Expanding access to healthcare

Navigating the healthcare system can be an overwhelming experience. Whether it’s finding a trusted doctor, tracking down medical records and test results, or making sense of bewildering insurance forms, taking care of your health too often means jumping over hurdles. Included Health wants to remove those hurdles—and raise the standard of healthcare for everyone.







Through its AI-powered, all-in-one app, the San Francisco–based healthcare company offers healthcare navigation and advocacy services alongside comprehensive virtual care (covering everyday urgent care, mental health support, virtual primary care, and specialty care, with referrals to in-person care when needed). 



This fully integrated, tech-enabled approach to healthcare delivery has earned Included Health a place on Fast Company ’s list of the world’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024. Here, Included Health CEO Owen Tripp talks about how his company is transforming healthcare for millions of Americans. 



1. What kind of gaps are you seeing in today’s healthcare landscape—and how can Included Health fix them?  Accessible and affordable healthcare remains out of reach for far too many people. More than 100 million people live in areas with a shortage of primary care providers and/or mental health specialists, and medical debt is the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S.



People-centered care is at the core of Included Health’s mission. We offer the only truly connected model that combines full-spectrum virtual care with integrated support for social, financial, and administrative needs—all in a single personalized experience. For us, integration is the innovation.



2. What kind of positive impacts can Included Health members expect? Our North Star metric is the number of healthy days people report. We ask our members: During the last 30 days, how many days has your health interfered with your daily life at work or at home? And we’ve discovered that, on average, members who use our clinical services benefit from two extra healthy days per month.



Better access to care means lower costs for our members and clients—and healthier families and employees. Walmart, for example, has reduced avoidable ER visits and hospitalizations by providing Included Health’s virtual primary care to Walmart associates and their loved ones across the country. In a multiyear pilot program, Walmart associates who accessed Included Health’s virtual primary care, when compared with those who did not, saw a 11% reduction in total cost of care and a 26% reduction in hospital readmissions. 



3. What’s next for Included Health? For too long, the specialty care experience has been defined by fragmentation, inefficiency, and unnecessary costs. I’ve experienced this firsthand with family, friends, and even my own personal health journey. People deserve better.



Included Health’s new Specialty Care Clinic is revolutionizing the role of specialty care with a virtual-first approach, starting with cancer, healthy weight, and menopause support. We continue to build on more than a decade of experience connecting millions with top medical specialists. 



And new technologies allow the Specialty Care Clinic to overcome geographical barriers and provider shortages. Our goal is to widen access to affordable high-quality specialty care and improve the broader spectrum of physical and mental health.