App Profile: Healow

jlf1213

Rating: 5/5

I picked a provider based on the conditions I may be struggling with. Took a week it feels like to even get someone to communicate with me on why it kept asking for my insurance and ID after uploading it several times. I even uploaded my history with medications from my previous doctor I had before moving out of state last summer. In which I’m only taking on for migraines. I finally got through to someone by email. Then was quickly denied care because they don’t treat basic mental health conditions and that they don’t take my insurance. I literally selected a provider based on both that they suggested to me based on my insurance and conditions. My insurance is listed right at the top. This just adds another layer to my trauma caused my medical care. I’ve been trying to get through the past year with no care and I’m struggling. It’s hard going from thinking you will have someone to talk too soon to nothing. I would avoid this app and their providers as a result. I’ve been crying all morning. It was a huge step for me to even reach out to this new form of care.

iCarly2

Rating: 2/5

There is a new setting where the app does not allow appointments less than one year into the future. My son is 8 months old and needs multiple wellness exams within a year, but I get an error message after entering in all my information and it doesn’t allow me to book, requiring me to call my provider. This app also doesn’t handle rescheduling. To change an appointment I need to call my provider. And even then, I still get app and email reminders of an appointment that has been canceled. It makes me have to double check calendars and send messages to my provider to confirm the correct appointment or ensure one has been canceled. These issues have happened multiple times. I wish the app would remove the canceled appointment and not send reminders. I also would like to book my regular wellness exams through the app without getting errors. The UI for visit summary and the log for immunizations could also use improvement. I’d also appreciate the option to add an attachment to a message. For example, I wasn’t able to share a screenshot of my scheduling error. It would also be nice to select any provider (no preference) and schedule based on date/time available. Currently you have to click through each provider and their availability and cannot browse all doctors based on a date/time.

#afriendlybookworm

Rating: 1/5

If you happen to have one or more healthcare providers who are forcing you to use the Healow app and/or portal for communication with your doctor, lab results, prescription, refills, etc. — good luck! After you synch a more than a couple healthcare practices and patients (your children for example) and user names and passwords, the app can no longer access all of them without glitching or giving you a constant error. You cannot call and speak to a human at customer support. I tried, and they told me they could not help me — that I had to go through the website. So, I spent hours online and emailing with tech support only to not resolve anything and have them make suggestions that were not helpful — something that would’ve been much easier to navigate with an actual conversation. Healow, then closed my case, emailing me telling me they’d resolved my issue (nothing was resolved). My doctor’s office has also tried to troubleshoot unsuccessfully and can’t figure it out. So, communication with this particular practice is a constant problem and source of frustration. This is supposed to make my healthcare more accessible and easier to navigate. If anything, it is the exact opposite. The app works for the first two practices I used Healow for, but every healthcare practice added after that has not worked properly — if at all.