98point6 is the virtual care platform to help health systems meet their digital care needs now and in the future. Our 24/7 on-demand, text-based primary care meets the expectations of today’s patients while fundamentally changing the cost of care delivery. Our board-certified, employed physicians act as an extension of a health system’s provider team. We are structured to support a health system in achieving the quadruple aim: 1). Patient Experience: 98point6 opens doors to new populations that a health system has not seen before, expanding their reach and increasing access for a broader population while providing personal guidance for in-system referrals and helping patients navigate their healthcare needs. 2). Better Outcomes: Through real-time data integration with a health system’s existing solutions, we are able to share information and insights on a patient population. 3). Improved Clinician Experience: 98point6 can reduce the burden on a system’s primary care providers by managing conditions that can be handled remotely by our team of physicians. 4). Lowers Costs: By leveraging technology and optimizing the health system’s care delivery, 98point6 can play a significant role in reducing operating costs.​​

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Seattle, 98point6 is pioneering a new approach to primary care. By pairing technology with board-certified physicians, our vision is to make primary care more accessible and affordable leading to better health. We meet consumers where they are by offering private, text-based diagnosis and treatment via a mobile app. For employers, health plans and health systems, 98point6 increases primary care utilization among those not actively or appropriately engaged in their health—enabling earlier medical intervention and reducing overall cost of care.

Virtual Triage efficiently tackles the first mile of care by getting patients to the right care, at the right place and time with the right type of provider.

• Avoid unnecessary ER and urgent care utilization
• Promote convenient and consumer-centric care access
• Enable better care navigation, including emergency, primary, and specialty care
• Reduce high-volume, low-value administrative burdens on care teams by streamlining care routing and appointment booking processes

Clearstep’s Virtual Triage algorithms are built on top of Schmitt Clinical Content and are unique to each patient’s symptoms, acuity, and situation. Dr. Barton Schmitt is the co-author of the telephone triage protocols used in ~95% of call centers around the country and have been validated in over 200 million telephone triage encounters. They are the gold standard for telephone triage and Clearstep is the only provider of Schmitt Clinical Content for chat-based digital self-triage. In a double-blinded study, Clearstep’s triage routing exceeded 95% accuracy when compared to the judgment of a panel of ER doctors in a live, community-hospital setting.

What value does the Virtual Triage Solution provide?

Patient Acquisition:

Use Clearstep as a lead-generator, finding consumers online with care-seeking intent, bringing them through triage, and helping them book care at your organization. We’ve shown 10x ROI with current clients via booking appointments with Clearstep for new patients to the system.

Patient Retention:

Make it easy for existing patients to always know what to do next for their care. Promoting Clearstep as part of SMS follow-ups post-visits or embedding Clearstep in existing patient portals can help achieve this value lever.

Patient Satisfaction:

Clearstep’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) is 4x healthcare’s average. We consistently see users leaving positive, promotional comments about our clients – we’re white-labeled, so users see Clearstep as an extension of their provider, and leave great feedback about Clearstep in the context of our client’s brand (like the examples on our homepage).

Call/Command Center Efficiencies:

Avoid patients calling your nurse triage line by deflecting them to Clearstep’s self-service triage.

Alternatively, Virtual Triage can be used to scale up non-clinical call center agents and enable to accurate triage and schedule patient appointments. 

Care Routing Efficiencies:

At the end of the day, Clearstep is all about delivering the right care, at the right time, in the right care setting. Your providers are better enabled to practice at the top of their license with Clearstep ensuring the right patients are reaching them. Your system also benefits from the efficiencies of appropriate navigation (i.e. avoiding unnecessary ER visits, promoting telehealth when appropriate, routing directly to a specialist when it makes sense, etc.)

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Clearstep is the preeminent digital self-service triage and care navigation healthcare assistant on the market. It distinguishes itself as the sole AI chat-based triage solution crafted from Dr. Barton Schmitt's gold-standard telephone triage protocols, achieving an impressive accuracy rate surpassing 95%. With the largest health system deployments nationwide, Clearstep collaborates with esteemed institutions like HCA Healthcare, Mount Sinai, Novant Health, Tufts Medicine, Baylor Scott & White Health, and numerous others spanning over 15 states. Clearstep's innovative Smart Care Routing™ solutions empower healthcare organizations to effectively tackle critical challenges such as efficient self-service patient access and care navigation, patient acquisition and retention, call center deflection and automation, and optimizing capacity. Ultimately, Clearstep's solutions pave the way for enhanced experiences for patients and care teams alike. 

Client Integration: 98point6 is a consultative technology partner. We do more than just connect a supply of doctors to patients with demand. Working closely with the Client we can help their virtual care strategy come to life by connecting their entire ecosystem of benefits. On the same platform with which they provide digital primary care, our 98point6 physicians direct patients to in-network providers and additional benefits in-visit and in the Care Plan they receive post-visit, increasing utilization and cost-savings and ensuring patients get the right care at the right time.

1. Access: 98point6 provides on-demand 24/7 access to digital primary care in all 50 states plus D.C. By providing text-based care, 98point6 connects patients to high-quality care in their preferred modality—as evidenced by utilization rates that are 8x greater than our client's previous virtual medicine solution. With no appointments needed members can start a secure visit immediately from the privacy of their smartphone or tablet anytime, anywhere. 98point6 caan also increase overall patient access to care by serving as an extension of a health system’s provider network, covering care needs when PCPs are unavailable (evenings/weekend/holidays) or if patient panels are full.
2.  Quality: By leveraging deep technology and the expertise of board-certified physicians who are exclusively employed by 98point6, we deliver a standard of care on par with what a patient would receive in a brick-and-mortar setting. Our physicians practice 100% evidence-based medicine supported by automated practice standards that ensure consistency of care. Our technology allows our physicians to spend more time diagnosing and treating, answering medical questions and following up with members.
3. Affordability: Our technology drives efficiencies and allows us to deliver high-quality care at a lower price point than has ever been done before. Pairing AI and machine learning with the expertise of our board-certified physicians optimizes the medical visit. As we change the cost-of-care, our pricing model passes the savings on to our clients and patients.

In a market rich with competitor mergers and acquisitions of point solutions to expand scope of care, 98point6 is developing our product and platform to meet these patient needs through a single platform (e.g., our recently launched fully integrated behavioral health offering). 

Our overarching strategy is to pair technology with employed physicians to create automated, evidence-based care pathways with additional integrations that connect patients with in-network providers and benefits at the appropriate time. Our roadmap demonstrates our commitment to maintaining high quality patient care, improving physician and patient experience and strengthening our ability to offer seamless, strategic connections to a patient’s entire suite of health resources.

1. Traditional Telemedicine: 98point6 leads with text first but also offers video and voice if needed to ensure patients can access care in their preferred modality. Our 24/7 on-demand service and ability to integrate with a client’s full ecosystem of benefits means we meet patients where they are, leading to much higher engagement and improved patient outcomes. 98point6 is also differentiated from many traditional telemedicine providers in that our clinic is staffed by board-certified physicians who are employees of 98point6. 98point6 physicians must meet our stringent hiring practices, our NCQA-based credentialing standards and undergo extensive onboarding and ongoing training. 98point6 physicians play a critical role in our product and service design, meet our unique core values requirements and hold an equity position in the company.
2.  Symptom Checkers: These solutions are not user-friendly and often create more worry for patients with a health concern. Symptom checkers also require additional steps to get care, creating more barriers to entry. With 98point6, accessing care from a board-certified physician who can diagnose, treat and prescribe is just as simple and affordable as Googling your symptoms. We leverage our UX design and research capabilities to deliver the highest usability bar helping ensure repeat use.
3. Navigation Platforms: in most cases, for optimal outcomes, patients should start their care journey with a primary care provider. With 98point6 it's easy for patients to start a visit at any time and our physicians can quickly resolve their concern or navigate members to the most appropriate resources. We're not navigating to a specialist first based on the chief complaint, rather our physicians can intelligently determine whether a specialist visit is required.