Building the future of cannabis care

Nearly 90% of Americans who are suffering are cannabis-curious or cannabis-experienced. They are looking for an opportunity to include a cannabis care regimen that will reduce their suffering and fit into their day-to-day life. 

At the same time, clinicians are challenged by patients who are actively seeking relief through cannabis.  They want to provide responsible and collaborative cannabis care to these patients but do not have a reliable, evidence-based clinical referral to offer. These clinicians want to be able to track patients’ progress and provide guidance backed by data and research. 

Cannabis retailers are also failing to effectively serve the wellness/medical cannabis consumer because they are not able to provide personalized care, consistent assistance, or accurate guidance. As a result, millions of people remain on the sidelines unsure if cannabis-based care could make a difference in their lives. 

The eo team is working to help people more easily, responsibly, and affordably create and maintain an optimal cannabis care regimen. eo enlisted the help of DEPT® to create a digital platform that would generate a centralized data source to better understand the efficacy and eventually, outcome prediction. For regulators, payers, and medical providers, eo’s platform can demonstrate how guided cannabis care compares to other treatments such as anti-inflammatory drugs, psychoactive prescription medications, and opioids. 

The goal for the eo mobile app was for patients to be heard and guided, and for clinicians to be empowered to deliver data-informed care at digital scale. We built a patient companion app, marketing website, and intelligent data platform, focusing first on patients with chronic pain. The app would also provide rich clinical data and insights. The platform was paired with a series of intelligent data models developed by eo over a two-year period prior to the build.

With the companion app, we first focused on understanding patients’ pain, medical makeup, day-to-day schedule, personal attributes, and specific goals. We used a combination of unstructured, open-ended voice and text inputs, as well as structured inputs, to power the data models which output personalized product recommendations and calendar-based care plans.  After review by a clinician to ensure consistency, the care plan is enabled in the app for the user.

Patients receive a personalized, 30-day care plan designed for maximum efficacy to fit their day-to-day life. The app collects continuous feedback, provides notifications, and details precise, calendar-based instructions for use. 

The user controls key aspects of their care as their condition and situation change each day; these inputs are also intelligently incorporated into their personalized care model. Patients also receive a specific set of recommended products and dosing, along with telemedicine access.

eo partners with dispensaries to provide consistent products, ensure product availability, and guide the dispensaries’ medical and wellness customers. After the 30-day period, the customer’s regimen is adjusted to respond to their evolving needs, metabolic changes, and the availability of new products – essential in an industry seeing unprecedented growth and rapid product innovation. 

To remove friction and provide optimal outcomes, care packages can be delivered directly to the customer’s home. 

DEPT® designed and built the beta app, marketing site, and clinician portal in just five months. eo launched its early access program in September 2021. Since then, early testers have shared valuable data and positive feedback to inform future features and improvements.  These include patient progress dashboards, day-part controls, delighters, embedded chat/telemedicine, and integration of other data sources and third-party applications.  Other non-acute, wellness-based applications of cannabis are also being planned.