A ‘digital front door’ to Better Healthcare: How UCM Digital Health is transforming Emergency Medicine
We are thrilled to announce that we have led UCM Digital Health’s $5.5 million Series A funding round. Contour Venture Partners and RiverPark Ventures participated. Based in Troy, NY, UCM’s unique combination of a digital front door platform plus emergency medicine triage, treatment and navigation expertise allows all care to begin digitally in one place.
A startup with a bold vision, UCM Digital Health leverages its deep expertise in emergency medicine to reimagine the digital first experience of health plans and employers’ plans as well as patients seeking emergency care through innovative and efficient technology. Our investment in UCM Digital aligns with our focus on companies using cutting-edge B2B software and services to transform and improve traditional industries.
We wanted to take a moment to explain why we believe UCM Digital Health has the potential to make a huge impact on the healthcare system.
Challenging The Status Quo
This past year has taught us all much about the state of healthcare in the United States. While we have marveled at the incredible pace of COVID-19 vaccine development, approval and rollout, we have also been witnesses to the enormous challenges the country has faced as a result of the virus and its severely unequal effects on populations across the country, based on race, gender, age and location — and access to quality healthcare.
Despite the trillions spent on healthcare in the US, patients often experience poor service in comparison with many other countries. A large sector of the American population calls 911, goes to the emergency department or uses urgent care as a first step when facing a potential health crisis. 911 dispatchers have been inundated with calls during COVID. Not only is the process exorbitantly expensive, but it has also placed enormous strain on the healthcare system.
While digital health adoption rates have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, McKinsey has estimated that, in the future, 20 percent of all emergency room visits could potentially be avoided through the use of virtual urgent care offerings.
Urgent care is already the most common telehealth use case and there are many ways to deliver a virtual visit with a medical provider. UCM Digital Health, a proven virtual ER leader, is unique not just in its ability to connect doctors to patients, but also in helping to streamline and improve health services.
Founded by an Emergency Medicine physician and physician’s assistant, along with a team of emergency room doctors, nurses and paramedics, UCM Digital is rooted in deep expertise that emphasizes predictable, affordable, convenient and personal care for patients, beyond just greater technology adoption. The platform enables payers to build ‘digital-first’ plans that elevate the quality of care patients receive.
Where Product Meets Service
UCM Digital’s success and promise lies in a platform that provides health plans and employers with a digital first approach to healthcare. UCM’s team approach to healthcare and network of care providers include emergency room doctors and care coordinators, trained to be problem solvers and focused on patients — the sherpas of medicine if you will — who can make decisions to treat via digital health or route patients to primary care, specialist providers or an emergency room in under 15 minutes.
UCM Digital has built trusted community partnerships that enable integration with regional 911 and EMS systems. This connective technology is particularly powerful for rural areas where people have very limited healthcare options. Instead of calling for an ambulance as the first step, a patient can connect with an emergency medicine physician who can diagnose, treat and make recommendations in record time — then the team of care coordinators can navigate the next step of care. Or a paramedic who responds to a 911 call can power up the UCM app and connect the patient to the physician directly, who then assesses whether the patient can be treated at home, taken to a more appropriate place of care or does indeed need to be brought to the hospital, and, if necessary, can fast track that patient upon arrival.
A Fresh Approach
At an early stage in its growth, UCM Digital Health is already serving over 500 clients and millions of lives. That trajectory demonstrates how emergency medicine healthcare, often delivered in ER’s and urgent care facilities, can be far more efficient when the process begins digitally and meets people where they are. Within the current UCM platform, members can be connected immediately, learn about a healthcare topic or concern and or have consultations, get labs and imaging ordered and follow up to access additional information for managing conditions and next steps.
UCM’s digital front door approach is great for patients: the platform currently receives 96% patient satisfaction ratings, and UCM Digital can be proud of its 98% ER and 95% Urgent Care avoidance rates. For employers who want to be responsible partners and problem solvers to employees, UCM’s service options situate them as providers of first-rate employee care. For large health plans that integrate their internal, existing platforms and networks with UCM offerings, UCM platforms deliver more personal, patient friendly, efficient and lower cost health services.
A Brighter Future for Health
UCM Digital Health is poised to play an important part in the virtual health future. The next steps will be focused on more partnerships and the potential for seamless platform integrations with local healthcare providers as well as existing telehealth giants and more specialized health tech services that focus on particular types of care. UCM’s aspiration is to become the first point of entry for the health system at large; the clearing house for every other service that a patient might need.
We at Armory Square Ventures are also thrilled to be bringing fresh venture capital to Troy, NY for the first time in a decade. This region has strong angel networks, infrastructure and university anchors — all the ingredients that we at Armory Square Ventures believe are necessary for success in startup ecosystems beyond Silicon Valley.
We look forward to partnering in the next phase of UCM Digital Health’s journey. As we roll up our sleeves to help with scaling up, we are aiming for nationwide market leadership, and a new set of opportunities for the region.
