Attempts to disrupt or supplant primary care haven’t gone as planned for a number of ambitious start-ups. After raising more than $600 million and reaching a valuation of $1 billion, Forward has abruptly canceled already-scheduled patient visits, disabled its app, and began shutting down its clinic locations last week. The Forward model was based on cash payment for direct primary care backed by tech-enabled care automation. Reportedly, the company had technical issues with its automated clinical testing as well as logistical challenges in launching its CarePod self-service kiosks, according to Business Insider. Only 5 kiosks were installed, even though Forward had initially announced plans to deploy 3,200 CarePods per year. Patients with scheduled visits were directed to an email address that would offer assistance through December 13.
It ain’t easy: Forward was founded in 2016 by executives from Google and Uber with a vision to deliver care that relied more on technology, artificial intelligence, and automation than a human primary care provider. But as many disruptors have learned, healthcare is a unique market with unique challenges. “Others, including the Cleveland Clinic, have tried to bring remote self-service care kiosks to public areas, but none have survived,” says Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM. “A big reason is that capital costs are high—the kiosks are expensive to construct and maintain—and the target market is too small. They weren’t located in remote areas but rather in suburban retail settings. And since the kiosks did not provide a full range of services as urgent care centers do, the motivation for patients to use an automated kiosk was likewise limited.”