The portal was designed to help physicians create or review vitamin and supplement recommendations for patients. If a patient has taken Persona’s lifestyle assessment, practitioners are granted access to log into a personalized dashboard and view the patient’s assessment. Practitioners can also input custom vitamin and supplement recommendations through the Prescription Pad app.
Additionally, it also allows physicians to conveniently access and cross-reference more than 650 prescription medications to avoid potentially harmful drug-nutrient interactions, which has been Persona’s point of differentiation in the crowding personalized supplement subscription space.
It debuted last week at the Cleveland Clinic 16th annual Dr. Michael Roizen’s Preventative and Integrative Medicine Longevity Conference.
“We’ve heard from our medical advisory board and physicians who specialize in integrative medicine that they are looking for ways to provide a more holistic experience for their patients. We’ve listened, and are now delivering,” said Jason Brown, founder and CEO, Persona.
“We are excited to bring a personalized vitamin and supplement program to physician’s fingertips and into patient’s overall wellness regimen.”
Healthcare practitioners as bridge to consumers
Dr. Michael Roizen, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic and chair of Persona’s medical advisory board helped develop the portal, as well as the algorithm that recommends supplements to users.
“I believe it is important to consider vitamins and supplements as a part of a person’s comprehensive wellness plan,” Dr. Roizen said.
Tapping the healthcare practitioner channel has been an important strategy for supplement brands to reach a wider audience. This year, bone broth and ‘keto’ specialist Ancient Nutrition started distribution through online dispensary Natural Partners Fullscript.
"The important role a healthcare practitioner plays in the overall health journey of an individual patient is hard to overstate," said Ancient Nutrition founder Dr. Josh Axe.
Trade groups are using this strategy as well. The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (or GOED) launched an initiative to bridge the healthcare practitioner community with consumers, starting with an educational website called Fats of Life, as well as designing continuing education programs around omega-3 for pharmacists.
