Health insurance giant Highmark Inc. is giving entrepreneurs a lift through a new Business Innovation Center, the nonprofit company said on Friday.
The center is both a group of Highmark employees focused on finding new ideas in health care that can benefit Highmark and its members and a physical space at Grove City College where startup companies can get help, said Paul Puopolo, vice president of business innovation and leader of the center.
“Our job is to find new growth opportunities for the company,” he said.
One of those opportunities is in a new company from McMurray, Iagnosis Inc., which is among the first startups to be highlighted by the Business Innovation Center.
Highmark said it will promote Iagnosis and a website the company created, called DermatologistOnCall.com, to its 4.9 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware as a way to reduce wait times for skin care.
The website allows dermatologists to provide patients with a diagnosis and treatment plan for many common skin conditions online within three days, CEO Dr. Mark Seraly said.
Due to a nationwide shortage of dermatologists, it can take eight weeks or longer for an existing patient to line up an appointment with his or her skin doctor, Seraly said. For new patients, the wait can be three to four months.
Puopolo said his innovation group worked with Seraly and Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Eakin to refine their business and will monitor how the company does over the next year.
Highmark has not invested in Iagnosis but may consider providing funding in the future as the insurer sees how its members respond to the service, he said.
Highmark has had a group of people developing new ideas for several years, but in recent months decided to brand the effort as Highmark Business Innovation Center, make public announcements about new companies it is working with, and ramp up its work with entrepreneurs at Grove City College, Puopolo said.
“We’re not trying to toot anybody’s horn, but people need to know this group exists so that there will be more ideas,” he said.