MIT Solve

Basic Information

Our tagline:

Supplemental health insurance for those interested in receiving higher quality frontline healthcare services that are both affordable and effective.

Our pitch:

Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of mortality in the U.S. for both men and women (1 in 4 deaths). Year after year, approximately 600,000 people die of cardiovascular disease here, costing the country over $110 billion annually. The majority of those contributing to these statistics actually have medical insurance and are being fairly compliant with their medications and primary care visits. Something is being missed or is falling through the cracks. This “something” is exactly what is addressed with Integrative Medicine.

Integrative Medicine (the effective “integration” of scientifically-documented complementary/alternative medicine modalities with conventional medicine) creates a space for authentic and holistic evaluation of individuals. The methods and services utilized to achieve this level of true wellness are at the leading edge of personalized and high-quality frontline healthcare, optimizing the lifestyle of the patient, leading to the achievement of an enhanced wellbeing.

So, what’s in the way of the majority of the U.S. population receiving this higher quality healthcare? Cost. The average insurance company will not cover for majority of the services rendered under the umbrella of Integrative Medicine, and the average American cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs for majority of the services rendered under the umbrella of Integrative Medicine. The solution is IMCS.

The Integrative Medicine Cost-Sharing (IMCS) Organization would be a national, non-profit organization servicing as supplemental medical insurance for those interested in seeking Integrative Medicine to bridge the gaps within the conventional medical system. It would be set up so members, who pay monthly fees much like insurance premiums, pool their funds and share one anothers' service costs as they arise. In place of a deductible, there is an "incident fee" for each service (i.e. resembling a co-pay) that a member must first cover, after which the remainder of his/her incurred service costs are covered by the pooled fees paid by other members of the program.

Integrative Healthcare Providers:

There would be a provider co-op component to IMCS, because it is imperative that developing and supporting a productive frontline workforce is essential to bending the cost curve and improving quality of care. Vetted Integrative Medicine providers would have the opportunity to be members, in exchange for more patients (i.e. marketing) through enhanced visibility within the Provider Network. Also, those frontline healthcare workers interested in joining to become Integrative frontline workers can now receive credible and high quality training in order to optimize their position and impact on the lives of those they are serving.

Financial Contributions:

With this organization being non-profit, there would be a “donation” component of the program for funding allocated towards working to achieve the common goal of increasing access to this high-quality care for marginalized individuals. The end goal is scaling to include sliding scale/income-based services of the same quality to those marginalized individuals with minimal or no income at all.

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Atlanta, GA, USA

The dimensions of the Challenge our solution addresses:

Effective and affordable healthcare services
Coordination of care

About Your Solution

What makes our solution innovative:

The technological component of IMCS would be both a new application of an existing technology, as well as an integral portion of this solution. This is a centralized electronic health records (EHR) platform, where all Integrative Medicine providers of the network can access for their personal office use as well as to refer patients among other trusted Integrative Medicine providers within the cooperative with ease.

Innovative also lies in the enhancement of conventional medicine through the incorporation of alternative treatments that treat a medically diagnosed condition, is non-invasive and side effect free, and is less expensive than conventional treatment.

How technology is integral to our solution:

This centralized EHR platform, would enable communication among the frontline healthcare workers (i.e. in the case where a current patient has to relocate to another city/state, they can now be referred to another provider inside of the cooperative); and streamlining of all frontline healthcare services (i.e. all Integrative Medicine providers of the co-op can access it for patient encounter documentation, e-scribing prescriptions, ordering of lab tests, etc.).

The EHR would also provide an educational platform for those frontline healthcare workers wanting to be trained to administer this type of Integrative, high quality healthcare.

Our solution goals over the next 12 months:

The goal over the next 12 months is to complete the final testing phases and scale the organization for successful launch with subsidizing Integrative Medical frontline healthcare for individuals within one designated region of the country, before scaling to cover/include the remaining regions within 24 months.

Our vision over the next three to five years to grow and scale our solution to affect the lives of more people:

Over the next three to five years, my vision is for IMCS to be fully functioning to incorporate all 50 states of the U.S. to provide the population on a national level with access to high quality health care so that money is not a

hindrance to achieving total wellness.

Frontline healthcare workers will also be directly impacting by the advanced training and educational resources available to enhance their current methods of delivering healthcare.

The key characteristics of the populations who will benefit from our solution in the next 12 months:

Child
Adolescent
Adult
Lower
Middle

The regions where we will be operating in the next 12 months:

US and Canada

How we will reach and retain our customers or beneficiaries:

Majority of our reach and access will be virtual and electronic via the central website and electronic health records system. Majority of marketing will be digital, along with public ads, commercials and word-of-mouth referrals from Integrative Medicine providers, Integrative Medicine patients, conventional and compounding pharmacies, and conventional and functional lab companies.

Member eligibility (from a patient standpoint) is simply the need to access and subsidize cost of Integrative Medicine services. Member eligibility (from a provider standpoint) is simply the need to promote quality Integrative Medicine, as well as to become a practitioner of Integrative or Holistic Medicine.

How many people we are currently serving with our solution:

I am currently providing this level of high-quality health care within my practice. At Mind Body Spirit Wellness Center, I am serving about 60-100 individuals monthly via a team-based administration model that has demonstrated significant improvements in the quality, delivery and efficiency of care. We are able to take on a holistic approach to assessment and treatment, addressing the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional realms of the patient. The care team encompasses many frontline healthcare workers. My goal is to invest into them/their work, because they often serve as the initial point of contact for patients throughout their wellness journeys.

How many people we will be serving with our solution in the 12 months and the next 3 years:

In 12 months, I expect to be servicing at least 25,000 individuals. This would also be inclusive of the Integrative Medicine providers, frontline healthcare workers seeking training in Integrative medicine, pharmacies, laboratories and supplement manufacturers.

Coverage will be based upon the plan “tier” subscribed to (i.e. those paying higher monthly membership fees will have access to larger percentages of subsidization on treatment costs).

I expect to scale exponentially to grow this number to no less than 75,000 individuals by the end of year 3, with the inclusion of sliding scale or free income-based services (similar to Medicaid qualification).

About Your Team

Partnership Potential