SageSurfer: Ameliorate Behavioral Health Challenges

A behavioral health care management platform to manage data and relationships to improve clinical, operational and service quality. 

The Problem:

Nearly 25% of the US population suffers from behavioral disorder.  Stigma and care exclusion thwart improvement.

Behavioral health providers struggle to engage clients and monitor their progress outside of clinical sessions, communicate with personal caregivers and care teams to deliver effective and integrated treatment and use data to improve clinical, operational and care coordination quality. It is also difficult to meet regulatory requirements and make the most of EHR and digital health technology to overcome behavioral health challenges. 

Our Solution:

SageSurfer is a behavioral health care management platform with mobile app and patented AI features which works on cultural, literacy and language levels, so individuals collaborate with treatment teams to manage goals, decisions, and develop meaningful lives. SageSurfer effectively integrate health care services, engage clients outside the clinical hour, and manage data and care team relationships to improve clinical, operational and care coordination quality. 

• Patented AI and machine learning features discover trends, collect latent data and anticipate problems.
• Streamlined crisis communications features which are customized for each client connects people in crisis to providers, family, friends, pastors, and many others for real-time support.   
• Data analysis, relationship management and care integration features make clinical care more effective and efficient.
• Active engagement of clients and their caregivers in treatment plans is handled through secure online communications and is HIPAA compliant. Also, consent management is streamlined which makes it easier for everyone on a care team to share information.
• Interventions are provided in real-time and care teams are informed about progress and care immediately.
• Single sign-on and seamless integrates with an EHR, patient portal and other technology platforms.
• Self-care tools are plugged in from digital health apps and assigned as needed and progress and engagement is tracked.
• Intuitive digital communications tools to create communications interoperability.
• Linguistic, literacy, and cultural communication and information tools using social determinants of health to meet needs are provided to clients and personal and professional caregivers.  Clients work on goals to meet treatment plans and build meaningful and productive lives.

How We Will Change the World:

SageSurfer is a behavior and health management web/mobile platform that delivers cost-effective, beneficial care and raises awareness and health literacy.   

We discovered the best way to scale behavioral health change and to empower the individual consumer is through behavioral health organizations. Leaders aim to reach their objectives; the most innovative ones we target seek to transform through new technologies.    To that end, we are effective: SageSurfer has demonstrated a 60% increase in care coordination, a 40% increase in family – client interaction and a $7,000 – $20,000 per client per year organizational savings.

SageSurfer's platform will improve global behavioral health, place the client's needs first and help people engage in treatment and develop care teams to improve clinical outcomes.  We aim to create a world where people make wiser care decisions that lead to less stigma and suffering, no one is alone, and help is available at the click of a button.    

We focus on behavioral health clients which utilize the most resources and support and cost more than 50% of the behavioral health system's budget. 

Our competitive advantage includes:

• Streamlined engagement of professional and non-professional caregivers in treatment through technology and real-time online communications.
• Providing interventions in real-time and informing care teams about progress and care immediately.  
• Using patented AI and machine learning features to discover trends, collect latent data and anticipate problems.
• Addressing a client's cultural, language and literacy.

Our technology enables clients, caregivers and providers the ability to communicate and access care and treatment plan information at anytime and from anywhere. The relationship and communications management, data analysis features, crisis response abilities and AI technology more effectively and efficiently manages treatment. Also, the platform is HIPAA compliant, offers secure communications and manages consent. There is an ability for a single sign-on and to seamless integrate the data and engagement in the platform with an EHR, patient portal and other technology platforms.

With support from National Science Foundation, NY Health Challenge for under-served communities, clients, customers, and advocacy agencies, we hope to achieve following goals:

a) Enhance the individualized dashboard containing relevant tailored information for all stakeholders involved in a client's care with advanced machine learning algorithms.

b) Improve proactive crisis management with the ability to identify a crisis incidence and provide tools for stakeholders to intervene outside clinical settings.

c) Tailor further and improve the tools for client empowerment and sustained engagement.

d) Add the ability to support cultural and language needs for Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Afghanese and Indian population.

We seek to empower individuals through a B2B2C model.  Initially, we work with small, innovative behavioral leaders to improve efficiency and effectiveness so that they can transform communities with great social impact and help individuals live productive lives. Through these engagements, we aim to further validate and refine our offerings. Our successes on these levels will help our traction and scale with US health plans, hospitals and behavioral health networks who seek confirmation before using technology to foster change. We also aim to expand internationally, first to India where we have significant resources and knowledge of technology and behavioral health.

Platform is deployed as a standalone service accessed through the Internet and with mobile app. The platform can seamlessly interoperate with existent systems thus reducing ramp up for adopting new technology and also enhancing existent workflows. Its in-built tool and design ensures that client and its full circle of care givers are empowered and engaged throughout continuum of care (affirmation, incorporating evidence-based practices, reward system, etc). Personalization and granular level access controls together with addressing cultural sensitiveness and literacy needs will further enhance engagement. Platform will also be exposed by API and can be accessed directly via other digital tools. 

System has 1817 users across our 5 customer deployments using our Mobile and web platform. SageSurfer helps clients feel less isolated and more supported, become an intricate part of their treatment and maintain recovery. People with serious mental illness are no longer disconnected from support throughout their mental health journey and can more readily transition to community settings.

Providers are given technology tools to effectively engage in communications with a care team, coordinate care, master core tasks and manage consent. Administrators are able to access real-time insights and conduct proactive interventions.

In 12 months our goal is to serve 228,075 users by demonstrating how technology can meet and exceed their expectations. We will continue to improve our design experience aligned with newly discovered workflows which will result in reducing the learning curve for new users and increasing engagement. In three years our goals is to serve 3.16 million users. Further in the future our capacity can go beyond these initial estimates. We have successfully tested our platform for one million users and predict scaling to multiple communities should not be a challenge.

CEO Anupam Khandelwal, a global healthcare IT executive of 19 years, began SageSurfer in 2016 following the suicide of his beloved cousin.  SageSurfer is a bi-coastal company with a sister company in India with considerable technological expertise and healthcare knowledge in both countries. Our team is committed to changing lives: CSO Dr. Matthew Mandelbaum is a psychologist with 20 years of service in education, psychology and social entrepreneurship.  Psychologist and researcher, Dr. Erika Torres is clinical product manager with 13 years in mental health.  There are 15 technologists working on product development full time, an advisory team and marketing manager.  

We have built a comprehensive platform over 3 years with angel funding from family and friends to engage a county-system client, which is a microcosm of society.  We have multiple patents/trademarks to protect our IP. With passion and commitment, we seek to make impact.

• Subscription based fee structure in which the customers pay per client's served in the platform. 
• Implementation fees to cover on boarding process.
• Additional fees charged for additional customization of the platform.

• Like-minded mission of using digital technology to provide affordable and effective health treatments.
• Focus on supporting artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve the human condition and access to the Artificial Intelligence for the Betterment of Humanity Prize. Our developed AI technology applied to addressing behavioral health challenges would benefit from more investment to further improve this feature. 
• Networking opportunities with other healthcare and technology experts.

Key Barriers:

• Adoption of technology solutions by line staff in behavioral health and health care organizations who are sometimes resistant to change.
• Platform is very comprehensive in nature and has the ability to do many different things around work flow changes, care coordination and data collection. This can be overwhelming for a provider to grasp which could make it difficult to implement.

How Can Solve Help?

• Additional funding support to improve AI technology, streamline implementation and make it easier for users to adopt this technology.
• Brainstorm with and learn from experts in the Solve network.