In this post, we'll cover:<\/p>\n
- What Is Ginger.io?<\/a><\/li>
- Why Was Ginger.io Created?<\/a><\/li>
- Background<\/a><\/li>
- The Aims of Ginger.io<\/a><\/li>
- The First Ginger.io<\/a><\/li>
- How Ginger.io Evolved<\/a><\/li>
- Matching Users With a Personal Health Coach<\/a><\/li>
- Eliminating the Need for Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs)<\/a><\/li>
- Recent Development in Ginger.io<\/a><\/li>
- How Does Ginger.io Work?<\/a>
- On-Demand Coaching<\/a><\/li>
- Ginger.io Teletherapy and Telepsychiatry<\/a><\/li>
- Activities<\/a><\/li>
- Personalized Care<\/a><\/li>
- Privacy<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- The Benefits of Ginger.io Online Therapy Tools<\/a>
- Reduce the Symptoms of Mental Illness<\/a><\/li>
- Reduce the Stigma of Traditional Mental Health Care<\/a><\/li>
- Accessibility <\/a><\/li>
- Integrated Mental Healthcare<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- The Safety Risks of Mobile-Based Mental Healthcare Provider Platforms<\/a>
- Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment<\/a><\/li>
- The Promotion of Mental Health Problems As the Norm<\/a><\/li>
- Digital Placebo Effect<\/a><\/li>
- Lack of Evidence-Based Proof of Efficacy<\/a><\/li>
- Privacy Concerns<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How Much Does Ginger.io Cost?<\/a><\/li>
- Conclusion<\/a><\/li>
- References <\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n
<\/span>What Is Ginger.io?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io was founded in 2011 by Alex Pentland
![\"Opens](\"https:\/\/safesleepsystems.com\/wp-content\/themes\/acabado-6\/img\/extlink.png\" "\\"Opens")
<\/a>, Anmol Madan<\/a>, Karan Singh<\/a>, Ryan O’Toole<\/a>, a group of data scientists and engineers from MIT. The name Ginger was chosen by Anmol Madan to pay homage to his mother’s ginger tea that was a cure-all for any illness. Initially, a passive data analysis was used to alert members to behaviors that were symptomatic, then the application evolved. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Ginger.io system evolved from a passive monitoring system into an integrated mental healthcare platform<\/a> with on-demand services. Today, they reach millions of in need members in over 30 countries through its collaboration with employers and health plan providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Netflix<\/li>
- Pinterest<\/li>
- Sephora<\/li>
- Twilio<\/li>
- Yelp<\/li>
- Buzzfeed<\/li>
- SurveyMonkey<\/li>
- Dominos<\/li>
- Delta Airlines<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Why Was Ginger.io Created?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It is not news that our mental health systems are overtaxed, and depression and mental illness are on the incline. Some 45 million million adult Americans
<\/a> are experiencing mental health illness, and 59% of the 12-17 age group suffering from major depressive episodes are not receiving any treatment. Almost a quarter of the 45 million adults suffering from mental illness are reported not being able to receive the medical treatments they needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n- Lack of comprehensive health insurance<\/a> or limited cover<\/li>
- Lack of qualified psychiatrists and understaffed mental health system<\/li>
- Lack of available treatments such as inpatient treatments and individual therapies <\/li>
- Lack of finances to fund therapy<\/li>
- Lack of coordination between primary health care and behavioral health systems<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The founders of Ginger.io found that this shortfall in much needed mental health care needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency. For co-founder Karan Singh, who had recently had a loved one attempt suicide, the need for accessible health care was particularly pertinent. Ginger.io was created to provide those in need of care with a direct channel to the services they most need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From a platform that sold insights to healthcare providers, they evolved to become the leading platform delivering mental health care. This unprecedented expansion of data collection to health care delivery has gained the world’s notice and opened some contentious dialogue regarding the limitations of mobile-based health platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Background<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before spearheading Ginger.io, Anmol Madan was a researcher at MIT Media Lab, where he engaged in a collaborative study of ‘reality mining,’<\/a> which analyzes human behavior data generated by their usage of technology. By examining the passive digital traces of mobile phone usage, they found they could identify predictable behaviors in the user. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The Aims of Ginger.io<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
With an alarming percentage of those with mental illness who did not have access to mental health care, the co-founder of Ginger.io, Karan Singh, Madan, decided to fulfill this obvious need. With the insights he had gained on passive data collection as a prediction of human behavior, the team set about to use a ‘human check engine light
<\/a>‘ to alert users to signals of behavioral patterns that might signal a need for care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>The First Ginger.io<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
By making a smartphone app their focus, they used Madan’s research into reality mining and integrated their aims into the launch of Ginger.io. From the easy registration and medical history of the user, the app would passively begin collecting data centered around the users’ cell phone activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When passive data showed atypical use from the passive data baseline, they responded by sending a text to the user\/and or specified person (family, friends, health practitioner) to bring their attention to a potential problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How Ginger.io Evolved<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
After four years, Ginger.io had developed a significant user base, especially when feedback from users made them aware that they could be doing more for the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They made a decision to go back to the primary source of behavioral care, which was always a human connection. For those who didn’t have their own mental health providers to assist them in situations of need, they decided to engage human care into Ginger.io.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Matching Users With a Personal Health Coach<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The designated personal health coach on Ginger.io forms the center point of the collaborative care model and links the patients to professional mental health practitioners, according to their specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, they began in-application resources such as cognitive behavioral therapy and exercises and activities to support user coaching sessions with personalized interactive content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The coach also provides real-time interaction with the ability to address issues as they arise and access licensed therapy to psychiatry if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Eliminating the Need for Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs)<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The integration of technology and human-centered care in the Ginger.io workings have circumvented one of the primary obstacles for effective mental health management; reliance on Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs). PROs have been the standard way that healthcare professionals have assessed patient risk and mental, physical and social health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The information that the patient provides traditionally formed the basis of clinical decision making and research. With the Ginger.io system providing passive, contextualized data, the information is objective and unbiased and, therefore, more valuable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Recent Development in Ginger.io<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On August 12, 2020, Ginger.io announced a $50 million Series D-funding led by Advance Venture Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners. This figure brings the company’s total funding to over $120 million dollars.
<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis funding is due in part to some positive results from the Journal of Medical Internet Research
<\/a> on Ginger.io’s effectiveness in reducing depression. This conclusion was drawn from the clinical study that monitored the effects of Ginger.io services on 1662 participants over an 8-12 week study period.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis announcement came hot on the heels of alarming statistics regarding the crisis in mental health brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. In their Ginger 2020 Mental Health report, 70% of the American workforce rated their stress
<\/a> during the pandemic as greater than in the September 11 attacks and the 2008 recession. <\/p>\n\n\n\nGinger.io reported a dramatic increase in demand for their health care services, with weekly usage rates soaring 125% for Ginger.io based coaching. Therapy demand increased exponentially, with Ginger.io reporting an unprecedented 265% rise in demand for online therapy
<\/a> sessions post-COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>How Does Ginger.io Work?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io aims to pioneer a new system health care platform to connect those in need of care with integrated and data-supported health care. They have multiple features to allow members to customize their experiences and access healthcare in a non-stigmatized and easy-to-access format. Their features include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>On-Demand Coaching<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io offers coaching as first-level support when users need support. Not every person who needs support needs the services of a professional health care provider necessarily. Ginger.io’s coaches help people suffering from anxiety, stress, and depression that are endemic to our modern lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ginger.io coaches are there on demand, which means that if users are suffering a crisis in the early hours, there will be someone to assist them in real-time. Members may chat with their coach via the app discreetly and from wherever they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coaches provide individualized plans to each user that are created from motivational interviewing techniques and personalized goal settings. Ginger.io coaches offer assistance with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Setting goals<\/li>
- Managing stress<\/li>
- Improving self-esteem<\/li>
- Recovery from loss<\/li>
- Balancing home and work-life<\/li>
- Improving communication<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Members may use their day-to-day activities with their coach in tandem with their therapists to deepen their self-awareness and process emotions. Coachwork may supplement members’ psychiatric work and therapy sessions through check-ins and curated content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it is needed, the Ginger.io coach can escalate members to appointments with psychiatrists or therapists<\/a> within days, unlike the national average of 6 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Ginger.io Teletherapy and Telepsychiatry<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io has a vast network of qualified mental health therapists and psychiatrists that can be accessed within hours of registration. You will have access to live video therapy and psychiatric counseling and evaluation seven days a week on both evenings and weekends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The average time before your first appointment on Ginger.io is 10.5 hours, and you may rate your sessions. Your feedback allows Ginger.io to cater to your therapy to suit your personal preferences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Activities<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io provided members with over 100 activities to improve their mental well-being, which they are updated weekly. These activities take less than 5 minutes but cover the important self-improvement strategies such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Mindfulness<\/li>
- Relaxation<\/li>
- Meditation<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Personalized Care<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You have access to your own coach whenever you need them, day or night, and a personalized care team who work together to create an individualized plan specific to your goals. This eliminates the common delays in private and public healthcare and provides real-time communication for those in need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Privacy<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io takes client confidentiality seriously, and your employers may not access your private information, and information is protected by law. Ginger.io strives to provide the latest advances in cybersecurity to client information and endeavors to protect the sensitive information of their clients.Ginger.io claims to have created a safe place where people can seek real-time counseling without fear of privacy infringement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The Benefits of Ginger.io Online Therapy Tools<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Reduce the Symptoms of Mental Illness<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Studies are finding evidence
<\/a> that online therapy may be as effective in lessening symptoms as traditional therapy models. The areas of mental health where the clinical studies show the most promise are in the areas of depression, anxiety, and stress<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nData gleaned from the analysis of 3,876
<\/a> adults showed that those engaged in internet-based behavioral therapy had more positive outcomes than those who did not access online therapies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Reduce the Stigma of Traditional Mental Health Care<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Online on-demand mental healthcare platforms such as Betterhelp, Talkspace,
<\/a> and Ginger.io address a fundamental concern in those with mental healthcare needs. The stigma attached to mental health often prevents those with mental illness from approaching traditional therapies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Accessibility <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The traditional primary mental health system is overburdened, understaffed, and often ineffective. Professional health care costs are often prohibitive, preventing many of those with a genuine need for therapy from accessing care. Often the traditional healthcare system may take up to six weeks from referral to therapy, often in times of critical need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io addresses this lack of accessibility in a fundamental way, providing round the clock access to care. The fact that the provided care is mobile phone-based ensures that geographical distance or crisis that occur outside of traditional health care operating hours can be addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io has found that their care channels are often busiest at night or in the early hours when those with mental conditions are usually most vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Integrated Mental Healthcare<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io offers designated coaches, therapists, and psychiatrists collaborating with family members and member designated support. This integration of services is almost impossible in the overstaffed traditional mental health care system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unprecedented integration of behavior-based symptom monitoring and real-time on-demand support and counseling has very real implications for the future of mental health care services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The traditional reliance on Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS
<\/a>) meant that health care practitioners often had to rely primarily on the patients themselves when assessing factors such as patient risk and mental health. With the digital-based passive data collection, Ginger.io found access to real-time indicators of user patterns that evidenced symptomatic behavioral anomalies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The Safety Risks of Mobile-Based Mental Healthcare Provider Platforms<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One area of concern expressed by health care professionals is that apps such as Ginger.io frame normal life under the lens of clinical care. Using data-based algorithmic diagnostics to measure mental health may cause normal stress responses to be overdiagnosed. Without the input of a provider, self-monitoring may influence people to believe that normal stress behaviors were symptoms of illness and lead to overtreatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The Promotion of Mental Health Problems As the Norm<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Platforms such as Ginger.io promote the self-help aspect of their services while delivering a message that mental health conditions exist for everyone
<\/a>. When mental health is framed in these terms that mental-ill health is a ubiquitous condition, it does set the stage for increased self-diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Digital Placebo Effect<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Two clinical studies of randomized controlled trials on smartphone-based apps conducted independently can up with interesting results. One trial measured how mental health apps helped reduce anxiety, and the other measured the reduction in depressive symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The experimental apps seemed to be moderately effective in reducing depressive symptoms with smartphone app use, compared to the waitlist participants who did not. However, these positive effects diminished somewhat when active control conditions were imposed. Some believe that a digital placebo may play a part in these settings, much like those involved in non-digital studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the first mental health clinical
<\/a> studies had an unintended result. While trying to measure the efficacy of mobile-based therapy for depression, they asked their test subjects to record their symptoms of depression and begin to use the self-monitoring feature. Even before they were introduced to the therapy, the test subjects already showed significantly reduced symptoms of depression. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIt would necessitate a system of double-blind, randomized control trials to effectively separate the effectiveness of app-based interventions from digital placebo effects.
<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Lack of Evidence-Based Proof of Efficacy<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One would assume that having been operational for almost a decade, that Ginger.io would have more evidence-based proof of their application’s efficacy in clinical trials. Lack of FDA approval also seems late in the day as more and more mental health apps achieve the FDA green light. Without some kind of dedicated impartial service to rate the efficacy of mobile-based health apps, users tend to rely on user ratings as a guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a recent review of over 700 mindfulness, only 23 offered any actual mindfulness training
<\/a> and education. Only one had the support of empirical data. Yet, user satisfaction ratings showed no noticeable difference between the few real mindfulness apps and the ersatz versions. This is a concerning reflection of using customer ratings as a means of choosing mental health apps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Privacy Concerns<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
For a company that claims the ethical high ground of providing the populace with access to healthcare, their big-name employer-based packages seem questionable. No data system is failsafe today; as technology advances, so do the systems to undermine them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The potential implications of an app that is privy to your phone records, movements, habits, and personal therapy-based information are frightening. By using your GPS and motion accelerometer, the Ginger.io app can trace your movements (and non-movements) as well as your calls, who you call, and the length of your conversion. Information of this nature in the wrong hands could be catastrophic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam Tanner
<\/a> wrote a damning expose of underhanded practices of the medical community Our Bodies, Our Data: How Companies Make Billions Selling Our Medical Records.<\/a> So-called ‘anonymized’ patient medical data has become a multibillion-dollar worldwide trade in the pharmaceutical industry. The implications of mobile-based mental health and behavioral data could be the next El Dorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>How Much Does Ginger.io Cost?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io is notoriously hushed about their pricing for company based services. They will only provide pricing information to registered companies with verifiable employees. I managed to receive a quote for my company, with nine staff members of $30,000 per annum. I would imagine larger companies would be offered a far higher fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It does seem that bigger businesses would be more likely to afford these kinds of prices, with a $30,000 dollar price tag being well out of the reach of most small businesses. One would think that the company that professes to be delivering healthcare to the world might have a price structure more accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only available pricing online was published by TheNextWeb
<\/a> in 2017 and states the prices as $129, $249, and $349 depending on the level of access you require in terms of therapists and psychiatrists. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWith Salary.com quoting psychiatrists’ hourly fees as being $120
<\/a>, the price tag looks a lot less daunting and a sizable reduction in the costs associated with traditional therapy. A biweekly appointment with a psychiatrist for a month could cost you up to $880 and would only provide you with your hourly session. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nBetterhelp 10% Off First Month<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\nTalkspace $65 Off First Month ‘APPLY65’<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ginger.io’s star seems to be on the rise as more app-based health platforms get the green light from the FDA. Their undertaking is revolutionary and set to change the face of (or screen) mental health worldwide. As more clinical trials emerge to back the efficacy of data-driven mobile phone-based mental health care is set to become mainstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ill health costs companies with WHO estimating
<\/a> a trillion-dollar worldwide loss a year, which is something to consider. But the implications of an employer-based health care service do raise some questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>References <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
- Mobi Health News: Ginger.io Relaunches Full-Stack Online Mental Healthcare Service<\/a><\/li>
- Clarks Consulting: How Does the FDA Regulate Mental Health Apps?<\/a><\/li>
- Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign: Ginger.io User-Focused Ideation and Design<\/a><\/li>
- BusinessWire: Ginger Forms Advisory Board to Advance Innovation and Research in Mental Healthcare<\/a><\/li>
- Vator: When Ginger Was Young: The Early Years<\/a><\/li>
- World Health Organization: Mental Health in the Workplace<\/a><\/li>
- Harvard Business Review: AI’s Potential to Diagnose and Treat Mental Illness<\/a><\/li>
- Psychology Today: Digital Health and the Rise of Mental Health Apps<\/a><\/li>
- Annals of Family Medicine: Mental Health Messages in Prominent Mental Health Apps<\/a><\/li>
- Journal of Medical Internet Research: Evaluation of On-Demand Mental Health System for Depression Symptoms<\/a><\/li>
- Ginger.io: Home<\/a><\/li>
- AP News: New data from Ginger Shows 70 Percent of Workers Feel More Stressed During Covid-19<\/a><\/li>
- BusinessWire: Ginger Announces $50 Million in Series D Funding to Expand access to the World’s First On-Demand Mental Healthcare System<\/a><\/li>
- Mental Health America: Prevalence Data 2008<\/a><\/li>
- Amazon: Our Bodies, Our Data: How Companies Make Billions Selling Our Medical Records<\/a><\/li>
- OneHealthTech: Health apps and Evidence: Why Can’t We Be ‘Appy All the Time<\/a><\/li>
- ResearchGate: The digital placebo effect: Mobile Mental Health Meets Clinical Psychiatry<\/a><\/li>
- Salary: Hourly wage for Psychiatrist<\/a><\/li>
- NCBI: A comprehensive review and a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of Internet-based psychotherapeutic interventions<\/a><\/li>
- iMedicalApps: Why Ginger.io is the Most Innovative Startup<\/a><\/li>
- JAMA Network: Efficacy of Self-guided Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Depressive Symptoms<\/a><\/li>
- PubMed: Guided Internet-based vs. face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy for psychiatric and somatic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis<\/a><\/li>
- Betterhelp Vs Ginger Therapy<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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- Lack of comprehensive health insurance
