April 22, 2025 • 64 mins
Guava Health is tackling one of the most significant challenges in healthcare—one that impacts both patients and providers. By revolutionizing the way health information is managed, Guava is transforming patient-provider interactions and empowering individuals to take control of their health. While especially valuable for those with chronic conditions, it’s just as useful for families or individuals who may not have major health issues but still benefit from having all their medical data in one place. Whether for routine care, unexpected emergencies, or simply gaining better insight into personal health, Guava provides a gateway to knowledge. And in healthcare, knowledge truly is power—allowing patients to make informed decisions and maximize the limited time they have with their doctors.
Resources:
Follow Guava Health on LinkedIn, Instagram and Tik Tok
Check out their website and download their app online here.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:25):
This is healthcare uprising.
We are here to shine a light on the innovators implementing positive change in Americanhealthcare.
In the patient experience stories, good and bad that can help others navigate thesometimes overwhelmingly complex American healthcare system.
(00:46):
Welcome to the Uprising.
We to doctors and we don't play one on TV.
If you need medical advice, consult with your physician or healthcare professional.
All right, hello health heads.
(01:07):
Welcome and thank you for checking in to this dose of the healthcare uprising.
I'm your producer in the back, Jeremy Carr, here with your host in the front row, HeatherPierce.
So why don't you tell them what's on the agenda for today, Heather?
Today we're doing a part two of our Guava Health series.
uh today we're bringing on Dr.
Kat McGraw, who joined Guava Health as her chief medical officer about a year ago, butshe's been a medical advisor with them for just over three years.
(01:32):
So she's not new to Guava by any means.
Guava Health is an app that aims to create connectivity, more accessible health recordsharing and empowering its users to take control of their health.
Prior to working with Guava, Kat was a hospitalist and chief medical officer withBrattleboro
Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, Vermont.
And prior to that, she was the medical director of hospital medicine at Bay State Health,the largest healthcare organization in Western Massachusetts, where Jeremy hails from.
(02:03):
Go Mass.
She's helped to establish a community health center and a hospitals program.
So she really brings the clinician experience and understanding of patients' needs andchallenges in the healthcare ecosystem overall, but especially with current condition
management.
So really glad to have our perspectives to round out this two-part interview series,bringing product design and science and medical expertise and really bringing it all
(02:27):
together to really tell the story of why Guava Health is making big waves in healthcare.
Yeah, it really is uh a major, uh, step forward for really all of us as far as, know,tracking and taking control of our own healthcare goes.
So totally worthy of a part two.
without further ado, here is our conversation with Dr.
(02:48):
Cat from Guava.
We have Dr.
Kat McGraw from Guava Health with us here today.
Welcome to the show Kat.
Thanks.
Really glad to be here.
Great.
So just quickly to give, you know, give all of our listeners a little refresh here.
(03:10):
We already had a interview with Isabel Stewart, the head of product at Guava Health.
And so she really spoke more to the product piece, kind of the development.
was one of the founders.
And now we've got uh Kat or Dr.
Kat McGraw, uh who is going to speak from the more clinical perspective about GuavaHealth.
(03:34):
is their chief medical officer, long time hospitalist and CMO of a hospital in Vermont, ifI recall correctly.
And so, yeah, so we're going to, we're going to get really more into, I think, theclinical piece of this.
And this will be kind of a part two to our full conversation with, uh with Guava Healthand learning about all of the
really exciting things that y'all are doing there.
(03:55):
So with that, Kat, I'd love for you to share a little bit about your background, yourexperience, what drove you to join Guava.
I know you started as an advisor and now as the chief medical officer and, and really justwhat Guava Health is all about as well and what you aim to do with it.
Sure.
Happy to.
(04:16):
So I think I'll just start by saying that I first got involved in healthcare uh in
because I started a community health center, founded a community health center and thatactually drove me into medicine.
And then I founded a hospital medicine program and then after doing that for uh about adecade, I became a chief medical officer and chief medical informatics officer for a small
(04:42):
independent health system in uh Vermont.
And so I've really seen healthcare from a really wide range of perspectives um and so have
you know, a lot of thoughts about the way in which we deliver healthcare, a lot ofthoughts about um how patients really interact with the medical system and with their own
care.
And uh so I have been involved with Guava for about three, three and a half years,something like that.
(05:09):
started as an advisor and now the chief medical officer for the organization.
And the thing that really, uh really grabbed me about it is that right now the way thathealthcare works,
You have a medical record with your hospital wherever you happen to go for the emergencydepartment and with your primary care provider and hopefully they're in the same system,
(05:31):
but maybe not.
And then you have medical records where you used to live and maybe where you went toschool and just this wide range of places where your medical information exists.
Frankly, you're not the middle of it in any of those places.
You're one of thousands of patients with your hospital system.
(05:52):
You're one of thousands of patients for your uh primary care provider, and you're just notthe middle of it.
And so, Guava is the one way that you are central to your medical information.
And our healthcare is so complex.
The whole concept that we are not central to our information is just mind-boggling.
And so, uh when, you know,
(06:14):
it became clear to me that this is, uh that Co-op was going to be able to work with thatand solve that.
was just really exciting.
It just provides so many opportunities for ways and working with healthcare.
So that's kind of where it started is that recognition that this allows us to kind of turnhealthcare inside out and make us the patients be the center of our information.
(06:38):
And coming from the position of being, you know,
starting a community health community health center, you know, the hospitals programs, allthese things, it's kind of very clinical perspective and dealing with people out kind of
in the world, right?
Like where people are that point of care and seeing all these issues.
Did you see Guava Health as just the solution to kind of bringing that all in one place?
(07:01):
And you're like, I want to be a part of this because I've got this perspective.
And, and so then you joined as in an advisory role at that point.
when you saw the light.
Absolutely.
It's still very early on in the development of it.
And it was just so clear the potential that would exist with being able to make folks haveall the information really at their fingertips.
(07:26):
And then, of course, um as I'm sure you know from talking with Isabel, it's not just yourmedical records, but it's all of the data about you and your health.
So it is
you know, your wearables and you're, you know, keeping track of things that you actuallywant to be keeping track of.
you know, so bringing that all into a single platform, you know, as much as we talk aboutthe electronic medical record being a single platform, ha ha ha, that's just from the
(07:51):
hospital's perspective.
That's not true from a patient perspective.
Yeah, I learned quite a bit about that over the course of my career.
It is not the, it's not the
I think the big answer that everyone thinks it is like EMRs are great.
That's electronic medical record for those of you who we like to clarify those.
(08:14):
Yeah, they're not.
And they're often very disconnected from one systems from one provider.
Um, and I know that the concept of value-based care and accountable care organizations hasbeen part of solving for that.
But even then that's still within the health system itself.
It's still limited.
Patients don't, when I have a patient come to me, so as a hospitalist right now, when Itake care of patients, they're acutely ill enough to need to come and be inpatient for
(08:43):
their medical care.
So those are the patients I'm seeing right now.
And they assume that we can see all of their medical records.
They assume that we know that they went to the emergency department at the hospital downthe road.
They assume that we can take a look at that X-ray and it's just not true.
you know, that same, know, my health system might be using Cerner and that other healthsystem might be using Epic.
(09:09):
And there might be a third place that they've gotten their care that's also using Cerner,but it doesn't mean those two Cerner electronic health records are the same at all.
They're each an individual version of it and they don't actually even talk to each other.
So accountable care organizations are working and trying to
figure out how to warehouse data, but all of it is still really m hospital-centric, umbilling and coding-centric, um overarching population health um analysis-centric, and not
(09:42):
for the patient.
So with that, this is great setup.
we've identified the problem, right?
We know what's wrong.
We've got an issue with access to records and especially, and this is why we're talking toyou today with Guava Health, is those with um like long-term, you know, healthcare
(10:05):
conditions, chronic healthcare conditions, conditions that have, you know, multipleproviders or specialists and things like that.
And so Guava Health really exists to
especially serve those populations.
So can you talk about and kind of expand on what exactly Guava Health is doing to solvefor this issue of this lack of connection and this lack of connectivity and sharing of
(10:28):
info?
Sure.
Well, so to start with, just to explain, know, that Guava uses all the different patientportals with different providers to bring all the information into a single place.
And then
you as the owner of your Guava record, know, is HIPAA compliant, it's secure, but you havethe ability to share that information with the provider as you see fit.
(10:50):
um So that's very helpful because it means that if you, for example, go to see aspecialist, you get referred to see a specialist, that specialist may or may not have all
the information from your primary care or
the labs, the x-rays, the MRI results, all of that, it may or may not be visible to thatspecialist.
(11:10):
And so in this way, um GUAVA can help you bring all that information to that appointmentand make that appointment with that specialist much, much more effective.
We also have a tool called the Pre-Visit Summary, which allows you to say, oh, I'm gonnago see a neurologist for my headache, for example.
um
Let me prepare for that and it will draw all the information from your Guava account thatis relevant.
(11:36):
The medications you're taking, the way that you documented, what your headache was,whether there was improvement with this treatment, that treatment, that kind of thing.
um
It will also ask you questions like, what do you think is going on?
Because we know, or I know as a physician, that often patients have an inkling aboutwhat's going on.
And it's important for me to understand that because it's going to help me answer theirquestions, address their needs, and maybe actually get to that diagnosis much more
(12:03):
quickly.
The pre-visit summary is also going to ask, what do you want to get out of thisappointment?
So what are you worried about?
Those kinds of things.
And it puts it all together into a single format that is really digestible for me as theclinician.
So that when you come to the appointment for your headache to the neurologist, it has teedup the information that's related to it in a way that lets the neurologist review that and
(12:31):
then get to the point of, okay, let's do an exam.
Let's figure out what are the next steps.
With some already uh
you know, kind of teed up um outcomes that you the patient are looking to get.
And so it really incorporates that all.
It also um helps facilitate um things like prior authorizations and reducing the need forrepeat testing.
(12:59):
So let's just imagine that, you you need to get a blood test.
Well, if you've had that done somewhere else, but the provider can't see that.
you it's not helpful, right?
And so it's just it's often just as easy for the provider say, well, let's just repeatthis and then we'll have that information.
But that's extra expense for you and extra, you know, trip to the lab.
(13:22):
And, you know, it's not best health care, but sometimes it's expedient care, really,frankly.
But if you have that information, then you don't have to repeat it.
Right.
um Also, for things like
prior authorizations, are one of the bains of physicians' existence.
(13:43):
helps.
And patients.
And patients.
Yep.
But it can help address the need to kind of shortcut some of the step therapy protocols.
So for example, try medication A for a while before you can move to medication B and havethat approved by your insurance or get that MRI or whatever.
(14:06):
Guava can actually bring and ensure that you have all the documentation about, actuallytwo years ago you were on medication A for this time to this time and it really didn't
help.
you know, it is time to go to medication B in a way that is much harder for us as humansto all just remember that kind of information and really document it in a way that's
(14:30):
helpful for getting that prior authorization for medication B, uh you know, approved.
m
you know, from a chronic disease standpoint, just, helps make sure that everybody'sworking with all of the information that's relevant.
And that's so difficult because it's so fractured right now, otherwise in so manydifferent locations.
um And, and so this just is really dramatic in terms of, of what it can, what it can doand how it can help move things forward and really improve that communication between
(15:04):
the patient and their physician because there is clarity about what's known and what's notknown.
And limited time, right?
Like we talk a lot comes up a lot in this show.
You get 15 minutes with your doctor, right?
Because you've got so many visits you need to have every day to keep your doors open.
know, absolutely.
Well, it's, you know, for private practice docs, it's about keeping their doors open forlarger organizations.
(15:29):
It's, know,
whatever has been packed into schedule, lots and lots of doctors, they their double,triple book.
And frankly, they're doing work all evening long at home.
They're coming home, feeding their kids, and then sitting down with their computer doingwhat we call pajama time documenting.
Charting?
Yeah, charting, absolutely.
And so what this does is lets you get to the heart of what you're trying to address in anappointment really quickly to give you time to discuss.
(15:55):
what actually matters rather than it just being all the information gathering.
Yeah, I always like to say like the technology and whatnot that we have in place today,you know, and that's coming.
It lets doctors doctor.
That's what you want to do.
That's what you're here for.
Right here.
Do paperwork.
You're here to take care of you.
yeah, yeah.
(16:16):
And we do so much of it.
And frankly, um you know, we m
We don't have the time to be reviewing through lots and lots of bold records trying to getclues.
So things like Guava that can help pull together all of the salient points from a recordare just tremendous.
Guava has a keyword search component to it.
So having a discussion and your doctor says, well, I'm thinking about your thyroid.
(16:40):
You can pull up every instance that every doctor has ever ordered the word thyroid in yourmedical record in just a moment.
uh
in your Glover record through that keyword search, which is, you know, that's justamazing.
And that just doesn't exist uh in our electronic medical records.
You'd think it would.
It exists in Microsoft Word, right?
(17:01):
But not in EMR.
So, I mean, this is like a great solve to a big problem, but I'm actually curious what theroot of the problem is.
What was standing in the way of there being a system for the medical records to beaccessible like that in general before you guys came around?
(17:22):
Was it the law or is it just the fragmented system that we have for healthcare?
The privatization of healthcare?
All of the above.
um So there was some legislation that went into effect a bunch of years ago calledMeaningful Use, which really encouraged clinicians to go to an electronic medical record.
(17:45):
And it started by providing them carrots and rewards for doing it, and eventually finishedup with sticks or decreased reimbursement if you're not using electronic medical record.
oh
And it was kind of a race and there were lots and lots of different oh software companiestrying to get in there and get a piece of that pie.
(18:05):
so, and none of them talked to each other.
So we got all these disparate records.
And at one point there was some discussion of maybe the record that the VA was usingshould just be nationalized, but that didn't actually ever get leg.
So we have lots and lots of different software companies under.
no pressure to talk to each other, all competitors with each other, not interested inreally making those all connect.
(18:30):
And then we have healthcare providers that are in very different situations.
Some of them are self-employed and kind of that old style of, you know, a small business,run my own office, it's me and maybe one or two other providers.
Well, not anymore.
Not anymore.
Nope, nope, because you can't.
(18:50):
but at least not for physician visits that you're gonna be billing insurance and MedicareMedicaid anyway.
uh But there also are these instances of so many physicians are employed by largerorganizations.
And so there are many different kinds of doctors' offices.
(19:11):
There's not just one flavor.
And so everyone does their work a little bit differently.
And so that also uh made it really be fractured.
And then one of the things that changed is there was some legislation that said that allthe electronic medical records really have to have patient portals and they need to be
open and available.
And that really made a difference for solutions because then it became clear that patientshad not just a right to their record, but a right to their record in real time and a means
(19:44):
to be able to get it.
And so GloVe was able to take
that kind of access and with your permission and allowing Guava to have this role for you,be able to access that information.
So they realized the problem, they didn't solve it, but they opened it up so someone elsecould.
(20:05):
uh
Correct.
Well, good job stepping in, getting this all done.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
Well, at least they moved in the right direction there though, right?
They're not keeping you from doing it anymore.
Oh yeah, right.
And in fact, you know, if there are systems that are, or clinician, you know, electronicmedical records that are not allowing patients to have access, it's actually called
(20:28):
information blocking and there are penalties for that now too.
Good to know that's happening.
Yeah, it is actually.
it sounds like you used to not even be able to come up with a solve for it.
It just wasn't even a place for it.
So least we've made that progress.
Right.
And you know, it's taken a little bit of a shift of perspective too, because it's alsotaken a shift within the healthcare industry to recognize that the medical record actually
(20:57):
is the patients.
It's not the hospitals.
And the hospital and that hospital system might be the physical owners of the electronsthat are like putting that together.
But the information is all the patients and that they have a right to that.
um
And whether it's the note that I'm writing about them, having seen them and I'm writingwhat our plan is, or the results of the CT scan that was done on their hip or whatever.
(21:25):
um The recognition of that information actually belongs to the patient has taken um sometime to really shift, but we're here.
So Guava Health is solving that problem, which is amazing.
um
Right.
That's a huge, huge part of why Guava Health exists.
(21:46):
But then the other huge, huge part of it is that kind of clinical piece.
It's that that health care or that health condition management aspect of it.
And I know I mentioned earlier on in our conversation uh where Guava Health certainlyserves people who have uh chronic health conditions or multiple, multiple symptoms, things
(22:06):
that are a little bit more significant.
less than like somebody who might not really have anything going on.
might not as be as beneficial, right?
I mean, not that it wouldn't be, but it certainly would help somebody more.
So from your perspective uh as being, you know, a physician coming from the clinician'sperspective, being the CMO, how do you see Guava serving those types of people in a more
(22:30):
meaningful way that makes their journey a little bit, hopefully a little bit more easieranyhow?
Yeah, yeah.
Well, let me before I say that, let me just say that, you know, tell me one person whodoesn't want to improve their health.
I mean, really, even if you're healthy and really don't even take any meds or anything,you still want to be healthy and continue.
(22:50):
there are many, ways that squabba can actually work really well for you as well.
um But it is a particularly useful tool for people who have a chronic disease.
So, uh you know, one of things with
chronic disease is that there's a lot of keeping track of things.
So keeping track of medications you need to take, refills that you need to manage,healthcare visits, labs, improvement or lack of improvement.
(23:18):
And then, you know, all of those, keeping track of all of that in your day-to-day life andalso then thinking about what are the things that are impacting your health?
So some days are better, some days are worse.
Why?
You know, what is making you have a more tired day?
um And is it because you walked more steps or is it because you got more sleep or didn'tget as much sleep or the air pressure or whatever that might be?
(23:47):
And so being able to track all of that information is really, really...
importance and uh in doing it in the context of all your uh medical data as well isreally, really helpful.
So keeping tabs on the things that you're supposed to be keeping track of and alsonoticing what's going on with your life.
(24:08):
So some people are tracking a lot of symptoms and they're doing so to try to hone in on,you know, more a tighter diagnosis or the utility of a certain medication, for example, or
to notice if a certain medication is really helping.
or not.
mean, sometimes that can be a little bit difficult to discern.
(24:28):
And uh so by being able to use Guava to be able to track your day-to-day experience ofyour disease is really, really helpful because then Guava actually can help you uh
understand is this helping or is this not.
There is a feature called insights that really looks at what are the statisticallysignificant correlations between things.
(24:52):
So it's not uh
just it's not specifically cause and effect and it's not uh random.
And it's the things that are uh statistically significantly correlated.
And so it can help you understand that if you're, uh that this actually you've beentaking, since you've been taking this new med, you've actually been much more tired in a
(25:14):
way that's actually meaningful and um that there's some data behind it to help uh bolsterthat perspective.
And it may make you,
um have a discussion with your provider about can we change this dose because this newdose on this medication or this new medication is I'm struggling with it.
Can we change the dose and see if that works a little bit better?
(25:36):
And you have that information of it being related, correlated with the start of thatmedication because of your Guava records.
that's not...
We're really bad at remembering things.
Was it last Tuesday that I had the headache or was it Friday?
You know, you don't remember this.
We think we're great, we're terrible.
um so using Guava to help uh track the components of your chronic disease really helpsbecause it puts a pin in the places um of where things are going on and then is able to
(26:12):
look at it from an analytical standpoint as well to give you information to
uh make changes with you know as you're talking to and I'm going back to the comment oflike people who maybe are healthier or Think they are so I'm gonna use myself as an
example here So where I could see guava health would be great for could be for anyonebecause sometimes you don't know how bad you're feeling until you feel better so I Had
(26:42):
started perimenopause a few years ago
And I didn't know what was going on.
thought, well, I'm only 44 at the time.
And that seemed a little early.
And I was having all these symptoms.
And of course, you know, our moms and grandmas never talked about menopause.
Now it's like everyone's screaming from the mountains, which I love, myself included.
(27:03):
But I didn't realize until I went on hormone therapy about a year and a half ago that Ifelt terrible.
Like I was, I was
I was spiraling bad.
it was, I was not in a good place and you become, um, sometimes you just become complacentor you're just like, this is just normal and this is just who I am now and I'm just
(27:27):
getting older and you don't think about like how crappy you actually feel.
then as soon as I got on HRT and got my estrogen back up to where it should be, it waslike a night and day change.
I was like, wow, I was in
bad shape.
yeah, you know, could see there.
(27:48):
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly.
And if you had been tracking what your energy level was prior to all that, my energy levelis a seven or an eight or a six or a seven and you know, throughout the days and oh,
here's a 10 day or whatever.
And then start to notice that, oh, it's a three and a four and a, you know, five and athree.
(28:09):
You know, you would
you'd be able to see that trend over time of, wait a minute, something actually is goingon here.
Yeah, it's preventative.
And the real problem is if you're at seven long enough, it starts feeling like four andyour new four is your old seven.
And then you work your way back up to seven.
You know what I mean?
Like you just get used to it.
(28:31):
You get used to the pain, you get used to the symptoms and they just become the baseline,I guess is what it is, right?
Well, uh yes and no, I'd say it doesn't have to be that way.
And that's where, you know, the being able to track interventions and what makes adifference and what doesn't make a difference really um is helpful.
(28:51):
uh Right.
Yeah.
For the chronic disease management.
you know, there's just chronic disease management is, it's, you know, it can be afull-time job.
You have diabetes, have to worry about what your A1C is and what your glucose is now andwhat your insulin regimen is and how many carbohydrates you're eating and are you
(29:14):
exercising or you're not exercising and what do have to change related to that and did youget your eye exam and are you looking at your feet and all of these different things.
It's a full-time job, right?
And that's for somebody who's fairly healthy with their diabetes.
When you get into folks whose diabetes is kind of spiraled out of control, even moredifficult.
any of the kinds of tools that can pull together all of the things that you need to do itand really help you manage it all in a single location is just really tremendous.
(29:43):
We've spent a lot of time working with a lot of different chronic disease oh entities totry to make sure that Guava really is going to be the answer that they need for tracking
things.
We know that folks, for example, we have a lot of users who have pots and one of thethings that they track is really their water intake.
(30:05):
And so we have the NSC tags that allow you to not have to worry about trying to type inexactly every time you fill your water bottle.
You can just put a little tag on your water bottle and every time you
fill it up, just wave your phone in front of it and boom, can record, filled my waterbottle again.
so we really are looking at what are the ways that we can really make managing a diseaseand doing the things that you need to be doing as easy as possible.
(30:35):
You one of the things that is
can be really annoying if you track anything as having to type everything in and selectfrom the menu and put all that in there.
And so one of the things we've worked on is having voice logging.
So you can just touch it and say, I drank another bottle of water and three coffees andhave that logged for today.
(30:58):
And it's just a lot more straightforward.
So you can just keep living your life instead of spending your whole life managing thecomponents to your healthcare.
Yeah.
And it's not only is it good for the patient, it's it's beneficial for the provider.
Like as you were saying, yes.
Talk about teeing up all this information, you know, rather than having to try torecollect all the things that, you know, have happened when you go in there, you're like,
(31:26):
here it is.
And so it actually how does that work?
So I have the Guava Health app, let's just say, right.
uh And I have sent me because I always talk about me being impairment of pause because Ihave no shame.
No, don't care.
mean, it's part of life, right?
Right.
I am going through barometapause people like let it be known.
(31:46):
So and there's a lot of really terrible things that I feel some days.
Right.
So if I'm tracking and in Guava, right, how do I get that to my doctor when I go in?
Am I able to send that to my doctor beforehand?
Do they have to be part of a network?
Do I walk in and say, hey, it's just all right here in the app?
How does that work?
Well, there are a variety of ways you can do that.
So first of all, you can pull it all together and just use it as a cheat sheet foryourself if you want.
(32:11):
mean, that's really straightforward.
Great.
Put it all together.
have that.
You can talk from that.
That's the notes that you're using to have it all organized for that visit.
You also can make a PDF and print it out.
You can give it to them.
They can then scan that into their record as well.
We don't have a way yet to get it put directly into the medical record.
(32:33):
Everybody's medical record is proprietarily theirs, but we're working on different ways towork on that process as well.
So there are a variety of ways that you can do it.
But the point really is to ensure that the provider really can see that breadth ofinformation.
(32:55):
For example, if you have lab work and it's done at a few different places, one of thethings that Goava can do is it can graph out how that lab work is uh progressing uh over
time sequence, not separate from one place to another.
like you can have a graph, a line graph that says, look at my creatinine is improving overthese past three months, even though I got my lab work done in three different places.
(33:20):
uh So, you know, that...
being able to show that to a clinician, know, picture tells a thousand words, right?
So, you know, having the access to be able to do that in a way that would otherwise becompletely unavailable is really helpful.
That's really cool.
So I'm assuming, I mean, this technology, does AI play a pretty big role in how Guavaworks, or is it really more of being this kind of central?
(33:50):
AI comes up like every interview that we do.
I figure I as well mention it.
um Is that a part of it?
Is um it more just kind of being this kind of, I don't know, I feel like this nucleus, isthat the right word?
That quote kind of sits at the middle and kind of pulls from everywhere?
Yes.
Yes and yes.
So Guava really is that hub that is pulling all the information in for sure and not justfrom your medical record but from your Apple Watch and your Fitbit and your OroRing and
(34:20):
your Dexcom blood glucose monitor, your Smart Scale, your Smart Blood Pressure Gop, all ofthat.
So it really is the hub from all of those different kinds of devices as well as your
your medical record.
But yes, we do uh use AI in this, um for example, when I talked about setting up thatvisit prep.
(34:43):
Guava pulls the information that's relevant from your medical history about themedications you're taking for that particular, when I said you're going to go to the
neurologist for a headache, for example.
It'll pull in what are the relevant diagnosis you've had, relevant visits, and some ofthat history from your notes.
We do use some of that.
(35:04):
have what's called a Guava Assistant who helps pull some of that together for you so thatyou don't have to search through saying, I remember I got something somewhere, that's
useless.
Forget that.
That's not going to be helpful.
What's helpful is Guava being able to serve that up for you.
Got it.
(35:24):
In terms of, you know, coming from your perspective again, like as a hospitalist, the kindof the clinician, the provider point of view.
Yeah.
And I mean, obviously you believe in Guava, you're there now they're just really amazing.
aside from managing, like man, using the app to manage your conditions, being moreprepared when you go in to meet with your doctor, what have you seen or what are you
(35:50):
hearing from the users of Guava?
Guava so far, like what is improving for them?
Are they getting better?
Is it helping them get better?
I'd love to hear a little bit about maybe kind of some member success stories, know,nothing specific.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, you know, one example that I can tell you is, uh you know, it's helping people gettheir information uh faster and more reliably.
(36:16):
So, you know, one uh small little story I have is a friend of mine actually uh had been uhfeeling terrible and
I had a cough and fever and congestion and was worried that maybe she was getting apneumonia.
She went in to go see her provider.
They wanted to get an x-ray.
That sounds great.
But it was Friday and a holiday weekend.
so I said, what came of it?
(36:39):
How does it look?
And she said, well, I don't know.
They didn't call me back yet.
And it's Friday and a holiday weekend.
I'm probably not going to know whether I need antibiotics or not till Tuesday.
And I said, did you check guava?
And she's like, oh, yeah.
and she was able to go online, open up her app and boom, the report is there, nopneumonia.
And she's like, oh my God, I can't even believe it.
So just peace of mind of being able to have all that information just really right at handis one.
(37:04):
That is super cool.
I think that we do see folks really appreciating the medication reminders and being ableto log that their medications are being taken.
actually you can also...
co-manage somebody, a profile with somebody so you can have some access.
So being able to have uh access to see that your parent is documenting that they've takentheir meds for folks who are helping manage elders, you know, that's that's a big relief
(37:34):
of worry for sure.
And then I think, you know, it's really, uh I think that we're finding that uh folks arereally, uh
They feel heard in their provider's office when they can come um to the table with all ofthis um information at their fingertips really cogently pulled together and they feel more
(38:02):
pulled together and they feel more heard by their clinicians about what's working orwhat's not working or what the concerns are.
um And that just goes a long way to
actually getting to the root of whatever a diagnosis is um and figuring out the way tomanage it.
um Yeah, it's been tremendous.
(38:24):
uh Another thing uh is folks who travel a lot, I know that there's some real peace of mindum that a uh friend of mine travels a lot nationally for various presentations and she
knows that she always has
her entire medical record with her and should she need to go to an emergency department insome other state, it's fine, she's got it all with her.
(38:53):
um so I think that that's also just that peace of mind of knowing that you have that andin any care situation, uh your care can be delivered with knowledge as opposed to um
blindly.
You know, as a clinician, I'll just tell you, I wish I had all of that information on allof my patients.
(39:14):
Mostly I don't, right?
And so mostly I'm winging it and nobody wants to hear that, it's true.
People will say, well, I take that one, that purple pill and then that long skinny one mydaughter-in-law gives me, but I only actually take half of it.
She thinks I take the whole thing.
you know, I'm...
(39:35):
I'm trying to figure out how I'm treating their, you know, their hypertension or theirheart failure or whatever it is they're in the hospital with, with that kind of
information, that's not that helpful.
how honest are they being?
Because we know people aren't honest when doctors ask them questions.
just, it's totally true.
It's totally true.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I don't know.
I, I, something like this to me, you know, you think in, especially in healthcare, two ofthe biggest things is access and empowerment and Guava health.
(40:02):
definitely solving for that, like access to information.
like knowledge is power, but the empowerment part of it is so huge.
Like to be a patient and not know, you know, where your medical records are, how to accessthem.
Just even thinking about that right now, like I don't, I don't know.
I have to dig through email, call doctors that I've seen, you know, years ago, becauselike I have like a thyroid thing, you know, and so.
(40:31):
Yeah, it would take me too long to even figure it out.
Right, right.
That I may not do it, right?
Like I literally might just not do anything, which is not a good, that's not a good thing.
uh
if in a case like that, if she signed up for Guava, would it go out and find all thoserecords on its own or would she still have to find them initially?
(40:51):
um So you own the access to all of your uh medical records and so Guava would assist youin in you know explaining how you need to do that but it's really we do as we pull things
through patient portals and so regardless of whether or not you Are aware that you havepatient portals you do have access to patient portals in all of the locations you've
gotten health care So it's really just walking you through that process um And then youcan add devices as well.
(41:18):
So, you know, we don't know
which Apple watch is yours, we don't know which Julie Smith you are at Sutter Health.
So you're involved in that process.
Plus, it's secure and HIPAA compliant, and by definition, that means that you are the onewho needs to grant access and say that it's okay.
(41:39):
So you're involved in that process.
Yeah.
That's cool.
That really is cool.
Just thinking about that, like being able to see everything in one place, it's mindblowing to me.
Like, why was this not a thing before?
Yeah.
It's true.
(42:00):
It's true.
know, there are other countries that have a more organized health record in that way.
Yeah.
It's pretty crazy that we're just now really solving for it and yeah, Guava Health is hereto do it.
oh
Yeah, and the fact that it's pulling together not just that stagnant data or that point intime data, but also allowing you to interact with it through documenting what's going on
(42:32):
with your health in the process of that.
So for example, I have another patient that can think of who was really struggling withtheir
ADHD and trying to get the medications, you know, dosed correctly for what they needed todo.
And it was really hard to sort out, as you can imagine with that diagnosis, it was reallyhard for them to be able to sort out what was the right dose for them to make them really
(43:01):
feel the best and be the most functional.
And it really was.
through just documenting what they felt like at each day uh in the Guava record thathelped them really hone in and what that right dose was.
And all of the access to all the medical records in the world aren't gonna do that.
It's really integrating that information with the ability to put your own input into yourrecord that's gonna really provide that opportunity to uh hone in on some of those things.
(43:32):
just made me think about something when you mentioned ADHD, you know, I think of kidsimmediately as a, as a parent, right?
If I have a child with a severe chronic condition, how does that work with Guava?
Can you set it up for your kids so that you have access to it?
know you had said you can like have like partners or whatever, but is that similar?
(43:56):
have a family plan actually that lets you do exactly that.
And
Really for, if you have a child who sees a number of different specialists, that's veryfractured in terms of that data.
Chances are you may travel someplace for getting care.
So it can be really, really fractured.
And frankly, if you have a kid who is basically healthy, you still need to keep track ofwhat their vaccination is, are they growing properly?
(44:21):
Do you need to worry about that?
We have some resources available through Go Above.
uh
you know, like your growth percentile calculator.
So you can take a look at, you know, where your child is on the, you know, on some ofthese uh charts and, and, you know, feel more comfortable about their development as well.
But, but you still need to have the sports physical and the vaccination schedules anddocumentation.
(44:44):
And uh that's a, that's a lot to keep track of.
And for, know, you have three kids, you have three sets of all of that and having a, youknow, a family eye on, on where your kids are all is, uh
really helpful for sure.
And also just kind of being ready for the unexpected because like we've done a couple ofreally great interviews as part of our human story series.
(45:07):
And a lot of it was around like these kind of acute care situations where like you wentfrom like normal to like, we don't know what the hell's going on anymore with me or my
spouse or whoever.
So to, and you know, then you're just kind of spinning, right?
At that point, I'm trying to figure out what's wrong.
I'm thinking of Stacy Mead.
Yeah, and her husband's medical condition that kind of came out of the blue, right?
(45:31):
So where it's it is kind of aligned to this concept of like preventative care, right?
Like kind of being prepared for what might happen and having these baselines having kindof everything in the place before the crazy happens, right?
Because it's something that's going to happen, right?
Like we can't avoid it.
We're all going to run into some kind of unexpected stressful medical
(45:54):
healthcare situation at some point, whether it's you or the people you care for.
So, right.
Absolutely.
I mean, you know, uh, folks of a certain age are managing their parents' health and theirkids' health at the same time.
And, you being able to have eyes on that and have the information available for you, know,at your fingertips is huge.
(46:14):
Yeah.
What a great tool for that.
Um, I'm now thinking, you know, I should be, I should be using Guava.
Yeah!
The longer this conversation goes, the more Heather's getting talked into something.
It's not hard honestly, I think about what literally been thinking about my own family myown health right and the fact that you know I am married and my husband doesn't do
(46:39):
anything for his health care.
So of course I'm gonna have to be the one sorry Jeremy, but you know the greatest abouttaking care of their health so
I go to the doctor once every 10 years for a tetanus shot.
Well, at least you're healthy.
That's because I walk around barefoot.
You knew when your tenure was up?
(47:01):
Uh, yeah, I'm turning 50 in October.
I got to get it by then.
Cause I always try to get it right around my birthday.
That way I remember I got it when I was, when I turned 40, I'll get it when I turned 50.
Yup.
Good planning.
Yeah.
Good.
But it is, mean, I can see this like where it would be such a wonderful tool with, youknow, and I have two kids, my oldest just started driving.
(47:23):
He literally drove to school for the first time this morning.
Wow.
That's a big guess.
Yeah.
I wasn't driving this morning
So your kids are starting 15 or 16, right?
And they got a couple more years that they're at home and then they're off into the world.
And if they're going away to school, they're not gonna be seeing their pediatriciananymore.
(47:48):
And even they're just gonna age out of their pediatrician rights.
So they're gonna need to see some other provider, whether it's, if they're going off tocollege, it's gonna be the campus health center or if they're just,
finding a primary care provider who they've never met before in both instances, havingtheir pediatric record available for them, which has all of their vaccination information
(48:11):
and any other kinds of health problems they've had and what other medications they've hadover the history of their growing up.
Having that available in that new setting for them is huge m and really uh can really knittogether and make that transition into adulthood a little bit smoother.
Oh yes.
And that
Empowerment right there, right?
Like, yeah, got to got to really arm these kids with information and empowerment, takecare of themselves, right?
(48:38):
Like I always say to my kids, I want you to go out into the world capable of taking careof yourself.
And that doesn't just mean doing your laundry.
You know, right.
Right.
It's bigger than that.
And it is about health.
Right.
And and and knowing where you can go for care and knowing about your history of yourhealth.
So.
Yeah, that's a really good point.
(49:00):
And, you know, and they may want to go to Florida for spring break or do a semesterabroad.
And, you know, you got to you got to be prepared for those instances as well.
And especially for this next generation who's so used to having everything on their phoneand everything's technologized and, they need a password to do anything kind of like
having a plot, you know, having that app be almost just a natural thing for them, I wouldthink.
(49:25):
Like this is how we track our healthcare.
eh Yeah.
Very straightforward for them as opposed to the older generations, you know.
Right, and they're much more used to the idea that things about them wrap around them,know, nothing about me without me kind of a concept.
And so really, Guava allows that to be true in the healthcare world in a way that, youknow, otherwise it isn't true.
(49:52):
Oh, that's a really good point.
Yeah.
Yeah, the Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
So yes, I have an 11 year old and a 16 year old.
So yeah, like that's how they think because we didn't all grow up and you know, it's likethat whole analog to digital Gen X is kind of.
(50:13):
That's a different world, a totally different world that they're growing.
My mom, the silent generation, she's going to be 83.
I mean, I don't know that she would use the Guava Health app without my help, but likecase in point, like you're, I'm a sandwich generation.
Not only do I take care of my mom to a certain degree, she's pretty healthy, thankfully,but you know, I've got kids, I've got a husband who, know, wouldn't even know how to call
(50:37):
the doctor.
So let's be honest.
We discussed men don't call doctors.
Yeah, until it's really bad.
until we really, really need to.
Right.
Walk in bleeding.
With duct tape.
uh
I've definitely shown up at the ER with duct tape on.
m
(50:58):
Well, I don't know, I'm pretty blown away.
mean, you we got to meet with Isabelle in the first part of this Guava Health series andgetting your perspective that this more kind of, you know, clinical perspective and the
real, I think like immediate benefits and like how it really changes the way that we kindof exist in the healthcare ecosystem um is just, it's crazy.
(51:22):
like Guava Health wouldn't surprise me if you guys just start like,
taken off like crazy here once more more people know about it and start using it.
So.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, you know, we're in this for the long haul.
We really want it.
And as I think probably uh Isabel mentioned, our baseline uh product is free.
(51:45):
It's available on all the app stores.
There are more bells and whistles for a subscription model.
I
I think they're worth it, but either way, it's not an expensive upgrade even that.
But the information is yours and out there, and so we want you to have that.
whether you're managing a chronic disease and need that assistance or would just welcomethat assistance, or whether you're very healthy and thinking about longevity, and how do I
(52:15):
positively live my longest, happiest, healthiest life, either way,
um GuaF is uh really an excellent tool for uh helping you do that and helping people getto diagnosis more quickly, helping folks feel heard uh by their clinicians.
Heard and seen is just really super important.
(52:38):
And we know as a population, as we're living longer and longer, we're managing morechronic diseases.
And so having really effective tools to do that makes uh a tremendous amount of sense.
And then, as I said lastly, the fact that without something like Guava, we're not actuallythe center of all of our health related information.
uh having Guava kind of turns that whole thing inside out so that you are the center ofeverything about you related to your health.
(53:08):
that's just, it's really revolutionary and uh just a tremendous tool in that way.
I love it.
I think it's great.
I think it's forever going.
I didn't think it could get any better and then she said it was free.
I know.
there's the base.
Go on.
Leave it to great review, but go on the app stores.
(53:30):
We're there and available and uh yeah, check it
I'm going to try it just to see if it can actually track my randomness of health recordsthroughout the country down.
Cause I've, I've moved long distance and I go so seldom.
And every time I go with someone different, I might download it just to, just to test itand see how well it works.
(53:52):
Back to you on that.
Yeah, like I am a shots guy.
I do want to keep up with my vaccines and stuff.
That's the one thing I really do want to do.
So I might actually need more shots that I'm not even aware of.
I'm I'm seriously going to download that and see what it says.
I gotta consider measles, right?
Yeah, measles.
No
(54:12):
Breaking Texas right now.
We're in Arizona.
That's a real thing.
Yeah, right.
depending on your age, you maybe did or didn't get um a full uh round of that vaccination.
When you were a child, there's a there's a certain set of years where folks need abooster.
So if you look in your guava, you can figure that out.
I'm still going to download this.
(54:34):
So I'm like the last person I would think would do that.
And now I'm like, Oh my God, I need to download.
There you go.
One other thing I want to mention is if you go to guavahealth.com, there's also a lot ofresources that we have available on that site.
um We have a lot of articles about um healthcare in ways in which um folks are usingGuava, ways in which it can be helpful, and also just some of the diagnoses that are
(54:59):
difficult to understand.
We also have started putting in some tools, so there's some calculators in there that havebeen very helpful for folks.
uh
um There's some things to explore if you like on that side as well.
Heather's literally looking at your website right now.
I had it up the whole time.
No, it's great.
And I was going to ask you, where can we find you as we wrap up this amazing conversation?
(55:25):
But you've already shared that.
So we know we've got the app, know, just go wherever you download apps, right?
m Find the app.
Yep.
Or just go online to guavahealth.com.
And leave us your reviews.
Yeah, absolutely.
We know how reviews are.
Got to have those.
Well, this has been a really great conversation.
(55:47):
I'm so glad that we brought you back for our, or brought you on as part of our part two.
So we can really get a really deeper understanding about what Guava, Guava Health isdoing.
So,
Yeah, this really is a major development for people, I feel.
Yeah.
Yeah, well moving, we're really just trying to move the healthcare equation forward with,you know, patients really at the center of that.
(56:15):
Absolutely.
Well, you're doing it.
So bravo.
Well, thank you for taking the time to chat with us.
Thanks for coming on.
This has been a great, yeah, this has been a great chat.
And there you go, our conversation with Dr.
(56:36):
Cat from Guava Health to round out the Guava tube herder.
yeah, truly amazing stuff.
can't stop talking about what a great product they have here, but what are our maintakeaways from all this other.
truly I think it's exactly what you've been kind of, you know, fallen out your seat from.
ah
(56:57):
so impressed by this,
Yeah, it's solving for literally one of the biggest issues in the healthcare industry,which is this whole thing around medical records and having disjointed, disconnected
systems of, you know, that hold our medical records as patients, as people, you know, andthey don't, and the systems don't talk to one another.
(57:19):
I mean, it's kind of wild to think that in 2025, you're going to walk into your doctor'soffice and they're still not going to have access to
all of your medical records over, you know, however many doctors or hospitals orfacilities that you've visited because they just don't have access to it.
(57:40):
so Guava Health is like literally the first product, right?
Technology that has ever solved for this issue.
having access to information is one of the most important things in healthcare.
And when you don't have that,
it impedes efficiency, impedes knowledge, it impedes conversations that you have, youknow, again, that 15 minutes that you get with your doctor.
(58:08):
And so.
how to use that time right?
You have so little of it.
Yeah, so it's just it it is revolutionary as as Kat said, so.
Really is, you know, really is.
and and you did mention, do want to drop in there for people.
You mentioned Stacey Mead in the episode there.
did.
Uh, she is the bonus episode between episodes 12 and 13.
(58:29):
If anywhere he wants to go back and check that out.
Yeah.
She had quite a story, man.
Right.
think about, mean, I, you know, Guava health could have certainly helped in thatsituation, but like, and that's about being, um, you know, more kind of proactive and
planned for the unexpected, you know, cause it is definitely geared and will serve peoplewith chronic or like, uh, shoot, what's the word?
(58:56):
Um, well you have multiple conditions, um, that are dependent on one another.
And I'm totally blanking on this word right now, but.
Anyway, chronic conditions in general, like
having to see six different specialists and stuff.
Yeah.
I mean, that's important for them, but also like for a family like mine, right?
Like, we've got some things going on, nothing major.
We don't have anyone that has any like major medical issues, but it's still a great placefor us to start pulling all of our healthcare data together, tracking everything, and then
(59:27):
being prepared for when inevitably something will happen.
Um, you know, getting, getting ahead of things before you're in
kind of the throws of chaos and overwhelm is always something that I think should be apriority.
Yeah.
And it's, it might be the only product we've covered so far that is truly for everyone.
(59:50):
Yeah.
It doesn't have a niche.
It doesn't deal with a specific issue.
It deals with the fact that we all need to take control of our own health records.
Yep.
I'm going to download this out.
Yeah.
I talk all the time about how I don't go to the doctor.
I'm going to download this out to see if I, cause I got to go for that tetanus shot soon.
I'm going to see if I need any other updates on my vaccinations and stuff.
(01:00:12):
Yeah.
And it's going to tell me in like, I
I haven't seen my own medical records ever.
If I can really download an app and instantly have access to all my medical records.
Or at least have a guide, right?
Like a...
Like if it actually has dates of all the shots that I've had in my life, I can actually,like, I never thought I would have access to that information.
(01:00:37):
I just thought I had to figure it out as I went.
And knowing is half the battle.
it is.
E-Man.
Or G.I.
Joe, sorry.
Wrong 80s cartoon, my bad.
That's alright, the guys know that a little better I think.
The more you know.
(01:00:59):
grew up hearing things like that all the time.
yeah, know your own history, know your own health man.
And that's what we're all about here on the healthcare uprising podcast is knowledge.
And also make sure to hit all those happy little fun buttons on whatever platform you'reon, your likes and your subscribes and your shares, you know, share it with a friend who,
cause share it with all your friends on this one.
(01:01:21):
Cause everyone needs this.
we are on YouTube so you can see us video.
We're on all the major listening platforms.
You can listen to us on audio.
Um, we have a Patreon, patreon.com slash healthcare uprising.
If you want to full on join up and throw a little money our way.
Uh, what else we should we tell them here?
Heather.
Well, we have a website, it's healthcare uprising.com in development, but definitelybookmark that.
(01:01:50):
You sure can.
It'll get you where you need to go.
um And we're on all of the social media platforms.
So LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and blue sky.
So we're posting out there a lot.
Keep an eye out there.
You'll know when um our latest episodes are dropping.
um
So follow like all the things.
And then also if you have a story, are you a founder?
(01:02:13):
Are you working for a company that's doing something really cool in the healthcareindustry?
that's innovative and forward thinking.
We'd love to talk to you.
So shoot us an email healthcare, uprising at gmail.com and reach out and we'd love to meetwith you and get you on the show.
But also if you're just a regular old human out there, um, and we know there's a lot ofyou.
(01:02:36):
You've probably got a healthcare story to tell.
like a whole bunch.
So if you've got a story, good, bad, ugly, otherwise all the things in between, we want tohear from you.
We'd love to bring you on the show and share your story with us.
The human stories are really important part of what we do here.
And, um, yeah.
So email us again at healthcare, uprising at gmail.com.
(01:02:58):
and with that, that is, uh, it for today, that is your dose.
of healthcare for the Healthcare Uprising Podcast.
So with that, keep looking for the good in the world because sometimes it's where youleast expect it.
(01:04:10):
This has been a Shut Up production.
What up?
This is healthcare uprising.
We are here to shine a light on the innovators implementing positive change in Americanhealthcare.
In the patient experience stories, good and bad that can help others navigate thesometimes overwhelmingly complex American healthcare system.
(00:46):
Welcome to the Uprising.
We to doctors and we don't play one on TV.
If you need medical advice, consult with your physician or healthcare professional.
All right, hello health heads.
(01:07):
Welcome and thank you for checking in to this dose of the healthcare uprising.
I'm your producer in the back, Jeremy Carr, here with your host in the front row, HeatherPierce.
So why don't you tell them what's on the agenda for today, Heather?
Today we're doing a part two of our Guava Health series.
uh today we're bringing on Dr.
Kat McGraw, who joined Guava Health as her chief medical officer about a year ago, butshe's been a medical advisor with them for just over three years.
(01:32):
So she's not new to Guava by any means.
Guava Health is an app that aims to create connectivity, more accessible health recordsharing and empowering its users to take control of their health.
Prior to working with Guava, Kat was a hospitalist and chief medical officer withBrattleboro
Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, Vermont.
And prior to that, she was the medical director of hospital medicine at Bay State Health,the largest healthcare organization in Western Massachusetts, where Jeremy hails from.
(02:03):
Go Mass.
She's helped to establish a community health center and a hospitals program.
So she really brings the clinician experience and understanding of patients' needs andchallenges in the healthcare ecosystem overall, but especially with current condition
management.
So really glad to have our perspectives to round out this two-part interview series,bringing product design and science and medical expertise and really bringing it all
(02:27):
together to really tell the story of why Guava Health is making big waves in healthcare.
Yeah, it really is uh a major, uh, step forward for really all of us as far as, know,tracking and taking control of our own healthcare goes.
So totally worthy of a part two.
without further ado, here is our conversation with Dr.
(02:48):
Cat from Guava.
We have Dr.
Kat McGraw from Guava Health with us here today.
Welcome to the show Kat.
Thanks.
Really glad to be here.
Great.
So just quickly to give, you know, give all of our listeners a little refresh here.
(03:10):
We already had a interview with Isabel Stewart, the head of product at Guava Health.
And so she really spoke more to the product piece, kind of the development.
was one of the founders.
And now we've got uh Kat or Dr.
Kat McGraw, uh who is going to speak from the more clinical perspective about GuavaHealth.
(03:34):
is their chief medical officer, long time hospitalist and CMO of a hospital in Vermont, ifI recall correctly.
And so, yeah, so we're going to, we're going to get really more into, I think, theclinical piece of this.
And this will be kind of a part two to our full conversation with, uh with Guava Healthand learning about all of the
really exciting things that y'all are doing there.
(03:55):
So with that, Kat, I'd love for you to share a little bit about your background, yourexperience, what drove you to join Guava.
I know you started as an advisor and now as the chief medical officer and, and really justwhat Guava Health is all about as well and what you aim to do with it.
Sure.
Happy to.
(04:16):
So I think I'll just start by saying that I first got involved in healthcare uh in
because I started a community health center, founded a community health center and thatactually drove me into medicine.
And then I founded a hospital medicine program and then after doing that for uh about adecade, I became a chief medical officer and chief medical informatics officer for a small
(04:42):
independent health system in uh Vermont.
And so I've really seen healthcare from a really wide range of perspectives um and so have
you know, a lot of thoughts about the way in which we deliver healthcare, a lot ofthoughts about um how patients really interact with the medical system and with their own
care.
And uh so I have been involved with Guava for about three, three and a half years,something like that.
(05:09):
started as an advisor and now the chief medical officer for the organization.
And the thing that really, uh really grabbed me about it is that right now the way thathealthcare works,
You have a medical record with your hospital wherever you happen to go for the emergencydepartment and with your primary care provider and hopefully they're in the same system,
(05:31):
but maybe not.
And then you have medical records where you used to live and maybe where you went toschool and just this wide range of places where your medical information exists.
Frankly, you're not the middle of it in any of those places.
You're one of thousands of patients with your hospital system.
(05:52):
You're one of thousands of patients for your uh primary care provider, and you're just notthe middle of it.
And so, Guava is the one way that you are central to your medical information.
And our healthcare is so complex.
The whole concept that we are not central to our information is just mind-boggling.
And so, uh when, you know,
(06:14):
it became clear to me that this is, uh that Co-op was going to be able to work with thatand solve that.
was just really exciting.
It just provides so many opportunities for ways and working with healthcare.
So that's kind of where it started is that recognition that this allows us to kind of turnhealthcare inside out and make us the patients be the center of our information.
(06:38):
And coming from the position of being, you know,
starting a community health community health center, you know, the hospitals programs, allthese things, it's kind of very clinical perspective and dealing with people out kind of
in the world, right?
Like where people are that point of care and seeing all these issues.
Did you see Guava Health as just the solution to kind of bringing that all in one place?
(07:01):
And you're like, I want to be a part of this because I've got this perspective.
And, and so then you joined as in an advisory role at that point.
when you saw the light.
Absolutely.
It's still very early on in the development of it.
And it was just so clear the potential that would exist with being able to make folks haveall the information really at their fingertips.
(07:26):
And then, of course, um as I'm sure you know from talking with Isabel, it's not just yourmedical records, but it's all of the data about you and your health.
So it is
you know, your wearables and you're, you know, keeping track of things that you actuallywant to be keeping track of.
you know, so bringing that all into a single platform, you know, as much as we talk aboutthe electronic medical record being a single platform, ha ha ha, that's just from the
(07:51):
hospital's perspective.
That's not true from a patient perspective.
Yeah, I learned quite a bit about that over the course of my career.
It is not the, it's not the
I think the big answer that everyone thinks it is like EMRs are great.
That's electronic medical record for those of you who we like to clarify those.
(08:14):
Yeah, they're not.
And they're often very disconnected from one systems from one provider.
Um, and I know that the concept of value-based care and accountable care organizations hasbeen part of solving for that.
But even then that's still within the health system itself.
It's still limited.
Patients don't, when I have a patient come to me, so as a hospitalist right now, when Itake care of patients, they're acutely ill enough to need to come and be inpatient for
(08:43):
their medical care.
So those are the patients I'm seeing right now.
And they assume that we can see all of their medical records.
They assume that we know that they went to the emergency department at the hospital downthe road.
They assume that we can take a look at that X-ray and it's just not true.
you know, that same, know, my health system might be using Cerner and that other healthsystem might be using Epic.
(09:09):
And there might be a third place that they've gotten their care that's also using Cerner,but it doesn't mean those two Cerner electronic health records are the same at all.
They're each an individual version of it and they don't actually even talk to each other.
So accountable care organizations are working and trying to
figure out how to warehouse data, but all of it is still really m hospital-centric, umbilling and coding-centric, um overarching population health um analysis-centric, and not
(09:42):
for the patient.
So with that, this is great setup.
we've identified the problem, right?
We know what's wrong.
We've got an issue with access to records and especially, and this is why we're talking toyou today with Guava Health, is those with um like long-term, you know, healthcare
(10:05):
conditions, chronic healthcare conditions, conditions that have, you know, multipleproviders or specialists and things like that.
And so Guava Health really exists to
especially serve those populations.
So can you talk about and kind of expand on what exactly Guava Health is doing to solvefor this issue of this lack of connection and this lack of connectivity and sharing of
(10:28):
info?
Sure.
Well, so to start with, just to explain, know, that Guava uses all the different patientportals with different providers to bring all the information into a single place.
And then
you as the owner of your Guava record, know, is HIPAA compliant, it's secure, but you havethe ability to share that information with the provider as you see fit.
(10:50):
um So that's very helpful because it means that if you, for example, go to see aspecialist, you get referred to see a specialist, that specialist may or may not have all
the information from your primary care or
the labs, the x-rays, the MRI results, all of that, it may or may not be visible to thatspecialist.
(11:10):
And so in this way, um GUAVA can help you bring all that information to that appointmentand make that appointment with that specialist much, much more effective.
We also have a tool called the Pre-Visit Summary, which allows you to say, oh, I'm gonnago see a neurologist for my headache, for example.
um
Let me prepare for that and it will draw all the information from your Guava account thatis relevant.
(11:36):
The medications you're taking, the way that you documented, what your headache was,whether there was improvement with this treatment, that treatment, that kind of thing.
um
It will also ask you questions like, what do you think is going on?
Because we know, or I know as a physician, that often patients have an inkling aboutwhat's going on.
And it's important for me to understand that because it's going to help me answer theirquestions, address their needs, and maybe actually get to that diagnosis much more
(12:03):
quickly.
The pre-visit summary is also going to ask, what do you want to get out of thisappointment?
So what are you worried about?
Those kinds of things.
And it puts it all together into a single format that is really digestible for me as theclinician.
So that when you come to the appointment for your headache to the neurologist, it has teedup the information that's related to it in a way that lets the neurologist review that and
(12:31):
then get to the point of, okay, let's do an exam.
Let's figure out what are the next steps.
With some already uh
you know, kind of teed up um outcomes that you the patient are looking to get.
And so it really incorporates that all.
It also um helps facilitate um things like prior authorizations and reducing the need forrepeat testing.
(12:59):
So let's just imagine that, you you need to get a blood test.
Well, if you've had that done somewhere else, but the provider can't see that.
you it's not helpful, right?
And so it's just it's often just as easy for the provider say, well, let's just repeatthis and then we'll have that information.
But that's extra expense for you and extra, you know, trip to the lab.
(13:22):
And, you know, it's not best health care, but sometimes it's expedient care, really,frankly.
But if you have that information, then you don't have to repeat it.
Right.
um Also, for things like
prior authorizations, are one of the bains of physicians' existence.
(13:43):
helps.
And patients.
And patients.
Yep.
But it can help address the need to kind of shortcut some of the step therapy protocols.
So for example, try medication A for a while before you can move to medication B and havethat approved by your insurance or get that MRI or whatever.
(14:06):
Guava can actually bring and ensure that you have all the documentation about, actuallytwo years ago you were on medication A for this time to this time and it really didn't
help.
you know, it is time to go to medication B in a way that is much harder for us as humansto all just remember that kind of information and really document it in a way that's
(14:30):
helpful for getting that prior authorization for medication B, uh you know, approved.
m
you know, from a chronic disease standpoint, just, helps make sure that everybody'sworking with all of the information that's relevant.
And that's so difficult because it's so fractured right now, otherwise in so manydifferent locations.
um And, and so this just is really dramatic in terms of, of what it can, what it can doand how it can help move things forward and really improve that communication between
(15:04):
the patient and their physician because there is clarity about what's known and what's notknown.
And limited time, right?
Like we talk a lot comes up a lot in this show.
You get 15 minutes with your doctor, right?
Because you've got so many visits you need to have every day to keep your doors open.
know, absolutely.
Well, it's, you know, for private practice docs, it's about keeping their doors open forlarger organizations.
(15:29):
It's, know,
whatever has been packed into schedule, lots and lots of doctors, they their double,triple book.
And frankly, they're doing work all evening long at home.
They're coming home, feeding their kids, and then sitting down with their computer doingwhat we call pajama time documenting.
Charting?
Yeah, charting, absolutely.
And so what this does is lets you get to the heart of what you're trying to address in anappointment really quickly to give you time to discuss.
(15:55):
what actually matters rather than it just being all the information gathering.
Yeah, I always like to say like the technology and whatnot that we have in place today,you know, and that's coming.
It lets doctors doctor.
That's what you want to do.
That's what you're here for.
Right here.
Do paperwork.
You're here to take care of you.
yeah, yeah.
(16:16):
And we do so much of it.
And frankly, um you know, we m
We don't have the time to be reviewing through lots and lots of bold records trying to getclues.
So things like Guava that can help pull together all of the salient points from a recordare just tremendous.
Guava has a keyword search component to it.
So having a discussion and your doctor says, well, I'm thinking about your thyroid.
(16:40):
You can pull up every instance that every doctor has ever ordered the word thyroid in yourmedical record in just a moment.
uh
in your Glover record through that keyword search, which is, you know, that's justamazing.
And that just doesn't exist uh in our electronic medical records.
You'd think it would.
It exists in Microsoft Word, right?
(17:01):
But not in EMR.
So, I mean, this is like a great solve to a big problem, but I'm actually curious what theroot of the problem is.
What was standing in the way of there being a system for the medical records to beaccessible like that in general before you guys came around?
(17:22):
Was it the law or is it just the fragmented system that we have for healthcare?
The privatization of healthcare?
All of the above.
um So there was some legislation that went into effect a bunch of years ago calledMeaningful Use, which really encouraged clinicians to go to an electronic medical record.
(17:45):
And it started by providing them carrots and rewards for doing it, and eventually finishedup with sticks or decreased reimbursement if you're not using electronic medical record.
oh
And it was kind of a race and there were lots and lots of different oh software companiestrying to get in there and get a piece of that pie.
(18:05):
so, and none of them talked to each other.
So we got all these disparate records.
And at one point there was some discussion of maybe the record that the VA was usingshould just be nationalized, but that didn't actually ever get leg.
So we have lots and lots of different software companies under.
no pressure to talk to each other, all competitors with each other, not interested inreally making those all connect.
(18:30):
And then we have healthcare providers that are in very different situations.
Some of them are self-employed and kind of that old style of, you know, a small business,run my own office, it's me and maybe one or two other providers.
Well, not anymore.
Not anymore.
Nope, nope, because you can't.
(18:50):
but at least not for physician visits that you're gonna be billing insurance and MedicareMedicaid anyway.
uh But there also are these instances of so many physicians are employed by largerorganizations.
And so there are many different kinds of doctors' offices.
(19:11):
There's not just one flavor.
And so everyone does their work a little bit differently.
And so that also uh made it really be fractured.
And then one of the things that changed is there was some legislation that said that allthe electronic medical records really have to have patient portals and they need to be
open and available.
And that really made a difference for solutions because then it became clear that patientshad not just a right to their record, but a right to their record in real time and a means
(19:44):
to be able to get it.
And so GloVe was able to take
that kind of access and with your permission and allowing Guava to have this role for you,be able to access that information.
So they realized the problem, they didn't solve it, but they opened it up so someone elsecould.
(20:05):
uh
Correct.
Well, good job stepping in, getting this all done.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
Well, at least they moved in the right direction there though, right?
They're not keeping you from doing it anymore.
Oh yeah, right.
And in fact, you know, if there are systems that are, or clinician, you know, electronicmedical records that are not allowing patients to have access, it's actually called
(20:28):
information blocking and there are penalties for that now too.
Good to know that's happening.
Yeah, it is actually.
it sounds like you used to not even be able to come up with a solve for it.
It just wasn't even a place for it.
So least we've made that progress.
Right.
And you know, it's taken a little bit of a shift of perspective too, because it's alsotaken a shift within the healthcare industry to recognize that the medical record actually
(20:57):
is the patients.
It's not the hospitals.
And the hospital and that hospital system might be the physical owners of the electronsthat are like putting that together.
But the information is all the patients and that they have a right to that.
um
And whether it's the note that I'm writing about them, having seen them and I'm writingwhat our plan is, or the results of the CT scan that was done on their hip or whatever.
(21:25):
um The recognition of that information actually belongs to the patient has taken um sometime to really shift, but we're here.
So Guava Health is solving that problem, which is amazing.
um
Right.
That's a huge, huge part of why Guava Health exists.
(21:46):
But then the other huge, huge part of it is that kind of clinical piece.
It's that that health care or that health condition management aspect of it.
And I know I mentioned earlier on in our conversation uh where Guava Health certainlyserves people who have uh chronic health conditions or multiple, multiple symptoms, things
(22:06):
that are a little bit more significant.
less than like somebody who might not really have anything going on.
might not as be as beneficial, right?
I mean, not that it wouldn't be, but it certainly would help somebody more.
So from your perspective uh as being, you know, a physician coming from the clinician'sperspective, being the CMO, how do you see Guava serving those types of people in a more
(22:30):
meaningful way that makes their journey a little bit, hopefully a little bit more easieranyhow?
Yeah, yeah.
Well, let me before I say that, let me just say that, you know, tell me one person whodoesn't want to improve their health.
I mean, really, even if you're healthy and really don't even take any meds or anything,you still want to be healthy and continue.
(22:50):
there are many, ways that squabba can actually work really well for you as well.
um But it is a particularly useful tool for people who have a chronic disease.
So, uh you know, one of things with
chronic disease is that there's a lot of keeping track of things.
So keeping track of medications you need to take, refills that you need to manage,healthcare visits, labs, improvement or lack of improvement.
(23:18):
And then, you know, all of those, keeping track of all of that in your day-to-day life andalso then thinking about what are the things that are impacting your health?
So some days are better, some days are worse.
Why?
You know, what is making you have a more tired day?
um And is it because you walked more steps or is it because you got more sleep or didn'tget as much sleep or the air pressure or whatever that might be?
(23:47):
And so being able to track all of that information is really, really...
importance and uh in doing it in the context of all your uh medical data as well isreally, really helpful.
So keeping tabs on the things that you're supposed to be keeping track of and alsonoticing what's going on with your life.
(24:08):
So some people are tracking a lot of symptoms and they're doing so to try to hone in on,you know, more a tighter diagnosis or the utility of a certain medication, for example, or
to notice if a certain medication is really helping.
or not.
mean, sometimes that can be a little bit difficult to discern.
(24:28):
And uh so by being able to use Guava to be able to track your day-to-day experience ofyour disease is really, really helpful because then Guava actually can help you uh
understand is this helping or is this not.
There is a feature called insights that really looks at what are the statisticallysignificant correlations between things.
(24:52):
So it's not uh
just it's not specifically cause and effect and it's not uh random.
And it's the things that are uh statistically significantly correlated.
And so it can help you understand that if you're, uh that this actually you've beentaking, since you've been taking this new med, you've actually been much more tired in a
(25:14):
way that's actually meaningful and um that there's some data behind it to help uh bolsterthat perspective.
And it may make you,
um have a discussion with your provider about can we change this dose because this newdose on this medication or this new medication is I'm struggling with it.
Can we change the dose and see if that works a little bit better?
(25:36):
And you have that information of it being related, correlated with the start of thatmedication because of your Guava records.
that's not...
We're really bad at remembering things.
Was it last Tuesday that I had the headache or was it Friday?
You know, you don't remember this.
We think we're great, we're terrible.
um so using Guava to help uh track the components of your chronic disease really helpsbecause it puts a pin in the places um of where things are going on and then is able to
(26:12):
look at it from an analytical standpoint as well to give you information to
uh make changes with you know as you're talking to and I'm going back to the comment oflike people who maybe are healthier or Think they are so I'm gonna use myself as an
example here So where I could see guava health would be great for could be for anyonebecause sometimes you don't know how bad you're feeling until you feel better so I Had
(26:42):
started perimenopause a few years ago
And I didn't know what was going on.
thought, well, I'm only 44 at the time.
And that seemed a little early.
And I was having all these symptoms.
And of course, you know, our moms and grandmas never talked about menopause.
Now it's like everyone's screaming from the mountains, which I love, myself included.
(27:03):
But I didn't realize until I went on hormone therapy about a year and a half ago that Ifelt terrible.
Like I was, I was
I was spiraling bad.
it was, I was not in a good place and you become, um, sometimes you just become complacentor you're just like, this is just normal and this is just who I am now and I'm just
(27:27):
getting older and you don't think about like how crappy you actually feel.
then as soon as I got on HRT and got my estrogen back up to where it should be, it waslike a night and day change.
I was like, wow, I was in
bad shape.
yeah, you know, could see there.
(27:48):
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly.
And if you had been tracking what your energy level was prior to all that, my energy levelis a seven or an eight or a six or a seven and you know, throughout the days and oh,
here's a 10 day or whatever.
And then start to notice that, oh, it's a three and a four and a, you know, five and athree.
(28:09):
You know, you would
you'd be able to see that trend over time of, wait a minute, something actually is goingon here.
Yeah, it's preventative.
And the real problem is if you're at seven long enough, it starts feeling like four andyour new four is your old seven.
And then you work your way back up to seven.
You know what I mean?
Like you just get used to it.
(28:31):
You get used to the pain, you get used to the symptoms and they just become the baseline,I guess is what it is, right?
Well, uh yes and no, I'd say it doesn't have to be that way.
And that's where, you know, the being able to track interventions and what makes adifference and what doesn't make a difference really um is helpful.
(28:51):
uh Right.
Yeah.
For the chronic disease management.
you know, there's just chronic disease management is, it's, you know, it can be afull-time job.
You have diabetes, have to worry about what your A1C is and what your glucose is now andwhat your insulin regimen is and how many carbohydrates you're eating and are you
(29:14):
exercising or you're not exercising and what do have to change related to that and did youget your eye exam and are you looking at your feet and all of these different things.
It's a full-time job, right?
And that's for somebody who's fairly healthy with their diabetes.
When you get into folks whose diabetes is kind of spiraled out of control, even moredifficult.
any of the kinds of tools that can pull together all of the things that you need to do itand really help you manage it all in a single location is just really tremendous.
(29:43):
We've spent a lot of time working with a lot of different chronic disease oh entities totry to make sure that Guava really is going to be the answer that they need for tracking
things.
We know that folks, for example, we have a lot of users who have pots and one of thethings that they track is really their water intake.
(30:05):
And so we have the NSC tags that allow you to not have to worry about trying to type inexactly every time you fill your water bottle.
You can just put a little tag on your water bottle and every time you
fill it up, just wave your phone in front of it and boom, can record, filled my waterbottle again.
so we really are looking at what are the ways that we can really make managing a diseaseand doing the things that you need to be doing as easy as possible.
(30:35):
You one of the things that is
can be really annoying if you track anything as having to type everything in and selectfrom the menu and put all that in there.
And so one of the things we've worked on is having voice logging.
So you can just touch it and say, I drank another bottle of water and three coffees andhave that logged for today.
(30:58):
And it's just a lot more straightforward.
So you can just keep living your life instead of spending your whole life managing thecomponents to your healthcare.
Yeah.
And it's not only is it good for the patient, it's it's beneficial for the provider.
Like as you were saying, yes.
Talk about teeing up all this information, you know, rather than having to try torecollect all the things that, you know, have happened when you go in there, you're like,
(31:26):
here it is.
And so it actually how does that work?
So I have the Guava Health app, let's just say, right.
uh And I have sent me because I always talk about me being impairment of pause because Ihave no shame.
No, don't care.
mean, it's part of life, right?
Right.
I am going through barometapause people like let it be known.
(31:46):
So and there's a lot of really terrible things that I feel some days.
Right.
So if I'm tracking and in Guava, right, how do I get that to my doctor when I go in?
Am I able to send that to my doctor beforehand?
Do they have to be part of a network?
Do I walk in and say, hey, it's just all right here in the app?
How does that work?
Well, there are a variety of ways you can do that.
So first of all, you can pull it all together and just use it as a cheat sheet foryourself if you want.
(32:11):
mean, that's really straightforward.
Great.
Put it all together.
have that.
You can talk from that.
That's the notes that you're using to have it all organized for that visit.
You also can make a PDF and print it out.
You can give it to them.
They can then scan that into their record as well.
We don't have a way yet to get it put directly into the medical record.
(32:33):
Everybody's medical record is proprietarily theirs, but we're working on different ways towork on that process as well.
So there are a variety of ways that you can do it.
But the point really is to ensure that the provider really can see that breadth ofinformation.
(32:55):
For example, if you have lab work and it's done at a few different places, one of thethings that Goava can do is it can graph out how that lab work is uh progressing uh over
time sequence, not separate from one place to another.
like you can have a graph, a line graph that says, look at my creatinine is improving overthese past three months, even though I got my lab work done in three different places.
(33:20):
uh So, you know, that...
being able to show that to a clinician, know, picture tells a thousand words, right?
So, you know, having the access to be able to do that in a way that would otherwise becompletely unavailable is really helpful.
That's really cool.
So I'm assuming, I mean, this technology, does AI play a pretty big role in how Guavaworks, or is it really more of being this kind of central?
(33:50):
AI comes up like every interview that we do.
I figure I as well mention it.
um Is that a part of it?
Is um it more just kind of being this kind of, I don't know, I feel like this nucleus, isthat the right word?
That quote kind of sits at the middle and kind of pulls from everywhere?
Yes.
Yes and yes.
So Guava really is that hub that is pulling all the information in for sure and not justfrom your medical record but from your Apple Watch and your Fitbit and your OroRing and
(34:20):
your Dexcom blood glucose monitor, your Smart Scale, your Smart Blood Pressure Gop, all ofthat.
So it really is the hub from all of those different kinds of devices as well as your
your medical record.
But yes, we do uh use AI in this, um for example, when I talked about setting up thatvisit prep.
(34:43):
Guava pulls the information that's relevant from your medical history about themedications you're taking for that particular, when I said you're going to go to the
neurologist for a headache, for example.
It'll pull in what are the relevant diagnosis you've had, relevant visits, and some ofthat history from your notes.
We do use some of that.
(35:04):
have what's called a Guava Assistant who helps pull some of that together for you so thatyou don't have to search through saying, I remember I got something somewhere, that's
useless.
Forget that.
That's not going to be helpful.
What's helpful is Guava being able to serve that up for you.
Got it.
(35:24):
In terms of, you know, coming from your perspective again, like as a hospitalist, the kindof the clinician, the provider point of view.
Yeah.
And I mean, obviously you believe in Guava, you're there now they're just really amazing.
aside from managing, like man, using the app to manage your conditions, being moreprepared when you go in to meet with your doctor, what have you seen or what are you
(35:50):
hearing from the users of Guava?
Guava so far, like what is improving for them?
Are they getting better?
Is it helping them get better?
I'd love to hear a little bit about maybe kind of some member success stories, know,nothing specific.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, you know, one example that I can tell you is, uh you know, it's helping people gettheir information uh faster and more reliably.
(36:16):
So, you know, one uh small little story I have is a friend of mine actually uh had been uhfeeling terrible and
I had a cough and fever and congestion and was worried that maybe she was getting apneumonia.
She went in to go see her provider.
They wanted to get an x-ray.
That sounds great.
But it was Friday and a holiday weekend.
so I said, what came of it?
(36:39):
How does it look?
And she said, well, I don't know.
They didn't call me back yet.
And it's Friday and a holiday weekend.
I'm probably not going to know whether I need antibiotics or not till Tuesday.
And I said, did you check guava?
And she's like, oh, yeah.
and she was able to go online, open up her app and boom, the report is there, nopneumonia.
And she's like, oh my God, I can't even believe it.
So just peace of mind of being able to have all that information just really right at handis one.
(37:04):
That is super cool.
I think that we do see folks really appreciating the medication reminders and being ableto log that their medications are being taken.
actually you can also...
co-manage somebody, a profile with somebody so you can have some access.
So being able to have uh access to see that your parent is documenting that they've takentheir meds for folks who are helping manage elders, you know, that's that's a big relief
(37:34):
of worry for sure.
And then I think, you know, it's really, uh I think that we're finding that uh folks arereally, uh
They feel heard in their provider's office when they can come um to the table with all ofthis um information at their fingertips really cogently pulled together and they feel more
(38:02):
pulled together and they feel more heard by their clinicians about what's working orwhat's not working or what the concerns are.
um And that just goes a long way to
actually getting to the root of whatever a diagnosis is um and figuring out the way tomanage it.
um Yeah, it's been tremendous.
(38:24):
uh Another thing uh is folks who travel a lot, I know that there's some real peace of mindum that a uh friend of mine travels a lot nationally for various presentations and she
knows that she always has
her entire medical record with her and should she need to go to an emergency department insome other state, it's fine, she's got it all with her.
(38:53):
um so I think that that's also just that peace of mind of knowing that you have that andin any care situation, uh your care can be delivered with knowledge as opposed to um
blindly.
You know, as a clinician, I'll just tell you, I wish I had all of that information on allof my patients.
(39:14):
Mostly I don't, right?
And so mostly I'm winging it and nobody wants to hear that, it's true.
People will say, well, I take that one, that purple pill and then that long skinny one mydaughter-in-law gives me, but I only actually take half of it.
She thinks I take the whole thing.
you know, I'm...
(39:35):
I'm trying to figure out how I'm treating their, you know, their hypertension or theirheart failure or whatever it is they're in the hospital with, with that kind of
information, that's not that helpful.
how honest are they being?
Because we know people aren't honest when doctors ask them questions.
just, it's totally true.
It's totally true.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I don't know.
I, I, something like this to me, you know, you think in, especially in healthcare, two ofthe biggest things is access and empowerment and Guava health.
(40:02):
definitely solving for that, like access to information.
like knowledge is power, but the empowerment part of it is so huge.
Like to be a patient and not know, you know, where your medical records are, how to accessthem.
Just even thinking about that right now, like I don't, I don't know.
I have to dig through email, call doctors that I've seen, you know, years ago, becauselike I have like a thyroid thing, you know, and so.
(40:31):
Yeah, it would take me too long to even figure it out.
Right, right.
That I may not do it, right?
Like I literally might just not do anything, which is not a good, that's not a good thing.
uh
if in a case like that, if she signed up for Guava, would it go out and find all thoserecords on its own or would she still have to find them initially?
(40:51):
um So you own the access to all of your uh medical records and so Guava would assist youin in you know explaining how you need to do that but it's really we do as we pull things
through patient portals and so regardless of whether or not you Are aware that you havepatient portals you do have access to patient portals in all of the locations you've
gotten health care So it's really just walking you through that process um And then youcan add devices as well.
(41:18):
So, you know, we don't know
which Apple watch is yours, we don't know which Julie Smith you are at Sutter Health.
So you're involved in that process.
Plus, it's secure and HIPAA compliant, and by definition, that means that you are the onewho needs to grant access and say that it's okay.
(41:39):
So you're involved in that process.
Yeah.
That's cool.
That really is cool.
Just thinking about that, like being able to see everything in one place, it's mindblowing to me.
Like, why was this not a thing before?
Yeah.
It's true.
(42:00):
It's true.
know, there are other countries that have a more organized health record in that way.
Yeah.
It's pretty crazy that we're just now really solving for it and yeah, Guava Health is hereto do it.
oh
Yeah, and the fact that it's pulling together not just that stagnant data or that point intime data, but also allowing you to interact with it through documenting what's going on
(42:32):
with your health in the process of that.
So for example, I have another patient that can think of who was really struggling withtheir
ADHD and trying to get the medications, you know, dosed correctly for what they needed todo.
And it was really hard to sort out, as you can imagine with that diagnosis, it was reallyhard for them to be able to sort out what was the right dose for them to make them really
(43:01):
feel the best and be the most functional.
And it really was.
through just documenting what they felt like at each day uh in the Guava record thathelped them really hone in and what that right dose was.
And all of the access to all the medical records in the world aren't gonna do that.
It's really integrating that information with the ability to put your own input into yourrecord that's gonna really provide that opportunity to uh hone in on some of those things.
(43:32):
just made me think about something when you mentioned ADHD, you know, I think of kidsimmediately as a, as a parent, right?
If I have a child with a severe chronic condition, how does that work with Guava?
Can you set it up for your kids so that you have access to it?
know you had said you can like have like partners or whatever, but is that similar?
(43:56):
have a family plan actually that lets you do exactly that.
And
Really for, if you have a child who sees a number of different specialists, that's veryfractured in terms of that data.
Chances are you may travel someplace for getting care.
So it can be really, really fractured.
And frankly, if you have a kid who is basically healthy, you still need to keep track ofwhat their vaccination is, are they growing properly?
(44:21):
Do you need to worry about that?
We have some resources available through Go Above.
uh
you know, like your growth percentile calculator.
So you can take a look at, you know, where your child is on the, you know, on some ofthese uh charts and, and, you know, feel more comfortable about their development as well.
But, but you still need to have the sports physical and the vaccination schedules anddocumentation.
(44:44):
And uh that's a, that's a lot to keep track of.
And for, know, you have three kids, you have three sets of all of that and having a, youknow, a family eye on, on where your kids are all is, uh
really helpful for sure.
And also just kind of being ready for the unexpected because like we've done a couple ofreally great interviews as part of our human story series.
(45:07):
And a lot of it was around like these kind of acute care situations where like you wentfrom like normal to like, we don't know what the hell's going on anymore with me or my
spouse or whoever.
So to, and you know, then you're just kind of spinning, right?
At that point, I'm trying to figure out what's wrong.
I'm thinking of Stacy Mead.
Yeah, and her husband's medical condition that kind of came out of the blue, right?
(45:31):
So where it's it is kind of aligned to this concept of like preventative care, right?
Like kind of being prepared for what might happen and having these baselines having kindof everything in the place before the crazy happens, right?
Because it's something that's going to happen, right?
Like we can't avoid it.
We're all going to run into some kind of unexpected stressful medical
(45:54):
healthcare situation at some point, whether it's you or the people you care for.
So, right.
Absolutely.
I mean, you know, uh, folks of a certain age are managing their parents' health and theirkids' health at the same time.
And, you being able to have eyes on that and have the information available for you, know,at your fingertips is huge.
(46:14):
Yeah.
What a great tool for that.
Um, I'm now thinking, you know, I should be, I should be using Guava.
Yeah!
The longer this conversation goes, the more Heather's getting talked into something.
It's not hard honestly, I think about what literally been thinking about my own family myown health right and the fact that you know I am married and my husband doesn't do
(46:39):
anything for his health care.
So of course I'm gonna have to be the one sorry Jeremy, but you know the greatest abouttaking care of their health so
I go to the doctor once every 10 years for a tetanus shot.
Well, at least you're healthy.
That's because I walk around barefoot.
You knew when your tenure was up?
(47:01):
Uh, yeah, I'm turning 50 in October.
I got to get it by then.
Cause I always try to get it right around my birthday.
That way I remember I got it when I was, when I turned 40, I'll get it when I turned 50.
Yup.
Good planning.
Yeah.
Good.
But it is, mean, I can see this like where it would be such a wonderful tool with, youknow, and I have two kids, my oldest just started driving.
(47:23):
He literally drove to school for the first time this morning.
Wow.
That's a big guess.
Yeah.
I wasn't driving this morning
So your kids are starting 15 or 16, right?
And they got a couple more years that they're at home and then they're off into the world.
And if they're going away to school, they're not gonna be seeing their pediatriciananymore.
(47:48):
And even they're just gonna age out of their pediatrician rights.
So they're gonna need to see some other provider, whether it's, if they're going off tocollege, it's gonna be the campus health center or if they're just,
finding a primary care provider who they've never met before in both instances, havingtheir pediatric record available for them, which has all of their vaccination information
(48:11):
and any other kinds of health problems they've had and what other medications they've hadover the history of their growing up.
Having that available in that new setting for them is huge m and really uh can really knittogether and make that transition into adulthood a little bit smoother.
Oh yes.
And that
Empowerment right there, right?
Like, yeah, got to got to really arm these kids with information and empowerment, takecare of themselves, right?
(48:38):
Like I always say to my kids, I want you to go out into the world capable of taking careof yourself.
And that doesn't just mean doing your laundry.
You know, right.
Right.
It's bigger than that.
And it is about health.
Right.
And and and knowing where you can go for care and knowing about your history of yourhealth.
So.
Yeah, that's a really good point.
(49:00):
And, you know, and they may want to go to Florida for spring break or do a semesterabroad.
And, you know, you got to you got to be prepared for those instances as well.
And especially for this next generation who's so used to having everything on their phoneand everything's technologized and, they need a password to do anything kind of like
having a plot, you know, having that app be almost just a natural thing for them, I wouldthink.
(49:25):
Like this is how we track our healthcare.
eh Yeah.
Very straightforward for them as opposed to the older generations, you know.
Right, and they're much more used to the idea that things about them wrap around them,know, nothing about me without me kind of a concept.
And so really, Guava allows that to be true in the healthcare world in a way that, youknow, otherwise it isn't true.
(49:52):
Oh, that's a really good point.
Yeah.
Yeah, the Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
So yes, I have an 11 year old and a 16 year old.
So yeah, like that's how they think because we didn't all grow up and you know, it's likethat whole analog to digital Gen X is kind of.
(50:13):
That's a different world, a totally different world that they're growing.
My mom, the silent generation, she's going to be 83.
I mean, I don't know that she would use the Guava Health app without my help, but likecase in point, like you're, I'm a sandwich generation.
Not only do I take care of my mom to a certain degree, she's pretty healthy, thankfully,but you know, I've got kids, I've got a husband who, know, wouldn't even know how to call
(50:37):
the doctor.
So let's be honest.
We discussed men don't call doctors.
Yeah, until it's really bad.
until we really, really need to.
Right.
Walk in bleeding.
With duct tape.
uh
I've definitely shown up at the ER with duct tape on.
m
(50:58):
Well, I don't know, I'm pretty blown away.
mean, you we got to meet with Isabelle in the first part of this Guava Health series andgetting your perspective that this more kind of, you know, clinical perspective and the
real, I think like immediate benefits and like how it really changes the way that we kindof exist in the healthcare ecosystem um is just, it's crazy.
(51:22):
like Guava Health wouldn't surprise me if you guys just start like,
taken off like crazy here once more more people know about it and start using it.
So.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, you know, we're in this for the long haul.
We really want it.
And as I think probably uh Isabel mentioned, our baseline uh product is free.
(51:45):
It's available on all the app stores.
There are more bells and whistles for a subscription model.
I
I think they're worth it, but either way, it's not an expensive upgrade even that.
But the information is yours and out there, and so we want you to have that.
whether you're managing a chronic disease and need that assistance or would just welcomethat assistance, or whether you're very healthy and thinking about longevity, and how do I
(52:15):
positively live my longest, happiest, healthiest life, either way,
um GuaF is uh really an excellent tool for uh helping you do that and helping people getto diagnosis more quickly, helping folks feel heard uh by their clinicians.
Heard and seen is just really super important.
(52:38):
And we know as a population, as we're living longer and longer, we're managing morechronic diseases.
And so having really effective tools to do that makes uh a tremendous amount of sense.
And then, as I said lastly, the fact that without something like Guava, we're not actuallythe center of all of our health related information.
uh having Guava kind of turns that whole thing inside out so that you are the center ofeverything about you related to your health.
(53:08):
that's just, it's really revolutionary and uh just a tremendous tool in that way.
I love it.
I think it's great.
I think it's forever going.
I didn't think it could get any better and then she said it was free.
I know.
there's the base.
Go on.
Leave it to great review, but go on the app stores.
(53:30):
We're there and available and uh yeah, check it
I'm going to try it just to see if it can actually track my randomness of health recordsthroughout the country down.
Cause I've, I've moved long distance and I go so seldom.
And every time I go with someone different, I might download it just to, just to test itand see how well it works.
(53:52):
Back to you on that.
Yeah, like I am a shots guy.
I do want to keep up with my vaccines and stuff.
That's the one thing I really do want to do.
So I might actually need more shots that I'm not even aware of.
I'm I'm seriously going to download that and see what it says.
I gotta consider measles, right?
Yeah, measles.
No
(54:12):
Breaking Texas right now.
We're in Arizona.
That's a real thing.
Yeah, right.
depending on your age, you maybe did or didn't get um a full uh round of that vaccination.
When you were a child, there's a there's a certain set of years where folks need abooster.
So if you look in your guava, you can figure that out.
I'm still going to download this.
(54:34):
So I'm like the last person I would think would do that.
And now I'm like, Oh my God, I need to download.
There you go.
One other thing I want to mention is if you go to guavahealth.com, there's also a lot ofresources that we have available on that site.
um We have a lot of articles about um healthcare in ways in which um folks are usingGuava, ways in which it can be helpful, and also just some of the diagnoses that are
(54:59):
difficult to understand.
We also have started putting in some tools, so there's some calculators in there that havebeen very helpful for folks.
uh
um There's some things to explore if you like on that side as well.
Heather's literally looking at your website right now.
I had it up the whole time.
No, it's great.
And I was going to ask you, where can we find you as we wrap up this amazing conversation?
(55:25):
But you've already shared that.
So we know we've got the app, know, just go wherever you download apps, right?
m Find the app.
Yep.
Or just go online to guavahealth.com.
And leave us your reviews.
Yeah, absolutely.
We know how reviews are.
Got to have those.
Well, this has been a really great conversation.
(55:47):
I'm so glad that we brought you back for our, or brought you on as part of our part two.
So we can really get a really deeper understanding about what Guava, Guava Health isdoing.
So,
Yeah, this really is a major development for people, I feel.
Yeah.
Yeah, well moving, we're really just trying to move the healthcare equation forward with,you know, patients really at the center of that.
(56:15):
Absolutely.
Well, you're doing it.
So bravo.
Well, thank you for taking the time to chat with us.
Thanks for coming on.
This has been a great, yeah, this has been a great chat.
And there you go, our conversation with Dr.
(56:36):
Cat from Guava Health to round out the Guava tube herder.
yeah, truly amazing stuff.
can't stop talking about what a great product they have here, but what are our maintakeaways from all this other.
truly I think it's exactly what you've been kind of, you know, fallen out your seat from.
ah
(56:57):
so impressed by this,
Yeah, it's solving for literally one of the biggest issues in the healthcare industry,which is this whole thing around medical records and having disjointed, disconnected
systems of, you know, that hold our medical records as patients, as people, you know, andthey don't, and the systems don't talk to one another.
(57:19):
I mean, it's kind of wild to think that in 2025, you're going to walk into your doctor'soffice and they're still not going to have access to
all of your medical records over, you know, however many doctors or hospitals orfacilities that you've visited because they just don't have access to it.
(57:40):
so Guava Health is like literally the first product, right?
Technology that has ever solved for this issue.
having access to information is one of the most important things in healthcare.
And when you don't have that,
it impedes efficiency, impedes knowledge, it impedes conversations that you have, youknow, again, that 15 minutes that you get with your doctor.
(58:08):
And so.
how to use that time right?
You have so little of it.
Yeah, so it's just it it is revolutionary as as Kat said, so.
Really is, you know, really is.
and and you did mention, do want to drop in there for people.
You mentioned Stacey Mead in the episode there.
did.
Uh, she is the bonus episode between episodes 12 and 13.
(58:29):
If anywhere he wants to go back and check that out.
Yeah.
She had quite a story, man.
Right.
think about, mean, I, you know, Guava health could have certainly helped in thatsituation, but like, and that's about being, um, you know, more kind of proactive and
planned for the unexpected, you know, cause it is definitely geared and will serve peoplewith chronic or like, uh, shoot, what's the word?
(58:56):
Um, well you have multiple conditions, um, that are dependent on one another.
And I'm totally blanking on this word right now, but.
Anyway, chronic conditions in general, like
having to see six different specialists and stuff.
Yeah.
I mean, that's important for them, but also like for a family like mine, right?
Like, we've got some things going on, nothing major.
We don't have anyone that has any like major medical issues, but it's still a great placefor us to start pulling all of our healthcare data together, tracking everything, and then
(59:27):
being prepared for when inevitably something will happen.
Um, you know, getting, getting ahead of things before you're in
kind of the throws of chaos and overwhelm is always something that I think should be apriority.
Yeah.
And it's, it might be the only product we've covered so far that is truly for everyone.
(59:50):
Yeah.
It doesn't have a niche.
It doesn't deal with a specific issue.
It deals with the fact that we all need to take control of our own health records.
Yep.
I'm going to download this out.
Yeah.
I talk all the time about how I don't go to the doctor.
I'm going to download this out to see if I, cause I got to go for that tetanus shot soon.
I'm going to see if I need any other updates on my vaccinations and stuff.
(01:00:12):
Yeah.
And it's going to tell me in like, I
I haven't seen my own medical records ever.
If I can really download an app and instantly have access to all my medical records.
Or at least have a guide, right?
Like a...
Like if it actually has dates of all the shots that I've had in my life, I can actually,like, I never thought I would have access to that information.
(01:00:37):
I just thought I had to figure it out as I went.
And knowing is half the battle.
it is.
E-Man.
Or G.I.
Joe, sorry.
Wrong 80s cartoon, my bad.
That's alright, the guys know that a little better I think.
The more you know.
(01:00:59):
grew up hearing things like that all the time.
yeah, know your own history, know your own health man.
And that's what we're all about here on the healthcare uprising podcast is knowledge.
And also make sure to hit all those happy little fun buttons on whatever platform you'reon, your likes and your subscribes and your shares, you know, share it with a friend who,
cause share it with all your friends on this one.
(01:01:21):
Cause everyone needs this.
we are on YouTube so you can see us video.
We're on all the major listening platforms.
You can listen to us on audio.
Um, we have a Patreon, patreon.com slash healthcare uprising.
If you want to full on join up and throw a little money our way.
Uh, what else we should we tell them here?
Heather.
Well, we have a website, it's healthcare uprising.com in development, but definitelybookmark that.
(01:01:50):
You sure can.
It'll get you where you need to go.
um And we're on all of the social media platforms.
So LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and blue sky.
So we're posting out there a lot.
Keep an eye out there.
You'll know when um our latest episodes are dropping.
um
So follow like all the things.
And then also if you have a story, are you a founder?
(01:02:13):
Are you working for a company that's doing something really cool in the healthcareindustry?
that's innovative and forward thinking.
We'd love to talk to you.
So shoot us an email healthcare, uprising at gmail.com and reach out and we'd love to meetwith you and get you on the show.
But also if you're just a regular old human out there, um, and we know there's a lot ofyou.
(01:02:36):
You've probably got a healthcare story to tell.
like a whole bunch.
So if you've got a story, good, bad, ugly, otherwise all the things in between, we want tohear from you.
We'd love to bring you on the show and share your story with us.
The human stories are really important part of what we do here.
And, um, yeah.
So email us again at healthcare, uprising at gmail.com.
(01:02:58):
and with that, that is, uh, it for today, that is your dose.
of healthcare for the Healthcare Uprising Podcast.
So with that, keep looking for the good in the world because sometimes it's where youleast expect it.
(01:04:10):
This has been a Shut Up production.
What up?
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.