Benefitter & Dignity Health

Opening the door for health care for low-income Californians

Background: Dignity Health at the time was the fifth-largest hospital system in the nation and the largest not-for-profit hospital provider in California

Problem: Every day, individuals enter emergency rooms and clinics without health insurance, unable to pay. In many cases, they qualify for subsidies or programs, but aren’t enrolled. Intake nurses don’t have the time or ability to educate them on options

Solution: Automate the education and enrollment process. After interviews with representatives of hospitals, who understand the problem, my company, Benefitter, conducted studies and focus groups with individuals to determine the best approaches to heighten their understanding of the new rules around qualification for health insurance subsides and Medicaid. We created a simple tool for mobile devices and kiosks that stepped patients through questions and determined their eligibility for various programs, and connected them with people to help them enroll. This tool was rolled out across hospitals and clinics in aftermath of the big healthcare reform changes during the Obama administration.

Benefitter was named one of the top 100 digital health companies by Medical Futurist, and is now a subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare.