A group of entrepreneurs taking on some of the challenges and shortcomings of healthcare delivery for the aging population has been spotlighted in an eBook dedicated to healthcare innovators.
Earlier this month, we published the winners of a reader poll that selected the inaugural 50+ Innovation Leaders, presented by AARP. The eBook calls attention to the diverse approaches entrepreneurs are enlisting to address the needs of the aging population. Healthcare delivery was one of a group of categories represented in the eBook, which can be downloaded here.
Healthcare delivery is certainly the largest category in the report, with 25 entries. Here are a few of them.
Vivek Garipalli, Clover Health CEO, decided to start his business because of what he saw as the basic inequality of insurance coverage, or the utter lack of it. He also wanted to help people overcome barriers to accessing healthcare.
Investing in the social, economic and access issues that are barriers to improving clinical outcomes is the key to building a company that can make a dramatic impact in healthcare—especially among people over the age of 65, who often deal with multiple comorbidities and struggle to make ends meet on a fixed income. We did not get into health insurance because we wanted to build a better health insurance company—we got into health insurance, and specifically Medicare Advantage, because it holds all the levers and financial alignment necessary to improve health outcomes for an aging population.
Blaine Warkentine, Caregoals CEO, said that although he’s a physician with a degree in population health, he became irritated with the way the United States deals with making medical decisions for aging improvement and end-of-life care. That’s what inspired him to lead the advanced directive counseling business.
All of this could change simply with an open dialogue that could bring more joy not just to the final days but to all days in between. I decided I would attempt to reinvent the advance directive and make it video- and audio-based engagement. I have spent resources to build intellectual property around that idea and commercialize products. Vimty.com was meant to be a B2C tool and, more recently, Caregoals.com is a for telemedicine environments and primary care clinics for advance care planning reimbursements.
Solera Health CEO and Founder Brenda Schmidt, who regards healthcare and technology investor and social entrepreneur Esther Dyson as her healthcare hero, likes the challenge of working with the diverse over-50 age group. Her company gives patients a variety of choices when selecting a lifestyle modification program to ward off chronic disease or manage chronic conditions.
[The group] presents unique opportunities and challenges for engagement in programs to improve and maintain their health. Addressing both health and the social determinants of health such as loneliness, food insecurity and transportation presents a tremendous opportunity to improve the costs quality of care.
To learn more about the 50+ Innovation Leaders across smart living and wearables, healthcare delivery, medication management, entrepreneurial innovation and behavioral health featured in the eBook, follow this link.