Healthcare is living at the forefront of many people’s minds in the last year, for obvious reasons. However, even before the pandemic arrived on the scene, healthcare products were getting more and more attention. Naturally, opportunities to improve on a core human need will attract product leaders with their desire to solve problems. That’s why we’re particularly excited to welcome Spring Health Head of Product, Alexandre Sitbon, to the Product Talk mic to shed some light on the future of digital product in mental healthcare.
On the opportunities available in mental healthcare
While mental healthcare is becoming increasingly more available to consumers, the industry is still wrought with confusion and certain stigmas. Alexander shares with our host, Capsule Product Director Samantha Scott, the staggering figures surrounding treatment in the US and how Spring Health aims to address those issues in the market.
“Data shows that in the US, statistically, if diagnosed correctly, about 30% of people never go back to their doctor again. Meaning, they get the diagnosis, but they don’t get any care of any kind. The rest move forward, the provider gives them treatment, and studies show that 30% of those people will recover based on whatever they try first. That still leaves out 70% that will not recover. So, they try something else, and at that point, it’s down to 25% chance of working. They reload, try a third time, and now it has about a 20% chance of recovery.
“The problem is that a year later, about 40% of those people actually relapse. Overall, that’s a pretty big deal and a bleak situation, but it’s a huge opportunity as well. Spring Health brings a solution to market that eliminates the guessing game that is mental healthcare and makes it a lot more data-driven and personalized. We use data and machine learning to match each person with the right treatment, right from the start,”
On improving the system with a data-driven approach
Nearly every product leader will say the success of a product hinges on how well you understand your customer. This is even more important when working with consumers in healthcare.
“We’re trying to understand our members as much as possible. We ask members to go through an assessment and give us some information about their current well being, their current state of mind, and, and what they are going through. Then, we use data for personal calculations to match people to the right care plans, which ensures a very high recovery rate. We’re not biasing the results, or the care plan recommendation that we’re giving to an individual.”
On ensuring data privacy
If there’s any industry that demands information security, it’s healthcare. From a product perspective, in such a high touch, high trust experience, it all comes down to maintaining trust through every step of the care journey.
“For us, it starts even before someone has any exposure whatsoever to the product. Our partnership success and member marketing teams work very closely with our customers to educate employees about SpringHealth and its benefit. Bringing clarity right from the get-go, even before using the product, is something that starts building trust.”
“We’re trying to make it very obvious that this is not a bunch of robots behind the scene, just recommending to people some kind of calculations and whatnot. Our team of care navigators really help guide our members through the entire care journey. Also, we’re trying to build our provider network it in such a way that it’s very diversified, with diversity of language, ethnicity, gender, types of conditions or specialties they focus on. We want it all encompassing, so it really reflects the diversity of the membership that we have.”
Listen to the entire episode above right here at Products That Count, and make sure to subscribe on Apple and Spotify to catch all the product conversation.
About the speaker
Seasoned and innovative technology leader who built and managed global and diverse product teams within complex, ambiguous, and fast-paced environments. Drove market-leading product concepts and tactical product development from ideation to launch. 12 years of experience in product management, product design, management consulting, and healthcare.
About the host
Samantha Scott has carved an active history in product management, starting with NexJ Systems and moving from AppNexus to Etsy. Samantha is currently pursuing an MBA at Harvard Business School to further enhance her business acumen. Prior to that, she was the Director of Product Management at Capsule, a healthcare technology that provides clinical surveillance and medical device integration. Her career is backed by a Bachelor of Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Before delving into products and product management, Samantha served as Toronto Hydro’s Compliance and Quality Analyst and TD’s Business Analyst.