Algorithms Connect Patients To The Right Doctors

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Office Visits, recently introduced by Grand Rounds eHealth Company, uses complex algorithms to determine which doctors and specialists patients should visit.

e-Health company Grand Rounds is using data to match patients with the best doctors and specialists for them. Historically, patients have relied on online reviews and personal referrals, methods that can be inaccurate and biased. These referrals can be costly as well.

According to a press release, more than $1.3 billion is wasted trying to fix the 4,000 surgical errors and ill-advised medical treatments that occur annually, in part due to poorly matched doctors/patients.

The new service offered by Grand Rounds, Office Visits, is a solution that uses hard data to provide patients with the best options when they’re searching for care. According to the company, the gap between the average doctor and the best doctor in any area is usually large. The algorithm used by the service is customized to each medical specialty and takes into account training background, institution, publication history, and patient outcomes.

“For example, the Grand Rounds algorithm recommends cardiac surgeons that have 40 percent lower mortality rates over a six-year time period. Similarly, patients who saw orthopedic surgeons recommended by Grand Rounds experienced 20 percent fewer complications after joint replacement surgeries,” states the press release.

The service includes:

• The ability to only have doctors recommended who fall within the patient's insurance network.
• All appointment setting and logistics handled by Grand Rounds - even having medical records forwarded. All the patient has to do is show up.
• Follow up with the patient by Grand Rounds on-staff physicians to ensure quality of care and an outstanding experience.

"There's no reliable way of finding a quality doctor for a specialized medical condition, and so people rely on Internet search – which is a truly scary thing," said Owen Tripp, co-founder & CEO of Grand Rounds. "Patients need an immediate, reliable way of knowing which outstanding doctors are within travel distance and within the right insurance network. We launched Office Visits to fill a critical gap that separates the top physicians in the country from the patients who need them. By removing guesswork, we save lives."

According to mHealth News, the Office Visits service is marketed to self-insured employers, consumers are charged $200 per visit.