Certinell Telehealth Startup Success Story

Certintell Telehealth, a Greater Des Moines (DSM) startup, grows its customer base by partnering with health clinics that need better access to mental health providers. Founder Ben Lefever discusses connecting experts with rural health clinics. He views the company as a telehealth partner rather than a technology vendor.

Rural Healthcare

Many rural areas benefit from telehealth providers like Certintell where previously patients might not get treated. Underserved areas receive counseling, healthcare and resources from telehealth.

Importance of Telehealthcare

Ben explains how up to 30 percent of patients cancel mental health appointments. When you focus on younger generations who are used to having that technological barrier, having a telehealth resource is ideal.

Benefit to Practitioner

If you own a private practice and someone cancels an appointment or you have to be out of town for a conference, that is lost revenue. With telehealth, practitioners are able to hop on a platform from anywhere and earn revenue.

Growth of Telehealth

Employers are beginning to implement telehealth more and more. Ben explains how due to depression alone there is nearly 200 million lost working days and 44 billion dollars in lost productivity. Employers are engaging telehealth providers so people can get the care they need. Low-income patients are able to get treatment easier due to travel time as well.

Telehealth Process

The telehealth process includes everything a regular appointment would: the patient checks in, the provider can upload meeting notes and, conveniently, there is automatic informed consent.

Why Telehealth is Promising for Startups

Within the healthcare industries, building things is so expensive that healthcare companies would rather buy the technology. Large companies are more active in asking who can build this for me; startups can benefit from this.