Founder Insights #2: Revolutionizing Primary Care with The Lanby
Patient Nudges, Proactive Healthcare, and Longevity Markers: A Deep Dive into The Lanby's Approach to Personalized Medicine
In this edition of Founder Insights, we're diving into the world of innovative healthcare with Chloe Harrouche, CEO and Co-founder of The Lanby. Chloe's vision for a new kind of primary care experience is reshaping how we think about personal health management. I had the opportunity to discuss The Lanby's unique approach, exploring everything from their customer engagement strategies to their data-driven health metrics. Below, you'll find Chloe's candid responses to three pivotal questions, each followed by my analysis and industry perspective (marked with "▷▷").
1. The Power of Gentle Nudges: Redefining Patient Engagement
What's the most surprising or counterintuitive insight you've gained about patient care or healthcare delivery that has significantly influenced your business strategy?
Chloe's response challenges conventional wisdom:
Patients want and need to be nudged. We worried at the onset that our follow ups or reminders would annoy patients. But we've received countless thank you's from grateful members who finally got around to completing their labwork, or starting their new supplement regimen, or completing a diagnostic kit thanks to our friendly nudges.
Contrary to being annoying, these nudges reinforce the feeling that the healthcare team is actively invested in the patient's wellbeing.
This insight taps into a critical aspect of behavioral health psychology that's often overlooked in traditional healthcare models. Many patients intend to follow through with health recommendations but fall victim to inertia or forgetfulness.
Regular nudges can help patients develop lasting health habits, which is crucial for preventive care and chronic disease management.
By leveraging technology for these nudges, The Lanby is effectively providing personalized care to each member without overwhelming their staff.
The key lies in the execution - the nudges must be perceived as helpful rather than intrusive, which requires careful calibration of frequency, tone, and content. The Lanby's success in this area suggests they've found the right balance.
However, this insight is particularly pertinent to individuals who are already highly engaged with their health, as evidenced by their willingness to pay for The Lanby's services on top of their existing health insurance. These customers are actively seeking "more healthcare," and therefore appreciate nudges that help them stay on track with their health goals. It’s unclear whether this finding and approach is applicable to patient engagement in traditional primary care.
2. Transforming the Primary Care Paradigm: From Reactive to Proactive
If you could instantly improve one aspect of how people engage with primary care, what would it be, and how would it transform the healthcare industry?
Chloe identifies a fundamental flaw in the current system:
Primary care has become another version of urgent care. This is not the fault of physicians, but rather insurance, which reimburses physicians according to their volume of visits and procedures. This incentivizes them to fill their schedules and speed through visits, rather than take the extra time to strategize how best to proactively improve their patients' health.
Her proposed solution involves:
Creating an insurance reimbursement structure that rewards physicians for investing in their patients' long-term wellbeing.
Encouraging patients to interact with their providers proactively to address deficiencies early on and enhance their health.
Chloe's diagnosis of the problem is spot-on, and her proposed solution addresses a critical need in healthcare reform. This shift could lead to long-term cost reduction, improved health outcomes, increased physician satisfaction, and patient empowerment.
However, implementing this vision faces significant challenges, including systemic overhaul and cultural shift.
Changing insurance reimbursement structures requires a massive shift in the healthcare industry, involving insurers, healthcare providers, and regulatory bodies.
Many patients are accustomed to only seeing a doctor when they're sick (“health care” is rather “sick care” in the traditional model). Encouraging proactive engagement will require more than education and potentially incentives.
The initial increase in healthcare costs, as more people engage in preventive care, would face resistance from insurers and policymakers.
The Lanby's model, which operates outside traditional insurance structures, provides a testing ground for this proactive approach. We all intuitively understand it’s a better model.
3. Measuring Impact Through Longevity Markers: A Data-Driven Approach to Health
What's one unconventional metric or data point you track to measure The Lanby's impact or maintain a competitive edge in the primary care space?
The Lanby adopted an approach that most clinics have not explored yet:
We track certain longevity markers across all of our members to ensure their health is improving on an individual and collective basis. These trends are essential in validating that our recommendations and the support we offer along the way are effective at inspiring change and instilling sustainable habits.
She elaborates on their comprehensive testing approach (5x the number of biomarkers included in a routine physical), which includes markers for metabolic health (including HbA1C, uric acid and insulin), cardiovascular health (including apoB and lpa), hormone health (including testosterone, estradiol, DHEA-sulfate, and SHBG), and immune health (including vitamin D, omega 3/6 ratio, magnesium, B12, and iron).
For members, labs play a big role in uncovering the root cause of issues and optimizing for disease prevention and longevity. Deficient labs are typically repeated every quarter to measure progress, and adjustments to the Care Plan are made accordingly.
For non-members, they offer an a la carte service called Just The Labs. This service offers access to the same extensive lab panels. However, unlike most lab services, it also includes a 45 minute consultation with a Medical Provider and Registered Dietician to explain the lab results and provide targeted recommendations.
This focus on comprehensive biomarker tracking is a game-changer in primary care. It allows for holistic health assessment, early detection and prevention, personalized care plans, and quantifiable results.
The Lanby's model could set a new standard for how primary care practices measure and improve patient health in the long term.
My decision to invest in The Lanby in 2022 with Jason Calacanis and his SPV was driven by their compelling vision to revolutionize primary care.
When I look at the healthcare landscape, I see a system crying out for innovation. The Lanby caught my attention because it's not just tweaking the edges of primary care - it's fundamentally reimagining the entire experience. What struck me about The Lanby is their holistic approach. They are not just a doctor's office with a sleek interface (beautiful btw!). Instead, they've created a comprehensive ecosystem that addresses the multifaceted needs of today's health-conscious consumers.
While The Lanby's model might not be for everyone, I believe it has the potential to pioneer approaches that could eventually transform the broader healthcare landscape. The Lanby plays a crucial role in reshaping our expectations of what primary care should look like in the 21st century.