Show Notes:
Healthcare is fragmented—for women, children, chronic condition patients, and for teens.
In the U.S., there are approximately 70 million adolescents, yet only about 500 active professionals specialize in adolescent medicine. With so few specialists available, teens are often forced to piece together their own health, receiving fragmented care from school nurses, sports teams, pediatricians, and urgent care clinics.
Paul Julius and his team at Thread Health have developed a digital clinic and co-pilot solution designed to bridge this massive gap in teen healthcare. Teens and parents can access Thread’s adolescent health-trained care team through SMS and in-app texting, empowering teens to take charge of their own health. The platform is currently operational in five states, focusing on partnerships with schools, health systems, and payers—notably targeting the Medicaid market, where 47% of the population are children, a third of whom are adolescents.
In today’s episode, we discuss Thread Health’s go-to-market strategy, the biggest challenges in adolescent health, and how text-based communication encourages teens to advocate for their health.
Timestamps:
[1:13]: Teen Health Market
[2:15]: Adolescent Medicine as a Specialty
[4:49]: Fragmentation within Teen Healthcare
[7:26}: Patient + Parent Journey Through Thread Health
[9:59]: Measuring Engagement and Tracking Outcomes
[12:28]: Challenges and Benefits of a Digitally Native Demographic
[15:07]: Thread Health’s Inception
[19:21]: GTM Strategy
[21:16]: Systemic Issues Affecting Children’s Health
Ep. 22: Paul Julius | Co-Founder & CEO of Thread Health | Addressing Adolescent Healthcare