NYC-based Startup Providing COVID-19 Home Care for The Uninsured, Containing The Coronavirus Outbreak At The Doorstep

NEW YORK (PRWEB) March 27, 2020

HIGHLIGHTS

• Mira, an NYC-based company, is leveraging its digital platform and a network of brick-and-mortar clinics to help low-risk patients manage care outside of the hospital, ameliorating the testing and protective equipment shortage.
• How it works: individuals will go through a 2-step screening program involving a 1-minute questionnaire and a face-to-face virtual consultation with a licensed medical provider. From then on, the patient will receive a personalized care plan or get referred for in-person testing only if determined appropriate.
• Scaling nationally: currently, 9,000-20,000 people are going through the Mira platform every day. The company is urgently seeking state and federal fundings to scale its clinical team and serve 100,000 uninsured patients in the coming weeks.

MIRA HELPS THE PATIENT ANSWER "WHERE DO I GO FOR CARE AND SHOULD I GET TESTED?" As cases of COVID-19 peak in the United States, health systems are stretching their capacity to take in high-risk patients. As of March 25th, the NYC Department of Health no longer recommends testing for non-hospitalized and asymptomatic individuals due to a shortage of protective equipment. Mira is creating one of the first end-to-end care delivery solutions to help individuals manage COVID-19 symptoms at home instead of seeking care at emergency departments.

• "Having been both a patient and an administrator, I am seeing a huge gap in how different parts of the healthcare system respond to this pandemic. Companies are coming up with innovative testing solutions and that's great, but care delivery requires a lot of coordination in between and patients are looking for a continuum of care that yet to exist in the market -- that's where Mira comes in. Not only do we have the ability to screen and facilitate virtual care, but we could also send the patient to a clinic the same hour if need be." - said Khang Vuong, Founder & CEO of Mira.

Mira entered into a strategic partnership with the Urgent Care Association last November and has over 125 in-network clinics nationally. Aside from COVID-19, members can also get affordable copays for preventative care, urgent care, mental health, lab tests, and prescriptions - services that are equally needed but inaccessible to those without healthcare coverage in this time of crisis. GETTING PROFESSIONAL CARE FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR COUCH For 1.4 million people without insurance in the NYC metro area and over 30 million nationally, the emergency room is often the first and last resort for seeking healthcare. Mira's engineering team developed a 1-minute assessment to screen for COVID-19 symptoms and risk factors, based on the guidelines and protocols published by the local Department of Health. Based on the results, you will have an opportunity to virtually speak to a medical provider and determine the best next steps - whether it be home care or getting tested. The whole process could happen in less than an hour, without breaking self-quarantine. The assessment is completely free for everybody. The virtual consultation will cost between $30-$80, without insurance. Testing is free for eligible New Yorkers, according to the NY Department of Health. For those who absolutely can't afford the consultation cost, Mira will be able to provide a discounted rate or offer care completely free.

• "The real value Mira delivers isn't telling people where to go for testing because the test result doesn't change how care is managed since there is no treatment available. What we are trying to accomplish here is to build a tech/human hybrid platform and help folks manage care most appropriately and affordably - that's how good medicine should be." - said Mira's Founder and CEO.

Mira is working with commercial labs to arrange affordable pricing for uninsured patients who are not able to access State-sponsored test sites. The company is also looking for innovative home testing solutions to add another layer of convenience for the patients. EMPOWERING INDEPENDENT PROVIDERS TO JOIN THE FIGHT Despite the high demand for care, smaller and independent providers are still in wait and see mode due to limited resources. On top of that, because of the "Shelter-At-Home" mandate, the majority of non-emergency providers already saw a decline in revenue due to patient cancellations. "This causes a huge disruption in financial stability for providers in the coming months" - said a physician based in New York City. By unlocking supply and demand, Mira allows independent providers in areas yet to be impacted by the outbreak to join force and service patients across state lines where there is a shortage. All Mira providers are licensed medical professionals and have received training in family medicine, emergency medicine, or related fields. Considering the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic that is not only affecting New York but the whole country, Mira is looking to scale its response team to more than a dozen providers. Interested providers and clinics can contact [email protected] to join Mira COVID Taskforce.

• "Now more than ever, we need real-time and accurate medical information pushed out to the general public. Mira platform allows the patient to very quickly determine if their symptoms are consistent with that of someone who should be tested. The ability to speak to a medical provider helps either rule in or rule out the need for testing. The goal is to keep low-risk patients out of the hospital and get them high-quality information so they can manage care at home." - Vivek P. Sinha, MD - Family Medicine, Board Certified - Cofounder of Belleview Medical Partners.

MIRA IS SEEKING STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDINGS IMMEDIATELY TO HELP 100,000 PATIENTS STAY HOME AND CONTAIN THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

As of March 26, there are more than 23,000 cases across the five boroughs in New York City. New Orleans is expected to become the next epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak. While pricing is already affordable, many people who come to Mira have recently lost their jobs and have to choose between putting food on the table or getting healthcare.

Mira is urgently seeking to establish a public-private partnership where patients who cannot afford to pay could be subsidized by a grant sponsored by the state or federal government. The company is also looking for health system partners to create a referral channel for lower-risk patients.

With a budget of $50 per patient, a $5M grant could help 100,000 patients manage care at home, lifting the burden off of the emergency department and contain the Coronavirus outbreak at the doorstep.

ABOUT MIRA

Mira is an innovative health benefits solution helping uninsured and underinsured individuals access affordable copays for everyday healthcare. The company was named Accenture Health's one of 11 innovation finalists in 2020 and HLTH one of 15 top startups in 2019.

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