The company works with employers and providers to connect their members to physicians
The big trend to emerge out of the pandemic was a shift in how healthcare is delivered. No longer is care just the annual 15 minute appointment with a doctor, but something that is delivered 24/7, 365 with constant, remote monitoring, and the ability to connect with a physician when and where the patient wants.
Curv Health is a company helping to enable that; it works with employers and insurance carriers so they can connect their members with independent healthcare providers.
Earlier this week, the Toronto and Halifax-based company announced a CAD$5.1 million seed financing round led by iGan Partners and Build Ventures, with participation from Kale Investment Fund and previous investors including Globalive Capital and NewFund Capital.
“There are few true economic innovations in healthcare. The rise in digital therapies, highlighted by way of the COVID-19 pandemic, helps shift power from traditional gatekeepers, such as physical clinics, to providers delivering the care,” Shea Balish, CEO of Curv Health, told me.
Through its remote monitoring technologies, Curv Health enables providers to regain this power and provides patients with timely, cost-effective care, he said.
“We are building a multidisciplinary, full stack digital clinic from the ground up, comprising physical, mental, and nutritional healthcare services.”
Founded in 2017, Curv Health connects members with healthcare providers, including physiotherapists, psychotherapists, counselors, dietitians, and certified diabetes educators. Through the Curv Health app, patients choose a dedicated health concierge who works with them to orient them to their own personalized healthcare program and arranges coordination with their care team.
The company then uses remote monitoring technologies, including computer vision, assessment and treatment programs, photo submissions, integrations with Apple Health Kit’s sleep, and heart rate data, which serve as the enablement layer between the patient and their healthcare providers.
“Curv prioritizes asynchronous care delivery, allowing patients the ability to communicate with their provider through secure messaging and program progressions,” said Balish.
The company’s customers are typically employers and healthcare providers; employers purchase the Curv product as a health and wellness benefits package for their employees, while providers sign with Curv to develop and build their clinical practice digitally and gain autonomy over its growth.
Unlike other digital health companies, Curv offers “comprehensive, full stack allied health programming,” said Balish.
“Whereas other companies offer point solutions, for example an application for musculoskeletal care, an application for sleep tracking, or an application for diet, Curv offers care from a multidisciplinary perspective,” he said.
So far, Curv’s remote monitoring technologies have been demonstrated to lead to over 50% patient compliance to at-home treatments, which is twice the industry norm. In addition, Curv compensates healthcare providers with a nearly 2x higher percentage rate per session versus traditional physical clinics.
This funding will support continued product development as well as to grow its team, which currently consists of 15 full time employees and three interns.
“Curv’s goal is to build a full stack digital clinic for allied healthcare. We want to ensure the delivery of high quality, cost-effective, accessible care for patients, and support providers’ development of their own virtual clinic,” said Balish.
(Image source: curvhealth.com)