Announcing Beta Boom‘s recent investment in Upside Health.
Upside Health is transforming chronic pain assessment and treatment. The startup’s software as a medical device (SaMD), known as the Branch Health app, extends care out of the office through assessments, resources, virtual appointments with nurses, while providing vital support for patients and actionable insights to pain doctors and clinics. Chronic pain is a huge problem affecting over 145 million Americans, with that number growing year over year.
In early results, 30% of Upside Health participants have decreased or stopped opioid usage and 89% have reported more control over their pain, and clinics experienced a 25% decrease in non-urgent medical outreach. Patients love the additional online care and support they get from virtual nurse visits, while the community and actionable strategies help them manage their pain in between visits in addition to basic treatment.
On the health provider side, Upside Health is able to help doctors, clinics, and health systems mitigate many risks, such as opioid abuse, and excess costs associated with caring for chronic pain patients. Real-time, detailed data can help payers and health systems anticipate and better understand risks, allowing them to optimize the delivery of care, and supporting them with the extensive documentation now required.
Upside Health has attained impressive early traction, including a contract with the Arthritis Foundation, and is currently onboarding pain practices nearly faster than the team has capacity. Between February and March of this year, revenue increased by roughly 270%.
The company is led by Rachel and Jason Trobman. Rachel is a former journalist and media executive and a long-time sufferer of chronic pain. Beyond her own struggles, Rachel grew up among chronic pain sufferers, as many of her own family members have also struggled with similar afflictions. Jason is a former Chief Technology Officer at Digital Pulp and a born hacker and problem solver. Together, they have been serving the chronic pain community since 2018 with their first product, a community app for chronic pain sufferers called Ouchie.
Beta Boom’s co-investors in Upside Health include Hearst Lab, Bayer, and Cedar Sinai.