December 28, 2018
Forward: A New Approach to Healthcare Comes to NoMad
These days, there seems to be a groundswell of “disruptive” companies—startups that seek to “disrupt” the status quo of their respective industries. Uber and Lyft have disrupted the hired-car industry; Airbnb has disrupted the hospitality industry; the list goes on. Now, a new innovator named Forward seeks to cause a similar disruption in the healthcare industry—and one of their two NYC offices is based here in NoMad.
Bypassing the System
While disruption seems to be the catchphrase of the decade, few industries could actually use disruption more than the healthcare sector. With the Affordable Care Act (aka, Obamacare) currently thrown into chaos due to swirling political storms, the cost of health insurance continues to rise while quality and extent of coverage remain issues. While healthcare in the U.S. faces an uncertain future, Forward’s strategy seems to be to bypass the chaos entirely. Rather than allow patient care to get bogged down in the morass of which insurance covers what service, Forward utilizes a membership-based system that gives members access to many primary care services (including unlimited office visits) and 24/7 concierge service for a modest monthly fee—no deductibles and no surprises. Founded by a former Google employee, the company utilizes advanced technology that both provides doctors with instant patient medical data and streamlines the process to minimize costs. As a tech-driven company, Forward provides patients easy access to their own medical data via an app on their smartphones.
Proactive, Patient-Driven Care
Forward claims that this new healthcare model affords the patient multiple benefits. First of all, since the company is paid directly through memberships rather than billing insurance, doctors can focus more directly on the quality of patient care, resisting the temptation to offer billable services the patient may not want or need. Secondly, the doctors at Forward take a proactive approach to healthcare, rather than reactive—seeking to establish good health habits rather than just treating illnesses in order to prevent greater health problems down the road. Both of these strategies, Forward says, can improve quality of care while reducing long-term costs.
A Good Start, not a Complete Fix
While Forward offers patients an alternative approach to basic health maintenance, it stresses that at this time it is not a complete solution to the healthcare problem. Since Forward currently focuses strictly on primary care the company strongly recommends recommends maintaining some sort of insurance coverage for specialist services, hospitalization and catastrophic care. However, for those who seek a cost-effective alternative to doctor visits and health maintenance programs, Forward’s monthly membership fees are affordable enough to allow many people to supplement or modify their current health plans while still saving money in the long run.
Memberships currently run at $199 month, but to build its member base, Forward is currently offering significant promotional discounts on its memberships at its NoMad location. The NoMad office is located at 1153 Broadway, but the company recommends signing up and/or asking questions online prior to your first visit.
Forward – NoMad, NYC Location
1153 Broadway (between 26th and 27th Streets)
New York, NY 10001
(415) 349-0850
Hours:
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.