So-called ‘personal therapy’ is all the rage these days. The healthcare sector is slowly being affected by data-driven insights into what it calls ‘precision medicine’. The Covid-19 pandemic has added urgency to this sector. The 15-minute appointment with a prescription is being affected by the proliferation of remote telemedicine, and this entire arena is now filled with startups.
While there is a lot of investment in telemedicine, there is room to use telemedicine to treat chronic diseases using a hybrid of home care and telemedicine. Other players in this space include CarbonHealth and Dispatch.
That’s why it’s interesting that telemedicine-based Index Health has just raised a $6 million seed round. The Miami-based startup says it offers an “informed and personalized approach” to medical treatment called ‘Root Cause’ or ‘Functional Medicine’ using laboratory tests, specialists and personalization.
The $6M round was co-led by LAUNCHub Ventures and Inovo Venture Partners and will be used to recruit exceptional medical professionals, engineering talent and access to US, employers, insurance companies and direct-to-consumers.
Index Health focuses on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hormones and autoimmune conditions, where members regularly consult with their physicians and nutritionists. The startup says it collects 1,000+ data points per lab test, and each appointment with a doctor is an hour during the months-long treatment process.
There are also specialized telemedicine providers such as Cerebral (mental health), Hinge (joints) and Virta (diabetes).
Several healthcare unicorns have announced layoffs in the past few months, including Roe, Cerebral, Future and Calibrate.
Many companies in the space offer prescription services and OTC medications. Index Health hopes that a data-driven, personalized approach, combined with telemedicine, will be an even more winning formula in ‘root-cause medicine’.
In a statement, Luka Ivicevich, CEO of the former German competitor bank, said: “At Root Cause Medicine, we use advanced laboratory tests to collect 1,000+ data points in the individual body to get an accurate overview of why disease is occurring. Based on this information, we tailor treatment to them and their health.
The company has locations in Florida, Virginia and New Hampshire.
