Forward is trying to re-imagine the doctor’s office for the future of medical care using technology like full body scanners and medical information sent in real time to your phone.
CEO Adrian Aoun is looking to create “the good, not-creepy version” of what Business Insider’s Melia Robinson described as “an Apple Store meets Westworld.” The idea is to merge the benefits of modern technology with a healthcare experience that hasn’t really changed in decades.
Aoun’s inspiration emerged from the maddening task of helping one of his own relatives navigate the healthcare system after a heart attack. But rather than blame the physicians, he’s focused on fixing the structure of medical care itself. He believes that the engineering community “totally dropped the ball” in this arena. Now he, along with veterans of Google and Uber, are trying to pick it back up.
Less than a year since its founding, Forward is already making waves. The debut of the company’s flagship office on January 17 was an almost surreal experience — an image of how technology can improve quality of life for both doctors and patients. It all starts with an iPad.
After signing in via tablets implanted in the reception desk, patients step onto a body scanner. Height, weight, temperature, pulse, and blood-oxygen levels are all detected by sensors. In less than a minute, the results are delivered to the doctor and your phone via a mobile app simultaneously.
Once you’ve gotten into an exam room, a giant touch screen serves to eliminate rolling laptop dollies and sheets of paper. All the while, the computer provides medical history information, transcribes conversation, records relevant notes, and offers suggestions on care. It’s undeniably elegant.
Everything from private urine sample transport to tote bags were on offer at the demonstration, but prescription chic doesn’t come cheap. Forward is asking $149 a month for care at its first San Francisco office, aside from your regular insurance premiums.
Several powerful names in Silicon Valley are backing the company, with Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Google-parent company Apple Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, and cloud computing company Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff all investing in Forward.
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