The Mayo Clinic wants to help you feel "Better."
That's the name of a new mobile app service launched by the Rochester-based health care provider, in partnership with a Silicon Valley venture capital firm and an accomplished tele-medicine entrepreneur. It's part of Mayo's overarching goal to put the clinic's expertise into the hands of 200 million consumers.
The service will allow users to tap Mayo's knowledge bank and symptom checker at no cost. For $49.99 a month, a family — from grandparents to grandkids — can get 24/7 access to Better's professional personal health care assistants and Mayo's own nurses and other professionals.
The venture is the latest example of Mayo's efforts to diversify its business model and build loyalty among consumers. Those efforts are being driven, in part, by health care overhaul measures that could trim Mayo's revenue by at least 20 percent.
"We have been challenged by our board and our president and CEO to think about how can we make Mayo Clinic knowledge available to anyone, anywhere, any time. And this is a very nice, novel way for us to reach out in that direction," said Dr. Paul Limburg, medical director of Mayo's Global Business Solutions group.
"Mayo has recognized that really for 150 years we have provided … the highest quality health care. But we're also trying to bring knowledge out to the population in a more scalable way. So we talk about not only health care, but also health information and health guidance."
The personal health assistants can advise users on issues ranging from selecting a doctor to creating a family health plan or sorting out how to get the most out of their health insurance.
Of course, if users find themselves in need of specialized care, Mayo wants to be "top of mind," said Dr. David Hayes, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which is spreading awareness of the Mayo brand by linking directly with other providers in something akin to a franchising operation.