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Why Shameless Care Operates Differently Than Many Telehealth Companies
Contents
We don't sell. We educate.
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The Federal Trade Commission, along with Los Angeles County and the State of Utah, has sued Hims, the nation's largest telehealth company1. Among other things, the lawsuit alleges that the company made subscriptions difficult to cancel, shared consumers' health information with advertising platforms such as Facebook and Snap, and charged customers before a physician had reviewed their case.
Hims denies the allegations, and the case is ongoing.
Regardless of how the lawsuit is ultimately resolved, it provides a good opportunity to explain how Shameless Care operates differently.
We Don't Have Subscriptions
The first allegation involves subscriptions.
Shameless Care doesn't have them.
We hate subscriptions. They make a lot of money because people forget they have them. We don't think that's a good way to run a healthcare company.
Having subscriptions would almost certainly increase our revenue. But maximizing revenue isn't how we make business decisions.
We Don't Buy Paid Advertising
The lawsuit also alleges that Hims shared health information with advertising platforms.
That isn't how Shameless Care markets its services.
We don't buy Facebook ads.
We don't buy Google ads.
We don't buy Snap ads.
One reason for that is simple: it avoids many of the privacy and compliance issues that can arise when healthcare companies rely heavily on targeted advertising.
Your Card Is Authorized, Not Charged
The third allegation involves charging customers before a physician reviews their medical information.
Here's exactly how Shameless Care works.
When you place an order, you enter your credit card information. Our payment processor, Stripe, authorizes the transaction.
An authorization is not a charge.
It simply verifies that the card is legitimate and places a temporary hold on the funds.
Our software is designed so that your card can be authorized, but it cannot actually be charged until one of our board-certified physicians has reviewed and approved your treatment.
That review may take up to 24 hours, depending on how quickly the assigned physician reviews your case.
If treatment is approved, Stripe captures the payment.
If treatment is not approved, the authorization is released.
A Different Business Model
Most telehealth companies grow by spending heavily on advertising, acquiring subscribers, and continually bringing in new customers a little faster than existing ones leave.
We have a different approach.
We invest in education and customer service instead.
Shameless Care has grown into a major telehealth company without paid advertising. We simply don't need it.
Instead of buying ads, we've focused on earning trust. We've built a YouTube channel, launched a podcast, published educational articles, participated in interviews, earned media coverage, and, most importantly, earned the trust of thousands of patients who tell their friends about us.
Transparency Matters
We built Shameless Care differently.
- We don't have subscriptions.
- We don't buy paid advertising.
- We don't hide our prices behind "starting at" teaser pricing.
- Our software does not capture payment until a board-certified physician has approved treatment.
Whether Hims is ultimately found liable for any of the allegations is for the courts to decide.
But the lawsuit provides an opportunity to explain why Shameless Care made very different decisions from the beginning. We think building a healthcare company around transparency, education, and customer service is simply a better way to do business.