Park Nicollet Health Services will start diagnosing minor health problems such as bladder infections and allergies online using technology by Minneapolis start-up Zipnosis.
The 12-month pilot begins Saturday.
Consumers can go to www.zipnosis.com and spend five minutes answering questions about their symptoms. Park Nicollet's nurse practitioners will then suggest treatment or prescribe medication within an hour. The service is for non-emergency problems.
The cost to consumers is $25 and they can use a credit or HSA/MSA debit card.
"We are able to provide a service that is lower cost to our patients for simple conditions," Dr. John Misa, Park Nicollet's chief of primary care, said Tuesday. Misa said the service will also allow Park Nicollet, which owns Methodist Hospital and a chain of clinics, to reach a greater number of patients in Minnesota.
The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. So far, Zipnosis has raised roughly $600,000 from about 12 angel investors, said CEO Rick Krieger, one of the founders behind the precursor to MinuteClinic. Krieger said his goal is for Zipnosis to be in four to six more states by the end of the year.
WENDY LEE
