Mayo Clinic, health start-up partner for Personal Health Assistant service
PALO ALTO, Calif. and ROCHESTER, Minn. — Better, a consumer health start-up, and Mayo Clinic have launched a new way for people to navigate the healthcare system.
Through a mobile device, Better provides tailored Mayo Clinic health information to the clinic's nurses, and a Better Personal Health Assistant who helps simplify and manage people's care.
"Our culture of learning, innovation, and the desire to find answers has allowed Mayo to remain at the forefront of health and wellness, and we want to extend this expertise to people anywhere," explained Paul Limburg, medical director of Mayo Clinic Global Business Solutions. "People consistently tell us they want more convenient access to Mayo Clinic knowledge. We collaborated with and invested in Better to create a powerful way for people to connect with Mayo Clinic in their homes and communities, wherever they are."
"All too often, people struggle to find good answers when it comes to getting great care," stated Geoff Clapp, Better co-founder and CEO. "We've remade this experience, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, by combining technology and people to help anyone navigate the complexities of healthcare. From finding the right doctor after a job change, to managing your child's symptoms in the middle of the night, to getting the most value out of your healthcare plan, Better helps make sure people spend less time on complexity and more time on their health."
How it works: Download the app and enter individual and family health information to start a Better membership. This information is used to deliver free, personalized health information from Mayo Clinic based on the member's health-related interests and medical history. Built upon Mayo Clinic knowledge, a "symptom checker" feature is integrated into the service so a member can quickly gain a deeper understanding of a specific issue and get suggestions on what to do to get better.
Members can also connect with a Better Personal Health Assistant should a situation arise where they need involved or more immediate attention. Better Personal Health Assistants are trained health professionals who can quickly provide information or direct any necessary next steps, including making an appointment with someone's existing physician or connecting with a Mayo Clinic nurse. The Better Personal Health Assistant can also serve as a guide on many other health-related issues, from selecting a doctor, creating a family health action plan, or even sorting out how to get the most out of one's health insurance.
The core membership, which provides tailored health information from Mayo Clinic, is free. The premium membership, which pairs a member and their family with a Better Personal Health Assistant, is $49.99 per month.