a personalized and seamless experience,” she explained.
At the same time, the platform’s medical assessment models enable the EHR used by Wheel’s clinicians to highlight critical flags, such as elevated A1C levels and other comorbidities. These AI-driven insights give clinicians a more complete profile of the patient and the eligible care options, Davey noted.
Additionally, Horizon offers tailored care programs for specific health needs. For example, the platform includes programs designed specifically for women’s health, men’s health, weight management and behavioral health.
Overall, Horizon’s goal is to help customers rapidly scale virtual care programs to meet patient demand, Davey said.
“Compared to other virtual care platforms, Horizon offers a solution that not only helps customers manage risk and costs but also boosts consumer engagement and program utilization. We’re all about building stronger connections with members and healthcare populations, ensuring that every interaction counts,” she declared.
Photo: elenabs, Getty Images
