CirrusMD's Origin Story

Blake McKinney, co-founder of CirrusMD and an ER physician, has always been passionate about improving the patient experience. His journey to creating CirrusMD began with a simple yet profound observation: the traditional healthcare model often makes patients wait far too long to see a doctor, whether it's weeks for an appointment or hours in an emergency room. If barriers of seeking care were removed for the patients, doctors would be able to deliver medical care more efficiently. Creating a better experience for both the patient and the physician.

Blake’s idea in creating CirrusMD was to invert the care model. Instead of making patients wait on doctors, CirrusMD doctors are waiting virtually on the patients. CirrusMD was created to prioritize efficiency and exceptional patient experiences. Connecting patients with doctors in under 60 seconds. Where other traditional telemedicine providers sought to recreate a brick and mortar experience online, CirrusMD sought to destroy the barriers, such as scheduling appointments, that stand in the way of communication between a patient and a physician.

Key Insights from Blake McKinney on the Power of Chat-First Virtual Care:

Patient Frustrations with Long Wait Times:

As an ER physician, Blake became increasingly frustrated with the inefficiencies in healthcare. Patients often had to wait weeks for an appointment or hours in the emergency room, only to be seen by a doctor who was already committed to seeing everyone by the end of their shift.

Inverting the Care Model:

Blake started to think, "Why make patients wait when I have to see them anyway? Why not make the experience as quick and easy as possible for both the patient and the doctor?" This led to the idea of inverting the care model, where doctors are available to patients immediately, rather than the other way around.

Focus on Efficiency and Experience:

The core of CirrusMD's mission is to make healthcare more efficient and to enhance the experience for both patients and doctors. By removing every administrative or triage barrier, CirrusMD ensures that patients can connect with a qualified physician in less than 60 seconds, 24/7/365.

Transforming Healthcare:

CirrusMD's innovative approach not only improves patient satisfaction but also reduces the total cost of care. With immediate access to high-quality care, patients can receive the help they need when they need it, leading to better health outcomes and a more positive healthcare experience.

The Future of Virtual Care

By leveraging technology and AI CirrusMD has re-imagined the traditional care model. While traditional telehealth staffs 1:1 video visits with scheduling and appointments, thereby recreating the brick and mortar experience online. CirrusMD created a new category of virtual care delivery, physician-first care and guidance, which staffs doctors in a virtual waiting room on stand-by for patients to arrive. This flips the care model on its head. Chat first modalities create scalable and efficient encounters when the patient is met with a doctor and not a bot. This new model creates better user experiences for both patients and doctors. Happy healthy users who receive care immediately leads to measurable ROI for employers and plan sponsors.

CirrusMD is a virtual healthcare company delivering care that is instantly accessible, always informed, and directly connected to the patient’s longitudinal health record. We are solving three of healthcare’s most pervasive problems directly at the point of care: lack of access, lack of relevant information, and lack of care continuity. With a simple chat, our network of high-quality physicians is instantly accessible (<60 seconds), anytime (24/7/365), anywhere in the U.S. CirrusMD doctors are supported by our proprietary Clinical Intelligence Engine, which uses AI-based technology to mine the care encounter for underlying health risks, surface relevant benefit resources and update patient records via integration with a Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN).