I believe it is important to clearly and transparently outline the ways I hope to help patients undergoing fertility treatment so users can better understand how joining Grain Fertility can not only help make their own treatment journey easier, but help advance science and promote better care.
Over the last few months, I have talked with patients, clinicians, and allied organizations and companies fertility patients, gaining valuable insights into the current care patients receive when undergoing fertility treatment and hoping to better understand the problems that patients face. Based on these conversations, my own family’s struggles with infertility, and insights gained talking to healthcare professionals and technical experts, I wanted to more clearly articulate my vision for fertility care in the future and how Grain Fertility can help make this a reality. I believe it is important to clearly and transparently outline the ways I hope to help patients undergoing fertility treatment so users can better understand how joining Grain Fertility can not only help make their own treatment journey easier, but help advance science and promote better care.
1. The Patient Controls Their Journey
I believe that empowered patients are educated patients and in order for patients to make the most informed choices, they need to be armed with not only a more complete picture of their own health and options available, but tools to help them better understand the care they receive.
Every fertility patient knows there are no guarantees and every journey is different. However, too often, fertility patients feel like they are on a rudderless sail boat drifting in the sea of the unknown. During my family’s journey, I often felt powerless and the lack of access to information and input in the decision making exacerbated these feelings. With Grain Fertility, I aim to give the patient back some control of their journey by giving them the tools they need to access, understand, and use their health information to make the choices that best suit them. I believe that empowered patients are educated patients and in order for patients to make the most informed choices, they need to be armed with not only a more complete picture of their own health and options available, but tools to help them better understand the care they receive. Grain Fertility will empower users by giving them comprehensive access to their health records, medical history, and fertility related finances in a way that provides a complete picture of their fertility experience for the first time.
In addition to giving them access to their health information, Grain Fertility will give patients control over their health information. Grain Fertility trusts patients to make decisions that are best for them and will provide users with the ability to opt out of information sharing with trusted partners at any time. No questions asked. Grain Fertility will transparently display a list of Grain Fertility partners and intended uses of data sharing and promote values that patients can trust.
2. Give Patients A Seamless Experience
Using state of the art processes, Grain Fertility will be able to electronically connect to your doctor’s office, get your health information, and import it directly into Grain for complete control by the patient.
Currently, our healthcare system has numerous barriers that prevent access to care and prevent the exchange of information between different doctors and systems. While I am encouraged by developments taking place to help modernize information sharing, Grain Fertility will address specific and common problems patients have in accessing and sharing their health information today. Too often patients are forced to receive their health records through the mail or through a patient portal where they download a PDF and the burden of information sharing with their doctors falls on them. Grain Fertility will let patients access, download, and share their health information through an easy to use interface and seamless customer experiences. Using state of the art processes, Grain Fertility will be able to electronically connect to your doctor’s office, get your health information, and import it directly into Grain for complete control by the patient. All the patient has to do is securely log into the system and Grain Fertility takes care of the rest. Just as Mint lets users take charge of their finances by connecting banks and credit cards into one easy to access application, Grain Fertility will empower patients and let them take back control of their fertility journey.
3. Privacy by Design
Not only will Grain Fertility follow HIPAA security requirements, I am establishing a culture of security and transparency from the beginning.
Patients rightfully want to know that their health and financial information is safe and secure. At Grain Fertility, we are building an application that incorporates privacy by design. Not only will Grain Fertility follow HIPAA security requirements, I am establishing a culture of security and transparency from the beginning. Grain Fertility users can trust the application because we will voluntarily adhere to and attest to the Carin Alliance Code of Conduct so patients know their information is safe and Grain is completely transparent with what information is collected and how it can be used. To that end, Grain Fertility will always provide users with an easy to understand privacy policy and a list of trusted partners we are working with to ensure users know exactly how any information on the application is being used. Users will always have the ability to opt out of any data sharing agreements, no questions asked. I promise Grain will only and always work with trusted partners whose missions align with Grain Fertility and actively are working to promote scientific advancement in the fertility space and advocating for expanded access to fertility care for all.
4. Drive Research and Development To Improve Care
By working with trusted partners and research organizations that use cutting edge scientific and computational processes, Grain Fertility can help advance research and innovation and improve fertility care for everyone.
When I look at the lack of access to care for fertility treatments in the US insurance system, one thing I see is a lack of research and data proving the efficacy of different technologies and techniques that insurance companies require to cover medical procedures. Grain Fertility aims to help augment existing gaps in research and development through dedicated partnerships with research organizations and innovative fertility companies to help power new advancements, insights, and innovations in fertility care. By working with trusted partners and research organizations that use cutting edge scientific and computational processes, Grain Fertility can help advance research and innovation and improve fertility care for everyone. I believe that many of the answers to more effective, more personalized fertility protocols exist in the medical data we collect today, but in order to unlock these insights, we need to invest in the people and partners that want to help patients.
5. Trust is Key
Grain Fertility will always work to earn the trust of our users because I was once a fertility patient who felt powerless and ill-prepared for my fertility journey.
I have spent years thinking about how I would want to run a fertility related startup and the single word that best describes what I hope to build is “trust.” Grain Fertility will always work to earn the trust of our users because I was once a fertility patient who felt powerless and ill-prepared for my fertility journey. I am striving to build the tool I wish my wife and I had when we were undergoing fertility treatment and I want to ensure that the tool is something I would trust to keep my wife and my fertility treatment information safe.
You can always reach out to me at joe@grainfertilty.com to ask any questions and I encourage you to sign up to serve as a volunteer tested to ensure we are properly incorporating the patient voice into the development of Grain below
Joe Cody
Founder