Cooperation between AOK Plus and Endo Heath: Endo app improves care for sufferers

About 15 percent of women in Germany suffer from endometriosis. In this disease, the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterine cavity, which can lead to extreme pain and, not infrequently, an unfulfilled desire to have children. Unfortunately, the disease is often not recognized right away. And the therapy is also anything but simple. Dr. Nadine Rohloff and her team at Endo Health have set themselves the goal of providing practical help to those affected with the Endo app, while at the same time gathering new knowledge to improve patient care in the long term. We spoke to the doctor and startup founder about her important work and the current cooperation with AOK Plus.

Nadine, how did you come up with the idea for the Endo app?

I first encountered the topic of endometriosis while studying human medicine at the University of Münster. After graduation, I worked at the Endometriosis Center of the Women’s Hospital at Münster University Hospital until 2018. There, I dealt with those affected on a daily basis and I was always struck by the difficulties of finding a diagnosis and individual therapy.

One important finding was that good self-management and a multimodal therapy approach are fundamental pillars in the therapy of endometriosis, but have not been widely implemented in practice to date. This is due to the fact that endometriosis, despite increasing popularity, still does not get enough attention and the data on the disease is still limited.

Endometriosis is still not completely curable. Therefore, it is important that those affected are informed about their disease in the best possible way in order to reduce the suffering and regain quality of life.

The Endometriosis App aims to support and inform patients and to improve their health. In the long term, the data can provide information about further therapy options in order to find the best possible individually adapted concepts.

The German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) has now provisionally approved the Endo app as a digital health application (DiGA). Why is this so important for you?

The Endo app has been listed as a DiGA (app-on-prescription) by the BfArM since fall 2022. It is important to us to make the app available free of charge to as many women as possible and at the same time to integrate it into the healthcare system, i.e. to become part of standard care. – With the goal: “The endo app for everyone”. Many endometriosis patients already incur high costs for self-management, which we did not want to increase with the endo app.

On the contrary, the Endo-App should remain free of charge for the users. 73 million people insured under the statutory health insurance system are entitled to apps-on-prescription coverage. And many private health insurers are following suit. This is simply the best way for those affected.

You recently started cooperating with AOK-Plus. How is the cooperation structured? What added value does the cooperation offer the insured?

We are pursuing the common goal of improving endometriosis care with AOK-Plus. The focus of our collaboration is to generate more attention and awareness for the disease and also to provide information about it. We have already been able to reach many affected and non-affected people through our joint public relations work in the form of a podcast, a sticker campaign and our social media campaign.

In addition, we have jointly offered training for physicians on topics such as self-management, multimodal pain therapy and the Endo app. In the collaboration, AOK-Plus takes over parts of the organization, while we contribute appropriate content to ensure the best possible care for endometriosis patients in different ways.

We are particularly pleased that the digital health application Endo-App can be used as an AOK-Plus service.

We continue to exchange ideas in order to improve care together.

How do you benefit as a startup and what does AOK get out of it?

Through the cooperation with AOK-Plus, we gain valuable insights. We get to know structures and work processes in a large insurance company. The regular and close contact ensures that we can give each other feedback in a short way to provide the best possible care for those affected. The bottom line, however, is that the biggest beneficiaries of the cooperation should be the patients.

How did you get your foot in the door with such a large insurance company?

AOK-Plus is regularly involved in the startup scene. We finally came into contact via “Spin-lab,” a startup accelerator that promotes young companies. The cooperation with AOK-Plus was fitting for us because of their focus on young people and families.

Were there any special challenges for you in the course of the cooperation and how did you overcome them?

Sure, there are always challenges! One of the challenges was the different way startups work compared to insurance companies. The “corporate size” of insurance companies also plays a role here; after all, many stakeholders have to be involved, which can slow down processes. As a startup, you’re a bit more agile, but you’re also dependent on quick decisions. Of course, such collaborations are also learning processes. That way, we can turn the challenge into something positive.

What has helped you in the context of this collaboration? Was there any particular learning for you personally?

Spinlab has moderated the collaboration. Thus, we have a third partner on board who can demonstrate understanding for both sides and mediate or translate, so to speak, when the worlds of startup and insurance company collide. But it was also nice to learn that our contact persons at AOK-Plus really care about the people affected, so that we were able to work together well and honestly.

Do you plan to intensify or expand the cooperation in the future?
There is still a lot to do in supporting those affected by endometriosis! AOK-Plus has proven to be a valuable partner in our fight for endometriosis patients. Therefore, we can very well imagine an intensification.

How do you overcome reservations about startups when talking to cooperation partners?

A lot can be achieved through transparent communication. This alone helps to dispel many reservations practically by itself.

What trends and developments in terms of digitization do you think will be inevitable for players in the healthcare sector, such as health insurance companies, in the future?

Nowadays, no one can avoid digitization. Nevertheless, digital innovations in the German healthcare system unfortunately still have to overcome many hurdles. In my opinion, the digitization of bureaucratic aspects – both for doctors and patients – is inevitable. It’s already true that the more digital a health insurance company is, the more attractive it is to the insured.
Digital solutions should not only be perceived as challenges, but above all as opportunities. All players in the healthcare system would benefit from this. Those who let digitization slide will miss out on many opportunities. In particular, data should be allowed to be analyzed in a responsible manner for the benefit of general health while ensuring data protection.

Contact

Website: https://endometriose.app/endo-app/

LinkedIn: Nadine Rohloff