|03.30.20| GoodRx launches telemedicine price transparency service; COVID-19 stories from our readers

GoodRx, the Californian startup best known for its pharmaceutical-cost-transparency tool, is rolling out a new feature that lets patients compare telemedicine prices and service options.

Dubbed GoodRx telehealth marketplace, users are able to select the type of condition they are looking to address. Patients can select one of 100 conditions, which run the gamut from cold and flu symptoms to erectile dysfunction, and even include COVID-19.

After the medical issue is selected, the site redirects patients to a list of telehealth services that treat that condition, along with the estimated price and pharmacy information. For example, a patient can search to see if a specific telehealth service has pharmacy pickup or medication delivery.

The startup is pitching this as a way to get care during the coronavirus pandemic.

“As Americans stay home, and with our front-line hospitals and clinics experiencing tremendous demand, we want to help people get access to services for a range of medical issues,” Doug Hirsch, co-CEO and cofounder of GoodRx, said in a statement. “Our goal with the telehealth marketplace is to give people all their options, services and prices, so they can easily get the treatment they need.”

WHY IT MATTERS

Telemedicine has seen a sharp increase in usage in the last few months as the cases of the coronavirus have spiked. Providers are pitching telemedicine as a way to provide individuals with care, while protecting themselves and the patients from new germs.

"If there are any silver linings it's that the [American Medical Association] along with many other organizations have been working for telehealth adoption for some time. Obviously it is really having its moment right now and [has been] able to step up to keep providers and patients safe on the front lines," Meg Barron, vice president of Digital Health Strategy at the American Medical Association (AMA), said during the MassChallenge coronavirus innovation summit, last week.

THE LARGER TREND

As telemedicine takes center stage, consumers and providers alike are learning more about the technology. Last week the AMA launched the Telemedicine Quick Reference Guide, aimed at helping clinicians figure out best practices for implementing the tech. The guidelines cover everything from policy and coding to implementation.

The association also kicked off a virtual panel discussion on telemedicine and COVID-19, where clinicians can give their input and share experiences.

Last week, we asked our readers to share their stories of how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting them, both personally and professionally.

From the beginning of this global pandemic, the HIMSS Media information brands – Healthcare IT News, MobiHealthNews, and Healthcare Finance News – have been working to bring you important information and updates on the situation. But we felt that our readers, from healthcare providers to tech professionals, administrators, insurers, investors, entrepreneurs and others, could tell us what they're seeing on the front lines and in their daily lives.

We intend to update the responses, weekly. Please send us your stories to [email protected]. We ask that, if possible, to include your name, position, city and state/region, and country. Please let us know if you’d prefer your story to be shared without your name attached; if you do, we’ll honor that request. Comments may be edited for length and content.

Our HIMSS Media publications want to share your stories, in your words. We’re living in a strange, often scary, new world. Let’s learn from each other and get through it together.

Tech startup founder creates digital COVID-19 diary after contracting virus

Dominik Burziwoda, CEO
Perfood\MillionFriends
Lübeck area, Germany

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Dear all,

I’d love to share my COVID-19 story with you. I am founder CEO of the German digital therapeutics startup MillionFriends. We’re actually developing personalized low-glycemic diet therapeutics for a set of target diseases.

I returned from skiing in Austria two weeks ago. Three days after my return, I wasn’t feeling well and decided to stay home. My skiing vacation was very relaxed and besides some casual dinners and the gondola, I was not really exposed to many people.

At the time I developed fever, which was Wednesday 11th March, I was quite certain that I couldn’t have caught the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, as I didn’t want to infect people, I tried to get tested immediately. As Austria was not a risk-region for Germany at that time, the authorities refused my request and I stayed home for another two days. On Friday evening, Austria was reclassified as a risk-region, and on Saturday the 14th I went to get tested for SARS-CoV-2 immediately in the morning.

In the evening I received a call that my results were positive and I should stay in quarantine and maintain a fever and symptom diary. I was already picturing the authority offices getting flooded with papers of symptom and fever diaries.

Since I am founder CEO of a digital therapeutics startup, I knew that we had the technology to offer a digital solution for this. Our app is usually used in our personalized nutrition therapy program. We offer a personalized low-glycemic diet to fight diseases such as diabetes, but which is also offered as a weight-loss program in a wellness setting. Next to our food tracking function, we had a symptom-, medication- and activity-tracking tool included in our app.

For six months, we had developed a feature for a digital guide that accompanies patients through the entire treatment program. However, this feature was still in beta. I asked our software engineers to figure out whether we could do an early launch and offer the symptom-and fever-tracking tool to all COVID-19 patients. After one week of work, we released the feature yesterday morning and immediately had hundreds of downloads.

Patients can now track the symptoms, add their contact information and medical history, and share this via email and an xls-file with their physicians and health authorities. Patients can also give research consent, and universities and research institutions could use the data for developing therapies, finding cured patients and better understand[ing] the virus and the progression of disease.

I am feeling better, and you can see my fever development below. After 10 days, I am free of any symptoms and sincerely hope that we will be a bit of help in these challenging times. I wish everyone that captures the disease all the best.

Stay healthy,
Dominik
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