Talem Health: Bridging Technology with Clinical and Forensic Expertise

We talked to Matthew Kay, founder of Talem Health Analytics, about the process of acquiring custom insurance plans in different locations and this is what he said about it.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times? 

Matthew Kay: The pandemic has been a difficult time for many people. My family is located in Ontario and throughout Atlantic Canada, it has been difficult being unable to travel and see family members for an extended period. However, connecting virtually has become the norm and I can say we have been very fortunate to avoid any serious issues due to the pandemic.

Tell us about you, your career, and how you founded Talem Health Analytics.

Matthew Kay: I grew up in St. Johns, NL completed a Kinesiology degree at Memorial University, then moved to Glasgow, Scotland to pursue a Masters in Physical Therapy at Glasgow Caledonian University. Following that, I returned to Canada at a position in Nova Scotia with interests in pain science, injury causation, patterns of injury, and management of complies injuries. The utilization of technology to aid injury management became a growing interest. With regular interaction of individuals within the insurance sector, it became apparent there is a growing need for new innovative solutions and technology to help identify injuries earlier allowing for more efficient treatment pathways. With a growing interest and passion for technology, data, and research, the evolution of Talem Health Analytics followed. Our goal is to bridge technology with clinical and forensic expertise so we can proactively manage bodily injury claims in a more positive fashion for the patient, health care provider, and insurance company

How does Talem Health Analytics innovate? 

Matthew Kay: I believe our company innovates in multiple ways, we are unique in utilizing technology to provide preliminary crash data (severity, injury likelihood, and recovery information ) with minimal time, touchpoints, and resources needed from our customer. Talem connects the right information at the right time of the claim making referrals, decision making faster, easier, and earlier in the claim.  The connection of claim, medical, and billing information is a unique process that is missing in today’s claims innovation, this allows for information to build and provide value through various departments vs a singular point and time on the claims, structuring data this way allows us to assist at the beginning through to claim closure.

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Matthew Kay: As the pandemic has decreased the number of cars on the road thus accidents and medical intervention there has been an effect on the service side of the business. However, where a problem develops so too does opportunity. The pandemic has shown the need for streamlined, remote, and technology-based solutions when human interaction is limited. I feel at Talem we have created the perfect blend of technology and human expertise, allowing for better internal claims processing but also the management of the claim.

Did you have to make difficult choices regarding human resources and what are the lessons learned?

Matthew Kay: We were fortunate during this time that we did not have to make any difficult decisions on letting employees go. We have a great team where almost everyone wears multiple hats and we have been able to work together to create and foster a culture of growth in a difficult time.

How did your customer relationship management evolve? Do you use any specific tools to be efficient? 

Matthew Kay: Our primary customers are in the US, the inability to travel has limited the traditional methods. We pride ourselves on a personal, trust-building relationship. This has had to shift to virtual meetings, demonstrations, and educational sessions. We use various tools to generate, track and maintain our business/customer relationships

Did you benefit from any government grants, and did that help keep your business afloat?

Matthew Kay: We were able to continue without the dire need for covid relief,  overall we are fortunate to have the support of Innovacorp and NSBI as a company in Nova Scotia. Through this time we took part in the Holt Fintech accelerator which provided additional support and have managed to close a round of investment that provides the needed runway to scale.

Your final thoughts?

Matthew Kay: Our company is excited at the opportunities we have in store for 2021 and beyond, we have an amazing team and network of advisors/support. I feel we have positioned ourselves to be a leading Insurtech company that provides transparency and value to the insurer and the insured. With the ultimate goal of quality care, customer satisfaction, a better outcome at a lower cost is attainable.

Your website?

www.talemhealthanaltyics.com