How Zest Health is helping Chicago navigate the constantly changing world of health care

It's no secret the health care system in our country can be confusing. With the approval of Obamacare and different regulations changing every day, it’s increasingly difficult to feel confident that you not only have the right health care plan, but are also using it properly. 

 

Zest Health is seeking to solve that problem, making health care costs more manageable and giving users the ongoing support they need to feel confident about health care. They’re answering the questions you may have been too scared to ask and making sure you utilize your health care plan as you would want. Their consumer-centric approach helps users better understand their health care options, and are using modern technology like a mobile app to do so. 

 

“We’re your quarterback for care,” Zest Health President Shawn Ellis said. “[Our nurse concierge] are able to give you the personalized advice and support you need to be more informed as a consumer of care and eventually to buy care in a smarter manner.” 

 

Zest Health's "nurse concierge" is a dedicated team of RN’s and customer support that's available to members 24/7. They know your plan and even many of your preferences so you're getting truly personal support when you reach out.Zest is eliminating the confusion and any unnecessary expenses like heading to the ER because you think it's your only option at off-times. They’re closing the gap that exists once you’ve signed up for health care to when you actually use it.

 

"We have something that's much more personalized, much more tech-enabled and is really 

going to be there for the member day or night as they're making health care-consumption decisions," Ellis said. "In the end most health care consumers are making sub-optimal decisions because they don't have access to information or support as they're making the decisions."

 

Their Zest Shopping Marketplace, a place where 

they negotiate rates on everything from an x-ray to x-press acupuncture to ensure members get the lowest market-price for their services, is just one of the features of the app, helping to understand pricing upfront and make sure you’re getting the best deal. Members can also schedule appointments with in-network care providers and be reminded of those upcoming appointments. 

 

 

Zest began as a joint venture of Lightbank and 7wire Ventures, two investment firms with three of Chicago's most prominent entrepreneurs, Brad Keywell, Glen Tullman and Lee Shapiro, at their helms. Those firms saw a need to change the way consumers think about health care and Zest was incubated. Shapiro actively leads the group in the role of Executive Chairman. 

 

Ellis and many other members of the leadership have jumped in the startup rodeo before, and like any good young startup, they’re making culture and community a high priority.

 

“Getting culture right is so important,” Ellis said. “If you want to get great talent, if you want to have coherence in your team and if you want to sustain that insane pace as every startup has to as they’re innovating, you have to have that culture to fuel your employees and motivate them every day.”

 

Ellis hopes to maintain a mostly flat organization and foster growth and comradery. They hold a town hall meeting every Monday to talk about anything and everything — and they expect everyone to participate since everyone has an equal voice.

 

They're also active mentors at Healthbox, Hyde Park and the Chicago Innovation Exchange and emphasized that staying active in the community is an important part of their mission. 

 

"We're Chicago through and through," Jonathan Ozeran, VP of Product, said. "As a startup we want to be able to help the next generation of companies be able to collaborate with others who are doing great stuff."

 

The startup is currently seeking their Series A funding round and expects to close that soon. Initial seed round funding was undisclosed and came from Lightbank and 7wire Ventures. 

 

Zest Health currently has over 30,000 users on the platform, all gained in the 6 months since their launch, across 25 clients. The team right now is around 25 people and they hope to double that by the end of 2015. They’ll be making several hires in sales, account management, and engineering.