Google Enters Healthcare Industry With Clinics

The latest Silicon Valley bid to disrupt a traditional industry appears to be aimed at healthcare, according to Matt Kubert, writing for Fierce Healthcare.

Google recently launched a company called Cityblock that will focus on providing team-based health care for low-income communities. The venture will rely on sidewalk labs and behavioral health coaches.

Healthcare organizations have worked to improve care management and boost patient engagement. The organization plans to open its first clinic, called a Neighborhood Health Hub, in New York City in 2018. The focus will be on preventive care.

Lyah Romm, co-founder and CEO of Cityblock, reports that the organization will fully integrate primary care with behavioral health and social services. Google technologists will focus on preventive care. Behavioral health coaches will drive care teams that will build social relationships and deliver care at centrally located “hubs,” via telehealth services or house calls.

Romm wrote in a post, “People want better health. Instead, we have traditionally given them more healthcare, under the flawed premise that providing more services automatically yields better outcomes.” He added that Cityblock will target low-income Americans, who, he says, have traditionally been short-changed by industry innovation efforts.