Denver's Prime Health is tapping into the enjoyment people get out of gaming to do something more meaningful, use it to make healthcare more effective.
The app, Plan-it Med, will be piloted through a partnership with HCA/HealthONE, Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children and Uptown Primary Care at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center. The app was developed by Play-it Health. Under the partnership patients at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, Presbyterian/St. Luke's and Uptown Primary Care will have access to the app.
"We are excited that HCA/HealthONE and Play-it Health met during this year's Challenge. It validates the hard work of the Play-it Health team, the mentors and judges in Prime Health's Challenge qualification and mentoring process," says Jeffrey Nathanson, CEO of Prime Health. "We have been working hard to provide a competitive advantage for companies though our Value Integrator Model, qualifying, vetting and testing digital health companies. This partnership shows we are on the right track."
The app will monitor and incentivize users to engage in personalized education, attend appointments, take medications on time and use other prescribed health monitoring devices. For engaging in the activities patients will receive rewards that may include coupons, badges, games and even reduced insurance premiums.
"There have been many technological advancements in recent years that allow us to better understand and reach users," says Kimberly Gandy, founder and CEO of Play-it Health and a former pediatric heart and transplant surgeon. "It is time to bring that knowledge to practice in the healthcare setting. Understanding when and why patients follow their health regimens in real time has the potential to revolutionize the way we practice medicine."
The project is supported by $18,750 in seed funding from the Colorado Health Foundation and came out of Prime Health's 2015 Digital Health Challenge.
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Chris Meehan with tips and leads for future stories at chris@confluence-denver.com.
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