Pediatricians are the ultimate preventative caretakers for our society. It’s no secret that investing in childhood healthcare leads to a healthier and, by extension, more productive adult life. It’s also no secret that pediatric vaccinations are the single most lifesaving public health initiative after giving access to clean water.
Why is it, then, that pediatricians are the lowest paid physicians? Why are they spending 15 hours per week and 50+% of their revenue dealing with the massive amount of paperwork and administration that comes with the job? Why are they being forced to join hospitals en masse where their salaries are lower, prices for patients are higher, and quality of care is equal or worse? And why is it that of the 14.7 billion invested in healthcare in the first half of 2021, less than 1% is being dedicated to pediatrics?
We’re leaving our children behind.
While there are a million reasons why pediatrics is a challenging space, the most egregious one by far is vaccinations. A pediatric practice will spend roughly 20-30% of their revenue on vaccines - a cash flow and inventory risk that makes starting and managing a pediatric practice that much more cash-intensive. This may make sense if giving vaccines was actually profitable, yet 69% of pediatricians report breaking even or losing money off of vaccines due to how much is required from clinic staff to get it right.
For most pediatricians today, the only reason they continue to give vaccines is because it is their societal duty to be the front lines against the deadly viruses of our time. Vaccines are the light at the end of the tunnel of the biggest challenge the world has faced in recent history, the fact that 36% of pediatricians have stopped or are seriously considering stopping their vaccine programs due to financial issues is a disgrace.
Pediatricians give vaccines. We do the rest.
We built Canid with one goal: simplify the pediatrician’s work. Every time that a pediatrician can spend extra time with their patient helping a child grow up healthy instead of entering vaccine information into a screen is a win. Every dollar that they can spend on making parents comfortable instead of hiring a large administrative staff is a win.
In order to save the pediatrician the most amount of time and money, though, it’s not sufficient to provide yet another tool for their arsenal. They don’t need another method to solve the problem… they simply need the problem solved. We’ve redesigned how the process works to minimize the touch points with our software as much as possible.
With Canid, pediatricians scan vaccines and give them… that’s it.
In the background, Canid does the rest. We purchase vaccines for them and ensure that they always have on hand all the vaccines they need. We report all vaccines given according to the ever-changing regulation. We verify patient insurance, submit bills, dispute rejections, and manage challenges for them to get their money back. We help them improve their reimbursement rates and quality measures. We provide resources to educate patients on the latest vaccine research. We share vaccine records with patients when they need them.
Helping pediatricians be leaders in a pandemic
Canid was founded in 2021… a pivotal moment in the history of vaccines. While the COVID vaccine is unique in some ways, for the most part the challenge of giving as COVID vaccines is the same as for every other vaccine:
- Stifling regulation
- Profits are slim to none
- Patients are nervous, unwilling or unable to get them
From the very beginning, Canid realized that Pediatricians are the heroes that we need at the forefront of this pandemic. That’s why we launched our COVID software the day the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children in May 2021, vaccinating 250 kids that weekend. Today, a few months later, pediatricians have used Canid to vaccinate thousands of kids in the New York area and give the pediatricians that did the work the peace of mind that we’ve got their back.
In these few short months, the landscape has changed dramatically. We’ve gone from fighting for access to inventory to the state of New York begging us to take more. From coordinating large redistribution strategies, to tweaking issues with people’s Excelsior Pass. From building protocols to help the uninsured get vaccinated, to fighting for fair reimbursement for the COVID vaccines.
We’ve been able to shield our partners from the challenges and whiplash that the COVID vaccine dropped on their laps, so they can focus on getting the kids excited and the parents informed.
Agents of change, unite!
If pediatricians are being left behind by the current healthcare system, then it takes people who aren’t afraid to go against the grain to fix that. People who will fight for what’s right, and not just what’s profitable in the short term. People who think deeply about population health, and know that when designed correctly doing the right thing can also support a business’ bottom line. People who think that the small physicians’ office can still be saved, even through all of the challenges.
It’s this impact-first thinking that allows us to start with the right thing to do, and build viability into that vision… not the other way around. That’s why we’re excited to be assembling such a unique set of thinkers that believe in Canid. Our team, our investors, our advisors, and our partners all believe in the change we’ve set out to build, and without them we wouldn’t be where we are.
We’re just getting started...
Our first mission as Canid is to transform vaccines from something dreary, complicated and unprofitable into something that doctors can be excited about. We’ve already taken strides to do exactly that for our customers. That’s not to say that the problem is solved: there’s a long journey ahead of us, but we’re making record time and on our way.
The journey ahead of us doesn’t stop here. Vaccines aren’t the only thing that slows down our pediatricians… From billing, to fax machines, to prior-authorizations, to after-hours care, the administrative burden of running a pediatrics practice keeps on piling year over year. If we truly want our pediatricians to be focused on caring for children there’s so much more to do… and we need your help!
If you’re excited about what we’re building, we’d love to hear from you! We’re always looking for those that aren’t afraid to look at things a bit differently:
Contact Us!
