August 28, 2024
University of Missouri graduate Brian Worley's company helps patients get the care they need and pay for it on their own schedule.
August 28, 2024
Contact: Janese Heavin, [email protected]
Brian Worley (BS '03) came to the University of Missouri in 1999 with a lot of ideas in his head. He excelled in math and physics, was passionate about engineering, and knew he wanted to start his own business one day.
The University of Missouri gave him the skills and experience he needed to realize his ambitions, and now he's founded a startup that's helping millions of Americans get the healthcare they need.
Six years ago, Worley founded Paytient with the goal of improving people's ability to pay for their own medical expenses, making healthcare more accessible and affordable for more people.
“Most people worry about the cost when they go into a hospital or clinic,” he says, “and may feel like they have no voice, no choice, no control. I wanted to empower people and give them more certainty during some of life's most uncertain moments. Patient is the culmination of my experiences and lessons learned. This is what I was meant to do in life, and I wouldn't be here without the University of Missouri.”
Early inspiration
Wally grew up in Springfield, Missouri, started working almost full time at age 14, clipped newspaper articles about successful entrepreneurs throughout history, and won a national physics team championship. When it came time to decide on a college, Wally initially planned to attend other universities until he attended a high school camp at the University of Missouri.
“I felt like by attending the University of Missouri I would be able to graduate with a broader and deeper experience, and that was important to me,” he said.
Worley pursued a degree in industrial engineering, a branch of engineering that focuses on optimizing systems and processes. For his senior year capstone project, he applied what he learned in the classroom to a medical setting, working with a university hospital to improve the efficiency of its day-to-day operations.
“Industrial engineering gave me the best opportunity to learn to build teams, not things,” he said. “Industrial engineering gave me the mental models and frameworks to understand the complexities of the world and find simple solutions to complex problems.”
University of Missouri College of Engineering graduate Brian Worley explains why he chose to study industrial engineering: “It's an incredible responsibility.”
After graduating, Worley worked as a process engineer at a hospital and started a side business with Daniel Lin, who also graduated with an IT degree in 2008. Seven years before national delivery apps became popular, Worley and Lin created a software platform used by local delivery services across the country. By 2013, nearly a million people were using the software, and the pair sold the business.
Worley continued to look forward to a glimpse into the future and an opportunity to solve larger societal problems using the lessons he learned on the front lines.
He's witnessed this first-hand after spending a decade working in the healthcare field, an experience that not only enhanced his empathy for patients but also gave him a deeper understanding of the operational and financial challenges healthcare workers face every day.
“Health care has infinite needs and finite resources,” he said. “Everyone in the system wants people to have access to health care. We needed a business model innovation that would help make the health care system healthier for all stakeholders.”
One day, while biking on the MKT trail, Wally was thinking about these challenges and came up with the idea to start a company to help employees pay for their healthcare. He teamed up with Lin again, and Patient was born.
Paytient is an employer-sponsored, interest-free credit structured as an employee benefit for both medical and veterinary expenses. Called a Health Payment Account, the card allows members to use the Paytient card to smooth out out-of-pocket expenses over time.
“Patient reduces costs for employers while simultaneously empowering people to decide how and when they want to self-pay for their care,” he said.
It's a benefit that more Americans will soon experience, thanks to Medicare prescription drug payment plans. Starting in January, Medicare Part D plans will offer beneficiaries the option to pay for their prescription drug costs over time in the form of capped, interest-free monthly installments. Paytient was selected to drive this effort for nearly half of the more than 54 million Americans enrolled in Part D plans. Again, Whorley and Lynn were perfectly positioned to drive this wave years before it hit.
“Paytient will power the health insurance plans of nearly 25 million Americans,” Whorley said. “This is a huge commitment and affirmation of our mission to help people have greater access to and affordability in health care. We are growing and building every day to help our health plan partners meet this historic moment.”
Innovation Begins at the University of Missouri
Worley's advice to aspiring innovators is to “understand the natural tendencies that shape your behavior, have faith, and believe in your capabilities.”
And take advantage of all that the University of Missouri has to offer, he added.
“The only way to live a better life is through innovation, making tomorrow better than today,” Worley said. “The University of Missouri teaches the art and science of making that happen, providing an incredible springboard for sending the best and brightest out into the world.”
Editor's note: We all have ideas. At the University of Missouri, students learn how to turn them into reality. “Innovation Starts at Mizzou” is a series showcasing changemakers at the University of Missouri who are making an impact on the world. Innovation. It's in our DNA.
This story was originally published by Show Me Mizzou.
