We are looking to sell/license our software (mobile/web app) to national mental health centers and wanted to know what the best pricing structure would be. The app will be prescribed to patients and their use monitored by the provider.
Hi,
You are asking one of the key questions in healthcare today broadly speaking and the specifics of mental health add another layer of complexity.
I will assume that you are talking about the US. If so, I faced the same question in two specific cases: 1) with my start-up which featured a wellness/healthcare app at the center, and 2) with my other company in the telephonic health coaching business.
For the start-up, we landed on a good business and pricing model after running a several "discovery" pilots. We ran the pilots to peel back the pricing question and to understand the health economics of our specific application....who will pay, how much, and is it worth it to the buyer and to the patient (who are not necessarily the same person or entity). In your case as you probably already know, you will have to deal with the challenges of the US mental health system.
It's a complex topic that is worth talking through. I can share what we did in both the wellness business and in the disease management business to help you think through your options.
So, if you request a call, I'll do what I can to help you crack the code.
All the best.
So the firs thing I wonder about this is not what the price will be, but how will you get mental health providers to integrate the app into their workflow? What is the ROI specifically that would make a company want to buy this? How can you justify the cost with the value provided? Is this something that can be billled for? What is the entire interaction between the patient and the doctor? Is the doctor going to get paid for using this? What is the benefit to the provider for implementing this? Once you understand the perspectives and experiences of every individual who is touching the product then you can start thinking about price.
Payer perspective - As a medical director with an insurance company a few questions come to mind which can help in your thinking on this. Is there a CPT for the services? Is there an ICD-10 code for the conditions? Who do you feel is the payer, ie the patient, clinic, insurance company, employer? Of those payer's who do you have an existing relationship with or industry connection with? One approach would be to ensure the services of the app are covered in health insurers medical necessity and/or utilization management protocols so they can be billed for. You could also sell the app to health insurers in which case they would pay you a per member per month rate for the individuals using this. They could help promote the use of the app through their care managers or their digital health resources. Happy to talk more on this to help you understand the market from my perspective.
