Patient.com launches platform to simplify healthcare

Patient.com has launched a patient-controlled healthcare navigation platform intended to help people manage the administrative side of healthcare.

The launch comes as many Americans report difficulty dealing with healthcare paperwork, insurance questions and medical costs. Patient.com cited industry surveys showing that 65% of Americans find managing healthcare overwhelming and time-consuming, while almost three-quarters believe the system is failing to meet their needs.

The Mobile, Alabama-based company is entering a market where providers, insurers and employers have invested heavily in digital systems, but patients still often struggle to understand what care will cost, what insurance covers, whether financial assistance is available and what steps they must take before and after treatment.

Patient.com describes that experience as "flustration", a blend of frustration and overwhelm. Its platform is designed to bring together information often spread across separate systems. Using consent-based data sharing, patients can review coverage, costs, eligibility requirements, financial assistance options and administrative next steps in one place.

The company says its model differs from many existing healthcare technology services because it is controlled by patients rather than providers, payers or employers. Patients decide how their information is shared and which organisations can access it.

Dan Johnson, chief executive officer of Patient.com, said the company was set up to address a gap in how people navigate the system.

"Healthcare doesn't have an information problem, it has a navigation problem. Patients are expected to navigate benefits, eligibility requirements, affordability programs, provider networks, paperwork and administrative processes that often exist across disconnected systems. What adds to the flustration are the countless hours spent on message boards, endless holds and countless portals. When patients are confused, everyone loses. Care gets delayed, trust erodes and providers spend more time helping patients navigate complexity than focusing on care. We built Patient.com to solve that problem," Johnson said.

Patient.com is working with healthcare organisations to assess whether improved patient navigation can raise patient satisfaction, simplify administrative work and create a more connected experience.

One early partner is Springhill Medical Centre, which said the system has already influenced front-end registration and revenue cycle work.

"Patient.com was an easy yes for us because we knew it was the right thing for our patients. We also knew registration was a broken model that needed resolution, so embracing this technology made sense. By capturing better data up front, we've streamlined the revenue cycle process, while our teams spend less time going back to correct insurance and demographic information - helping create cleaner claims and faster payment turnaround," said Barnicle.

Trust and identity verification are central to the service. Patient.com has integrated verification from ID.me, which it said is used by federal and state agencies, including the Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to verify more than 150 million Americans.

The integration is intended to strengthen the company's consent-based model by helping patients access and manage their information while retaining control over how it is used. Patient.com argues that trust will be critical for any platform handling personal healthcare and financial data across multiple institutions.

Founding team

Patient.com was founded by executives with backgrounds in healthcare administration, consumer technology and digital services. Johnson founded SearchAmerica and previously held an executive role at Experian Health, where he worked on tools used by hospitals, physician groups, payers and pharmacies to manage administration and patient payment flows.

Julie Doleman, chief operating officer, previously worked in Experian's consumer business and international expansion. Patient.com said her experience in consumer engagement, trust and digital product design helped shape the platform's patient-led approach.

"The team behind Patient.com has spent decades helping healthcare organizations improve operational efficiency. Our platform represents the next step: helping patients better understand and navigate the system itself. We believe the future of healthcare belongs to organizations that put patients at the center of their ecosystem by partnering with brands like Patient.com that allow patients to engage, understand their options and move forward with confidence," Doleman said.

The company's pitch to healthcare organisations is that better-informed patients can reduce errors in insurance and demographic information, cut avoidable administrative follow-up and improve payment processes. For patients, the aim is to provide a clearer view of insurance benefits, expected costs and available assistance before bills or treatment logistics become bigger problems.

Industry data cited by Patient.com points to growing financial strain behind that proposition. It said 47% of US adults are worried they will not be able to afford healthcare, the highest level recorded in the Gallup and West Health tracking it referenced.