Cedars-Sinai and K Health launch virtual care app

Cedars-Sinai Connect allows patients in California to access Cedars-Sinai experts 24/7

While the pandemic may be long over at this point, the after effects of it are still being felt in numerous ways. Some behaviors that sprung up as a result of people being stuck at home for months aren't going to go away so quickly, including the increased need for virtual care. Patients now have an expectation of having 24/7 care and health systems and providers need to respond in kind.

To help fulfill that need, Cedars-Sinai announced the launch of its new virtual healthcare option Cedars-Sinai Connect, allowing patients in California to access Cedars-Sinai experts for sick, chronic, and preventive care anytime they need. 

Through the app, healthcare professionals are available 24/7 for urgent issues, and same-day appointments are accessible for primary care. The idea is to reduce wait times for those seeking medical attention.

Cedars-Sinai Connect uses artificial intelligence technology developed by K Health; the company uses AI and machine learning to allow users to look up their symptoms, and then see how doctors diagnose and treat similar people with similar symptoms, for free on its app.

K Health users first chat with an AI that has been trained on a dataset from billions of anonymized clinical data points, taking into account a user's gender, age, acute symptoms, and other biomarkers, to accurately show users how other people like them dealt with symptoms and conditions. That can include anything from mental health to back pain, headaches, abdominal pain, chest pain, rashes, fatigue, STDs and bladder infections, among numerous others.

If it is determined that patient does need to speak to a doctor, they then pay for that appointment in one of two ways: either per session, which costs $19, or they can pay a $27 subscription fee, which lasts for three months and also includes unlimited follow-up and remote visits. In addition, the company also offers mental health services, which is separate from its primary care membership; patients pay $19 a month to access this care. 

K is available in all 50 states, and K Primary Care, the option to chat with a doctor, is available in 48 states, covering 300 million people.

Cedars-Sinai Connect will work in a similar way, with the app’s chat feature gathering health details and symptoms from patients to help assess their medical concerns, and presenting that information to a clinician for review. After that, patients can choose to connect with a clinician for an appointment via video call.

K Health and Cedars-Sinai developed Cedars-Sinai Connect through a new joint venture. This followed the disclosure of a partnership in July, with Cedars-Sinai also also joining as a strategic investor in K Health's $59 million funding round, alongside Valor Equity Partners, Mangrove Capital Partners and Pico Venture Partners.

“We’re excited to work with Cedars-Sinai, an esteemed institution that shares our vision to provide people with unfettered access to exceptional medical care around the clock,” Ran Shaul, K Health's co-founder and chief product officer, said in a statement. 

“By fusing K Health’s technology with Cedars-Sinai’s renowned care, we are advancing primary care delivery by extending essential services to a wider spectrum of people in need while alleviating physician burnout.” 

Cedars-Sinai Connect will accept all forms of insurance that Cedars-Sinai takes, including employer-provided plans, as opposed to K Health's direct to patient business.