Forest Park, Homewood residents pair up to have health delivered

For patients with chronic illnesses, Mazi Rasulnia sees a lot of what he calls the “6,000-hour problem.” 

Out of roughly 6,000 waking hours each year, those patients see their doctor perhaps one or two hours. The rest of the time, they’re on their own to manage their condition.

“Doctors, pharmacists, nurses — they all mean well, they just don’t have time,” Rasulnia said.

Rasulnia is a Homewood resident and the co-founder of Pack Health, which he describes as a patient engagement program to help bridge the gap between doctor visits. The goal of Pack Health, which Rasulnia founded with Forest Park resident Will Wright in October 2013, is to “extend the reach of the doctor beyond the clinic” and help patients better manage their health. The company started out at Innovation Depot but moved into an office on Sixth Avenue South earlier this year.

Pack Health starts with a 12-week program, which patients can sign up for directly or through their doctor, insurance provider or employer. The company works with chronic conditions such as cancer, COPD, asthma, diabetes, infectious diseases and mental illness and soon will start an autism program to help caregivers manage health and prevent wandering. 

“They just want help. They’re overwhelmed. They’re frustrated. They’ve tried a lot of things. But generally what we’re finding is we get a lot of people who joined through support groups, through word of mouth, through Facebook,” Rasulnia said.

For $25 per month, clients are paired with a health adviser who will call, text or email them each week to answer questions and help keep the clients working toward their goals.

“I have members that have had their condition for years and years and years, and they just really don’t know how to deal with it. Having somebody to kind of talk to them is helpful,” health adviser Kiley Turner said. “Having the personal touch is something that’s meaningful.”

Taking a cue from subscription delivery services such as Blue Apron and Trunk Club, Pack Health mails each new client a box containing a health contract, pedometer and other items to help them stick to a new health plan. These include refrigerator magnets with healthy food information and a place to write each week’s “tiny goal” to reach.

However, what’s made Pack Health grow to 2,500 clients in less than three years is that each program is customized. Rasulnia said each health adviser helps their client set up individual goals and learn about behaviors that can help or worsen their individual symptoms.

“It’s just a function of empathy and time. We’re spending time with people and coaching them and making sure they make the right choices,” Rasulnia said. “We’re trying to do it for less than [the cost of] a haircut.”

After the initial 12-week program, Pack Health members continue for an additional nine months with less frequent check-ins from their health adviser. Turner said she’s still there to answer questions, but the goal is to see if the education and new habits they created will stick.

Though they have members in every state and a few other countries, Rasulnia said Pack Health is trying to keep its success local. They work with UAB and Baptist Health Systems, try to hire local graduates and even have their printing and product manufacturing kept in the state.

“We’re trying to make it, ‘Alabama saved health care,’” Rasulnia said.