Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Headrick.
Hi Andrew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I think, like all good ideas, Kavira came from a personal need. I grew up in a large family, with quadruplet younger siblings (four siblings all the same age). On basically a monthly basis, one of the five of us would inevitably get sick, and my mom would pack all five of us into the back of her super cool 1990s green dodge caravan, and bring us across town to the clinic, and we’d sit in the waiting room, playing with the germ-filled toys, looking at the fish in the sad looking fish tank, then we’d drive down the street to stand in line again to get our prescription at the pharmacy.
And all of it was paid for through copays, insurance hassles, and of course those pesky surprise bills that show up in your mailbox months down the road. Now that I’m an adult, things in the healthcare system have arguably gotten worse. And so I created something that my family would have loved – and based on the reactions of our members – convenient and affordable care is important to more than just my family – it’s important to a wide range of people
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m really happy with where the business is today – I think we’ve been hitting on our mission of providing more convenient and affordable healthcare. Over the past year, we’ve had thousands of patient interactions with a 9/10 patient rating, our patients have never paid a copay, nor have our patients ever had to leave their homes to receive care – they actually get to have a nurse practitioner come to their home and receive care in their living room! And our members have unfettered access to our care team – which means members can message us whenever anything comes up, no matter how big or how small the ailment – ensuring that individuals actually receive the care they need. We have ~35 touchpoints with the average member in a given year – so we’re really bringing back that provider-patient relationship that so many Americans have lost over the past several decades. And we have several dozen happy corporate clients – a number that has been growing on nearly a weekly basis.
However, it’s been an incredibly challenging, bumpy road to get to where we are today! We launched the service last year direct-to-consumer – which was unsuccessful, then sold directly to businesses – and we really got stonewalled, before selling through employee benefits brokers – where we’ve found success. And even after finding success through our current distribution channel, it’s taken some time to build up credibility and visibility within the channel. So while things are going well today, it’s certainly come with a lot of stress, sleepless nights, and challenges along the way.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kavira Health?
Kavira Health, at its core, is a subscription-based primary and urgent care clinic that delivers all care via telehealth, and in-person home visits (so we’ll actually send a clinician to your home!). The subscription is typically fully paid for by an employer, and then all care is completely free for individuals and their families. And we do a lot to make our members’ lives easier – you can message us whenever you need anything, so it’s kind of like you have a provider in your pocket which really provides some peace of mind.
We can get your Rxs delivered same-day to your home. Labs – that’s bloodwork – are typically completely free for our members. It is insanely convenient and couldn’t be more cost-effective. We’re giving you one less thing to worry about – but making it incredibly easy to take care of your health.
Any big plans?
The company has been fully bootstrapped up to this point. It’s taken us some time wandering in the wilderness to find our path – but recently we’ve been growing quickly. We know we have a product that our clients (employers) and our members (employees and their family members) love.
And so we’re moving on to the next stage of our company’s evolution – scaling growth. We’ll be raising our first round of financing within the year, we’ll be hiring sales reps, expanding our home visit geography, and developing our technology in-house. There are challenges, but also opportunities, that lie ahead. I’m excited to see what this next stage brings.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kavirahealth.com/
