Healthvana App: Personal Medical Records, STD/HIV Testing Results At Your Fingertips Through Health App

STDs/HIV can put a dead stop to the fun of sexual intercourse, drugs and adventurous experimentation. And, knowing if one has contracted a STD isn't just a matter of getting tested; it's also a matter of getting the results.

Healthvana (Health + Nirvana), an easy-to-use health app, promises to keep the good times rolling by offering free, at-hand technology that makes STD and HIV results accessible to the public.

Nearly 220,000 of the 1.1 million people living with HIV in the U.S. are Latino. More than one-third of Latinos tested for HIV did so late in their illness, and they were diagnosed with AIDS within a year of testing positive. More than 20 percent of all new HIV cases are Latino, and they're diagnosed at 3 - 4X the rate of white males and females. Hispanic women are also 4X as likely to die from infection. And this is often because Latinos traditionally avoid testing, counseling and treatment out of fear of discrimination or destabilizing their immigration status. And if they do get tested, many don't retrieve their results.

Ramin Bastani, the founder of Healthvana, spoke with Latin Post, and he discussed the app's development and its mission to enlighten people about their health. The company was started after Bastani figured there must be a better way to help patients quickly obtain and manage lab results.

"Even though HIV/STDs are a huge problem in the U.S., it is possible to help to address the issue by helping patients gain access their health information, their health records and their test results," said Bastani. "So, we spent a couple of years understanding HIPAA in all 50 states. The idea is that it helps your health information be portable. For instance, if you want to switch doctors ... or you want access to your healthcare information, your info will be at hand."

Healthvana makes it easier for test results to be delivered to patients at a faster rate than ever before. To eradicate long waits, they've partnered with the providers and integrated laboratories, so as soon as the laboratories are done processing results, it's logged into their electronic healthcare system and funneled into Healthvana.

App users are able to sign a consent form saying that they want to receive their results electronically. Rather than waiting haplessly, or deciding "no news is good news," there will be a message waiting in your Healthvana inbox that states, "Hey Juan Doe, thanks for your visit to the doctor's office. Here are your results."

"What's really different [with Healthvana] is this isn't like lab results, which are really hard to understand... with its numbers and acronyms. So, what we really do is we make it really simple to understand," said Bastani. "So, for Syphilis ... instead of 'RPR non-reactive,' it'll Say 'Syphilis - Negative' and it'll be time-stamped."

With the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) as their partner, for a five-month trial period, Healthvana was able to release positive test result for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis to patients electronically in Florida. Not only that, but for mild virus or infections, the app also issues a message that says, "Don't worry, this is likely curable, this is exactly what to do next." It also reminds individuals when they haven't been tested after a certain number of months.

The app can make all the difference in a day and age when many don't check their voicemails; phone numbers become disconnected; and people carry burner phones. And healthcare providers can save time, money and resources when patients utilize the healthcare tool, which functions like an everyday social application.

"We also offer a free HIV testing locator, and we think it's the best in the country. We show you the best places to get tested in the nation, and you can filter out results," said Bastani. "If you're female... younger, if you're LGBTQ, we can help you find the best places to get tested in your area: New York, Washington, D.C. and Boston. It's like Yelp, except for HIV/STD testing."

In the future, Healthvana hopes to distribute test results for pap smears, pregnancy, cervical cancer and vaccination, offering an in-app vaccination center locator and reviews. Vaccination histories, as well as other tests, will be easy to access and easy to share -- particularly when one needs to share results with one's school or job. Healthvana can help to make sharing vital health information effortless.