Across the country, millions of individuals are not able to easily access specialty care. These are individuals who are not able to afford specialty care, live in regions where wait times for specialties can be exceedingly long, or who would have to travel great lengths to reach their nearest specialist. At the same time, 40% of specialist visits that occur today are unnecessary and avoidable. This leads to exceedingly long wait times where the people who really need specialty care are unable to access it.
This is the problem that RubiconMD solves by democratizing medical expertise and improving access of specialty care for all populations. Their CEO and co-founder Addo was driven to start RubiconMD when his grandmother had to frequently travel between Barbados and Boston for treatment of a brain tumor, resulting in long and taxing trips that became increasingly burdensome. This was the motivation to create a solution that would help bridge the gaps between primary and specialty care.
RubiconMD often helps patients avoid unnecessary referrals and services but also ensures that patients who do need care are able to access and receive the treatment they need. Scott, a 41-year-old, presented to his PCP with atypical headaches and over the course of two weeks had been seen in the ER with negative CT scans. Scott’s PCP triggered a neurology eConsult on RubiconMD asking if additional testing (MRI or MRA) was necessary and if the situation was urgent. An hour later, a neurologist on the platform responded with concerns of an aneurysm and recommended an MRA in the next 24 hours. Scott was scheduled for an MRA immediately, was diagnosed with an aneurysm and underwent surgical treatment as soon as possible. Because of RubiconMD and the insight from the neurologist, Scott’s PCP was able to potentially save Scott’s life. See more about their impact in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst.
RubiconMD’s HIPAA-compliant digital platform gives primary care clinicians access to specialist expertise from over 120 specialties and sub-specialties. By rapidly connecting their users to top specialists from across the country, they allow for better care to be delivered to patients who otherwise may not have access to specialist care. And by building these links between primary and specialty care, RubiconMD is allowing PCPs to practice at the top of their license, for specialists to increase their own reach and to share the expertise they have, and for patients to have a quicker, better, and often cheaper experience. They currently are operating in 36 states, helping thousands of primary care clinicians access the specialist expertise they need.
What separates RubiconMD from many other digital health companies is that they are first and foremost focused on supporting primary care, a pivotal piece of the healthcare system whose practitioners are often overworked and likely to face burnout. RubiconMD strives to ensure that primary care clinicians are empowered to deliver the best care possible to their patients by allowing them to reach specialist expertise that would otherwise be inaccessible. They have partnered with several organizations as well, including a partnership with OCHIN to deliver eConsult services to OCHIN customers and a partnership with UCSF to expand access to specialty care.
Additionally, RubiconMD is an incredibly diverse company committed to maintaining a work environment that is as open and accepting as possible so they can continue to serve different populations from all backgrounds.
Recently, RubiconMD co-founders Gil Addo and Carlos Reines were named a member of Crain’s New York Business’ 40 Under 40 and as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, respectively.
Learn more about RubiconMD on their website at https://www.rubiconmd.com/.