For nearly 25 years, Thompson Aderinkomi, MS, MBA has been a leader in delivering solutions that solve the two biggest problems in healthcare – access and affordability. Thompson is the CEO and cofounder of Nice Healthcare, a technology-enabled integrated care clinic that delivers care to patients wherever they are – in-home, at a work site, or virtually.
Nice Healthcare contracts directly with small employers, and has grown more than 500% since 2020.A tireless advocate for driving systemic change, Thompson co-founded Healthcare.mn, an organization for healthcare entrepreneurs that has grown to over 2,000 members. In 2013, Thompson was appointed to the inaugural board of directors for MNsure, the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange by Governor Mark Dayton. Thompson also serves on the board of Youthprise.Thompson earned a B.S. in Economics, M.S. in Statistics, and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management. He has been married for over 25 years and is the proud father of two sons.
For those who aren’t familiar, what is Nice Healthcare—and how is it different from a typical doctor’s office?
For starters, there is no office. Our tagline is “the clinic that comes to you,” because that’s exactly what we do. Our clinicians go to patients’ homes or workplaces, and we also have virtual care options, including mental health and physical therapy. It’s incredibly convenient. It’s also an employer benefit, independent of health insurance. Employers pay a low, per-employee, per-month fee, and members and their dependents can get care whenever and wherever they need it.
When I describe it to people, oftentimes they say, “That sounds like concierge medicine.” But concierge medicine is expensive, and simply out of reach for so many. Because we offer it through employers, have no brick-and-mortar costs, and leverage physician assistants and nurse practitioners, we can bring the solution to more people at a much lower cost, and ultimately decrease the total cost of care.
Who gets the most value from Nice Healthcare, and how does it make a difference in their everyday lives?
Regular working people and their families absolutely love Nice Healthcare. It makes a huge difference in their lives because they can usually get appointments within a day, and we can handle so many of those day-to-day primary care needs. Wellness checks, bumps, bruises, aches, pains – we can even do x-rays and lab tests in a patient’s home. We can prescribe medications, and over 550 of them are free to the patient. And because we can come to wherever patients are, they don’t have to take time off work or find childcare just to see a clinician.
Beyond that, we have a material impact on people’s discretionary income and time. Providing easy, convenient, affordable primary care services drives down healthcare costs, including health insurance premiums. That means we’re actually putting more of people’s hard earned paychecks back into their pockets. We take pride in picking people up where health insurance typically fails them and their families. One thing that’s really important to me and to the company is that we operate on an ethical margin, which, in the healthcare industry, is unique to say the least.
Of course employers also love Nice because we can drive down their overall healthcare costs. We’re helping their staff get preventive care where and when they need it. So beyond lower claims costs (which often leads to lower premiums), employers also get a healthier, happier workforce that loves their benefits package.
You recently announced a new partnership with Business Health Trust to expand in Washington. Why was this the right next step for Nice?
We’re really excited to expand in Washington with Business Health Trust because they’ve demonstrated their commitment to materially impacting healthcare by bringing affordable, exemplary care to more and more people. They’re a great partner for us as we seek to expand to more markets in more states. The more people whose health we can improve, the better. We want to build healthier communities wherever we go.
How have users of Nice responded to your unique mix of virtual and in-home care?
Since the beginning, we’ve been overwhelmed by the patient stories we hear every day. It’s always been important to me that as a company we never lose that patient-centered focus, and that we share our patient stories and continue to learn from them. Overall, it’s that level of convenience–the mix of in-person and virtual care people can get quickly–that really speaks to people.
Just recently we had a patient develop severe arm pain while caring for his young child in the wee hours and we were able to get him some virtual physical therapy first thing in the morning. Everyone at Nice takes pride in being able to do that, and it shows. Our net promoter score is 93.2, which is incredibly high for any industry and essentially unheard of in healthcare. I also keep an eye on our Google reviews and am constantly so humbled by the wonderful things people say about the care they get from our team. It’s that personal touch and ability to get care in whatever way works best for each unique circumstance that patients really love.
As you grow into new regions, how do you make sure the quality of care stays strong across the board?
Of course we have stringent licensing requirements and vetting processes. But equally as important, all of our clinicians are employed by Nice Healthcare. We don’t contract with third parties, so we have complete awareness and insight into who we’re sending out into the community. We also give our providers a lot of information and helpful resources to guide them while they’re conducting visits. They have evidence-based resources and a support team to turn to if they encounter challenging questions or conditions.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities you see in healthcare right now, and how is Nice Healthcare preparing for them?
It’s cost and access. While that’s nothing new, it’s certainly not improving any time soon. It’s what we set out to solve early on, and it’s what we’re continuing to do. It comes back to the concept of ethical margin as well. It’s how we can remain affordable for employers so they can have a healthier, more present, exuberant workforce. And while legislation is always changing in healthcare, it will always remain true that providing excellent primary care that’s accessible and affordable is of utmost importance in managing healthcare costs, keeping people well, and supporting thriving communities. There will always be a need for that, and that’s why we’re here.
