Lyonnais. Faced with chronic diseases, Follow Patient wants to gain weight –
By Morgan Couturier
Editor of solutions for patients with chronic diseases since 2017, Follow Patient offers doctors a wide range of services designed to promote patient support.
The weight of words may well be a concept known to all, it is nonetheless complex to explain. All the more so when the latter are busy evoking the subject of the disease. A sensitive point for which the word is no longer money, but gold, when these same words see constraints to relieve ailments. Their scope is even wider, when the disease is said to be chronic and the support essential. Unfortunately, an exercise that is often overused. For lack of time. At least so far. Or rather until 2017, date of creation of Follow Patient, a Lyon entity created for the benefit of patients with chronic diseases.
Obesity and endometriosis (gynecological disease affecting one in ten women, editor’s note) in this case, these two pathologies having the primary attention of the ingenious Calwin Ly, formerly specializing in the design of medical devices such as the gastric band. “On this occasion, I met many doctors, surgeons and I realized that they were not able to follow their patients. By talking to them, I got the idea of creating Follow Patient, ”says the founder of the young start-up.
“A secure messaging tool” designed for doctors and their patients
The rest was surgical precision. Since innovation is often at the service of health, the Lyonnais knew how to take advantage of the benefits of computers and smartphones to create specialized applications, the aim being to “save time” for specialists. “Via these monitoring applications, doctors will be able to configure the patient care pathway, list the examinations to be done, the specialists to go and see. All this is then submitted to the patients, who receive all the information on their cellphones, ”explains the engineer, who nevertheless made sure to specify that the platforms in question (Follow Surg and Follow Metrios) do not in any way replace the need for ‘a consultation.
“There are sometimes six months, one between two consultations. The idea is to have support between the two, ”he continues. A source of support for patients, Follow Patient therefore promotes the idea of significant time savings for physicians, who are in fact able to devote themselves exclusively to the proper functioning of treatments.
“The goal is to go towards two or three chronic pathologies per year”
“Chronic disease is the most time consuming thing. The doctor will provide treatment, but for this type of disease, he also has a duty to ensure that the patient’s health improves over time, ”underlines Calwin Ly. While France represents the third largest obesity market in the world (after the USA and the United States, editor’s note), Follow Patient thus wishes to recall fond memories of certain writings: “the weight of a load depends on whoever the door “. From its offices slipped past Verdun, the start-up therefore aspires to tip the scales on the right side: that of a “better life”, where the support would be more extensive and the workload reduced. And this, even if it means starting its arms towards new pathologies such as oncology or kidney failure.
“We have prototypes, tests in progress. For these two diseases, the objective is to release an application in 2022 and ultimately to go towards two or three pathologies per year ”, admits the Lyon leader. A thoughtful ambition, on the edge of millions of people concerned, when obesity strikes “only” 15% of the French population. Chilling figures, which nevertheless feed the number of users (20,000 at present) and referenced doctors (the latter are subject to a monthly subscription of between 120 and 180 € depending on the features). Thing done, it would then only have to be duplicated in other regions. To other patients. In Switzerland, in Belgium, or better, in the United States. There is no doubt that on the spot, in Follow Patient, the patients will believe.
> More information on www.followpatient.com