We recently announced the expansion of GIThrive, which will allow us to better serve our members through enhanced technology and virtual care. But what exactly does that mean from a product perspective? We asked our SVP of Product, Karen Luk, to tell us what (in her words) what this means for our members and how it improves our clinical efficiency. Read more to hear from Luk about what’s happening behind the scenes to power our product’s new expanded capabilities.
When I joined Vivante Health last year, I was excited to join a company that was committed to using technology to help the growing number of people suffering in silence from digestive disease. Our mission at GIThrive has always been centered around member needs, and we’re proud to say that this new expansion reflects that philosophy.
Many of the updates to our product are relatively easy to understand – using technology and an expanded network of coordinated care providers allows us to direct members to the right care they need, from health coaching to prescriptions and labs as needed. But some of the deeper, more subtle elements – like how we’re using our experience principles to influence our design and provide a better member experience – are the result of the last couple of months we’ve spent re-examining and defining our approach to the user experience.
Data Powered, Personalized Care
For example, one thing that makes the GIThrive expanded product really unique is how we use data analytics, usage patterns, and incorporate clinical standards of care to manage their digestive health. As a product and design team, we couple that with incredibly powerful (anonymized) insights from our members that help us to better understand our members’ motivations and daily life so we can build a program and product experience that integrates into their lifestyle. This creates a rich, personalized experience that tailors to each person’s unique set of circumstances and motivations to meet them where they are.
We understand that everyone’s condition and circumstances are different, which is why we aim to create a tailored experience. Our health coaches work with members to recommend dietary changes based on their circumstances, making it more achievable and realistic. We want to get to a place where technology can help us understand the factors around our members better, so we can specialize and tailor our program to each member’s goals.
Easy to Navigate Experience
One of the most significant changes in this expansion is a more modern, easy-to-use, and cleaner user experience. We believe that this new model will scale toward the future, making it easier for our members to navigate the platform to get the care they need, when and how they need it. We know that the healthcare system can be difficult to navigate and can feel really uncertain; that’s why we designed our product to help guide members through the process so they can feel in control. We’re leveraging machine learning and AI to better understand each member’s unique healthcare journey, and guiding them along the way and setting expectations so they know what the next step in their health journey is.
Member-Focused, Whole Person Care
What I am most excited about is that we can help our members along their care journey. We’re able to guide them through every step of the process, and we’re there for them when they need us the most. We’re investing in human connection and working directly with doctors to provide a comprehensive experience. Our members have 24/7 access to digestive health experts, a care team to provide support and digital tools and resources whenever they need it. It’s not just about seeing doctors; it’s also about helping our members build healthier habits in their everyday lives. We focus on the whole person because we know that digestive health is connected to so many other things in the body. We’re excited to offer virtual care as a feature that enables us to help our members through their digestive health journey.
This expansion of GIThrive is a big step towards a modern, member focused experience.. We are rooting our design in experience principles and leveraging technology to help us deliver a fully connected, end to end member experience that I know will make such a huge impact on so many of our member’s lives. At the end of the day, that’s what’s most exciting to me, and I’m proud to be a part of a team working toward improving care, gut first.