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iCareBetter Launches Center For Endometriosis Long-Term Care
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Based on patients’ needs and considering the lack of appropriate endometriosis care, iCareBetter launches Endometriosis Centers for long-term care. The centers’ focus will be long-term endometriosis care before and after excision surgery. We will collaborate closely with excision surgeons, physical therapists, and other providers on iCareBetter to offer long-term multidisciplinary care to endometriosis patients. We believe that excision surgery is the gold standard of treatment for endometriosis, and we also believe that patients need an ongoing care plan and monitoring after excision surgery, even if the best surgeons in the world do it.
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This is Dr. Saeid Gholami, the founder of iCareBetter. I have an important announcement to make today. But first, let me take you on a journey with me through the last three and a half years.
Phase I – It Starts with Surgery
In my exposure to endometriosis patients as a medical student and then as a primary care doctor, I have always tried to find a solution to identify trusted resources for patients. A few years ago, right at the beginning of the pandemic, while the world was going upside down, I started working with a team of the best endometriosis surgeons and advocates to create a vetting system to find and introduce skilled excision surgeons. The vetting was based on a New England Journal of Medicine article and assessed surgical videos in a double-blind process.
This vetting made some people uncomfortable. However, the vetting confirmed the skills of the best surgeons in the world and introduced some new excision surgeons with a limited chance to prove themselves in a space where everyone claimed expertise without proof. This led to a transparent process that let patients make informed decisions about their excision surgeons. This innovation put us on the map and made us a significant platform in the endometriosis world.
Phase II – Add Multiple Disciplines
After successfully launching video vetting for surgeons, we sought other opportunities to support endo patients. Our conversations with patients taught us that the community needs vetted physical therapists (PT) who understand endometriosis and its complex care requirements. Therefore, we introduced the iCareBetter Physical Therapy vetting and built a network of PTs. Our list of PTs kept growing, and after two years, many advocates and patients are using it daily and promoting the importance of physical therapy for endometriosis patients. The PT directory has been very helpful for patients, and we have over 120 physical therapists in almost all the US states. And thousands of patients have used iCareBetter to find a PT to help with their endometriosis.
Similarly, we added urologists, dietitians, and pain specialists so patients can use iCareBetter for most of their endo-related issues.
Phase III – Artificial Intelligence for Endometriosis
Right after the launch of Chat-GPT and the excitement around artificial intelligence (AI), we launched an AI-powered chat tool called endometriosis.AI. This created massive excitement, and many patients started using it. As a result, we ran out of server capacity within three days after launch and had to shut it down to avoid going into debt for server costs. As I am speaking with you, thousands of patients have used it and keep using it to acquire information about endometriosis. With the launch of endometriosis.ai, we made endometriosis the first disease community to have its specialized AI discussion. This was in sharp contrast with the history of endometriosis, which is always among the last diseases to be considered in other situations, such as surgical tools, medications, and others.
Moreover, we have published hundreds of articles and interviews to create an education hub for endometriosis.
We currently have over 200 providers in our network, and 30,000 patients use our services each month.
I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved.
Phase VI – Begins iCareBetter Centers for Long-Term Care.
One question that patients commonly asked us was, “Where can I go before surgery or after surgery for long-term care?”
We searched the medical community for the right centers to help with this long-term care. Our non-negotiable criteria were simple: These centers should not dismiss patients and avoid putting endo patients on hormones as “the cure for endo.”
To my frustration and shock, no center expressed interest in seeing more endometriosis patients. We even purchased the emails of ten thousand OBGYNs in the US and invited them to join our network and support endo patients. Not even one ObGyn responded positively to the invite to see more endometriosis patients. Except for our excision surgeons, no one wanted to deal with endometriosis patients in their practice. It was a heartbreaking realization for all of us.
From a patient’s perspective, they need a care team that is in their corner and does not get tired of them after four or five visits because the pain is still there. A team that sits and thinks with the patient and tries to problem-solve with the patients as a team member. This team should map out the options, what has been tried, and what is left to be tested. A team that patients can go to four weeks, four months, or four years after surgery to complain that the pain is back.” This team, instead, thoroughly evaluates patients for other pain generators or a recurrence of endometriosis. A care team that believes in patients and helps them connect with the right specialist for their gastrointestinal, urinary, neurological, and other symptoms.
We tried several solutions to create this care team with other centers and groups, but there was a complete lack of interest and empathy, as it has always been with endometriosis. Therefore, we decided to build these centers ourselves. With that, I am proud to announce that we are launching the first iCareBetter Endometriosis Center in sunny California. It will be at 6621 Bay Laurel Place, Suite A, Avila Beach, CA 93424. We plan to open the next centers in CA and other states.
The centers’ focus will be long-term endometriosis care, so we will collaborate closely with excision surgeons, physical therapists, and other providers on iCareBetter to offer long-term multidisciplinary care to endometriosis patients. We believe that excision surgery is the gold standard of treatment for endometriosis, and we also believe that patients need an ongoing care plan and monitoring after excision surgery, even if the best surgeons in the world do it. iCareBetter centers will be the long-term care center for patients before and after excision surgery.
Our first center in Central California will be ready to see patients on February 20th, and we will offer in-person and virtual services. The next ones are being prepared, and we will announce their launch soon. If you want to ensure you secure your place before we run out of space, join the waitlist by filling out the form below. Also, if you want to be among the first ones to know about iCareBetter centers when we come to your area, please use the link below to add your name to the waitlist.
