Former Sparrow Employee Starts Online Health Care Concierge Service

Judy Foley, a former Sparrow Hospital employee, has started a health care-focused concierge service she believes will alleviate items on personal “to do” lists, so health care employees can focus on their jobs and families.

“I wanted to develop a business that would give something back and help busy health care workers balance work and their personal lives,” she says about Balance Concierge, a Web-based service that she just launched.

Health care systems that use Balance Concierge give employees access to the site with a login. Employees can ask the virtual concierge to do tasks they don’t have time to do, like researching the most water-efficient dishwasher, getting an oil change or having their dry cleaning picked up.

Foley’s also working on forming relationships with local vendors, such as dry cleaners, personal shoppers, automotive services, etc., so they can help check off tasks on the “to do” list.

“Instead doing errands on your lunch period, they’re being done for you,” Foley says.

Foley hopes to offer another section that will give users access to industry coupons.

“We try to save people time by just offering these services to them in a convenient manner, but we also try to save people money,“ she says.

As for patients, Foley’s working on getting a TV-based service that will allow patients to click on the television in their hospital room and pick the services they need. This could include getting a book from the hospital bookstore or getting their dry cleaning done.

Foley is starting out with two Michigan-based employees, but hopes to add states and employees as her business grows. She is working on developing contracts with health care systems.

Source: Judy Foley, Balance Concierge

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

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