Motto is the latest startup created by Health redesign, a New York-based firm that creates healthcare companies. The startup, which is also based in New York, launched on Tuesday as a virtual care platform for people with autoimmune and chronic inflammatory conditions.
The startup is one of the many successors to Redesign Health — the company spun off more than 40 companies after four years. Others include a cancer treatment technology company hi jasperpersonalized autism care provider Spring child development and digital weight loss startup Calibration.
Motto’s name comes from the idea that patients struggle daily with autoimmune diseases and have special needs, according to CEO and founder Anuj Patel. He said the company “wants to give patients a daily motto as a reminder to start a journey to improve their health,” in a recent interview.
More than 24 million Americans suffer from an autoimmune disease, and that number is growing, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“The common misconception is that these are a group of conditions that affect older people, and that’s not the case at all,” Patel said. “The usual age ranges for diagnosis are between 18 and 29 and again between 40 and 49. Because these are chronic conditions that patients manage for the rest of their lives, there are more and more patients who require specialist care from board- graduate rheumatologist.”
The status quo in chronic inflammation care has patients waiting “months, if not years” for diagnosis and treatment by a rheumatologist, Patel pointed out. Motto was created to increase Americans’ access to care by offering virtual appointments with rheumatologists, condition management services and lifestyle education on its telehealth platform.
Each patient on Motto’s platform receives a diagnosis and personalized treatment plan developed by Motto’s clinical team of nurse practitioners, rheumatologists and other physicians. Patients are also linked to a health coach and a multidisciplinary care team that includes a nutritionist.
Patients can manage their symptoms using Motto’s app, which includes patient-reported outcome tools to track things like pain and fatigue, as well as measure inflammation. The app also allows patients to chat with their care team.
As for the platform’s lifestyle coaching model, it is based on seven pillars: medication management, diet, physical activity, healthy coping, emotional health, sleep, and social support around individual needs. Motto’s lifestyle coaches tailor their guidance to the specific pillars best suited to improving each patient’s condition, according to Patel.
Motto currently operates as a fee-for-service provider in Texas and California, which were chosen because they are the two most populous states. The startup is in network with major insurers in both the states and cash payment options are also available, Patel said. Motto plans to expand to additional markets “very soon,” he added.
While the market is flooded with virtual care companies — like Teladoc, PlushCare, MDLive, Folx Health and dozens of others – Patel claims Moto will be able to stand out. It claims it is the first virtual care company to focus on treating autoimmune diseases by combining online medical care with personalized lifestyle care.
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