AugMend Health
Data-Driven VR Mental Health Assessments and AI-Tailored Therapy
Idea in Health Care
Introduction
Large mental health clinics are overwhelmed and can’t handle increasing demand for services. Fortunately, much of the intake assessments and onboarding of new patients can be automated. With AugMend, clinicians save 10hrs/week and increase coverage to more patients with our self-guided VR software and data driven approach to mental health for intake and onbaording.
Problem
There is only 1 clinician for 350 patients on average in America. The number of clinicians would have to triple to meet demand. 80 million people suffer from symptoms of anxiety and only 36% of them receive treatment due to the shortage. Most clinicians are underpaid, and unable to increase their revenue. Clinicians who take insurance are burnt out, and waitlists continue to grow, with the average wait time for adult therapy reaching 10 weeks. Current tools are a time-sink and not improving standard of care. Large clinics in mental health do not harness neurobiological data to improve accuracy of assessment and treatment. They are trying to leverage other tools, but existing technology, like smartphone apps, have low adherence rates (3%), highlighting the urgent demand for accessible and scalable solutions. There is a growing need for more valid measures, that are both objective and ecologically valid, to complement and improve the existing diagnosis and treatment process.
Opportunity
AugMend addresses the clinician shortage using self-guided VR modules for intake assessments and onboarding exercises. Our software solution allows professionals to see 10 more patients/week and increase revenue while improving access, costs, and adherence. Patients complete self-guided intake sessions on their own, and our software generates a diagnostic impression and risk report for clinicians, who then prescribe tailored VR modules to complement therapy. We gather data from VR modules and wearables to enhance skill training and psycho-education for precision medicine insights. Covered by insurance, VR assesses and treats all forms of anxiety and comorbid conditions with an equal or higher effect than talk therapy or pharmacology. With our technology, we are able to refine diagnostics and match patients to appropriate VR interventions; enabling clinicians to tailor therapy, leading to a faster remission.