Hi there. It’s about time you met HERO.
We live in an age of technological marvels — of self driving cars, robotic surgeons, and awe-inspiring smartphones in every pocket — yet for all of our advancement in consumer and health technology, one area has remained notoriously Neanderthal:
Medication.
Even the word sounds scary, right? Meds and vitamins are the main way we take care of ourselves when we’re not with the doctor — after all, performing surgery on yourself is quite hard — yet despite all our apps and health gadgets, medication has remained resilient to change. How do I care for my heart every day? I still take Lipitor and fish oil. How do I care for my mom? I still call her and ask if she’s taken her reds and her purples. It’s an experience we all know well: extracting the basket of meds hidden under the sink, painfully sorting them bottle by bottle into ugly Monday-Sunday pill boxes, only then to perhaps realize the medicine was a month expired anyway. And if you’re one of 65 million Americans who takes care of an at-need loved one, you feel this pain, only with the amplified frustration of distance.
This is an experience that is not only stale and tedious, it’s also hurting our health. 50% of all medications prescribed are not taken or taken incorrectly, and it’s not surprising — when was the last time you jumped out of bed singing “I can’t wait to take my pills”?
There has been little effort until recent years to make the health care experience enjoyable as a true priority, yet research has proven time and time again that more enjoyable experiences lead to up to 20% fewer hospital visits, up to 30% lower cost and people actually feeling better. Isn’t it about time for us to focus on the things and, more importantly, the people that really matter?
So welcome to HERO. We’re thrilled to have you with us and can’t wait to put the future of health care in your hands.
By Kut Akdogan, Founder of HERO
