MONDAY MUSE: CHLOE HARROUCHE, FOUNDER OF THE LANBY
Meet our latest Monday Muse, Chloe Harrouche, Founder of The Lanby. Chloe is a remarkable and inspiring female founder with years of experience in the healthcare industry and a very personal story that led her to found The Lanby—a primary care membership that prioritizes patients' well-being from all perspectives of healthcare.
Tell me about your founder story and what prompted you to start The Lanby.
I was 23 years old when I got diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. I had no family history and no concerning symptoms other than a concerning lump I felt in my left breast. Given my age and the spread, my treatment involved a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and ten years of tamoxifen.
My fascination with doctors made me want to be their perfect patient. I said yes to every recommendation and never questioned their approach. Over time, though, I became more curious and motivated to explore nutrition and wellness – was there more I could do day-to-day to minimize my risk of recurrence and optimize for longevity? I inundated my world-renowned care team with questions. But they were simply ill-equipped and strapped for time. The reality is that doctors in the U.S. are trained to be reactive, not proactive, and they’re incentivized to churn through patients as quickly as possible. It’s not their fault -- this is a systemic issue deeply rooted within a very broken healthcare system.
Ultimately, this is where primary care should step in. The problem is that primary care today is just as narrow-minded and conventional as specialty care. So, we designed The Lanby to be a utopic version of primary care – a true first line of defense encompassing integrative medicine, wellness, and care coordination. We’ve tackled every pain point patients face when trying to get well and turned it into a seamless, pleasant experience that actually moves the needle.
As a patient, I craved an approach to care that made me feel supported at every turn. Whether I was dealing with an acute diagnosis, infertility issues, wellness paralysis, or wellness obsession – it didn’t matter. I wanted to build a long-term relationship with a team I could trust and who would go the extra mile because they actually cared.
We built The Lanby from the ground up. The traditional experience is so antiquated and transactional that there was very little we wanted to carry over into our approach. This allowed us to differentiate ourselves in a few key areas:
Membership model: Insurance reimbursements are designed to incentivize physicians to drive up volume, not quality of care. To avoid this, we implemented a membership model that realigns physicians and patients around the shared goal of getting well practically and sustainably.
Care Team: It shouldn’t be a surprise that physicians can’t do it all. They’re not trained to. To broaden the scope of primary care without placing undue burden on physicians (they’re burnt out as it is) we expanded our care team. Each member has a designated lead physician (board certified in family and integrative medicine), wellness advisor (registered dietician), physician assistant, member advocate, and care coordinator.
Hospitality: Our attention to detail goes far beyond the clinical aspects of care delivery. To truly reimagine primary care for the modern generation we wanted our members to enjoy their time with the doctor. So we created a vibey space and five-star service that caters to the patient at every touchpoint. Our team strives to do our best work, every time. We pride ourselves on closing every care loop, turning every stone, and infusing delight wherever possible.
What has it been like being a female founder in the healthcare and wellness space?
Probably the hardest part of being a founder is juggling everything else that comes with being a partner and a parent. One of the things I've enjoyed as a female founder is the support and connections that I've made with other female founders who are also trying to balance it all.
I've been blown away by not just the founder connections but the friendships I've been able to make through the communities I’ve been lucky to be a part of. These are women who truly understand the emotional strength it takes to navigate the ups and downs. Having a platform to speak openly about this and find encouragement along the way has been a huge relief.
How can The Lanby be beneficial for employers and employees?
Over the past year, we have received significant inbound interest from employers interested in offering The Lanby to their teams as a way to be competitive and retain top talent. Our research shows that:
Traditional health benefits are siloed and underutilized.
Over 77% of employees are burnt out and unsatisfied.
Employers are eager to lighten their administrative load, while enhancing morale and performance.
As a result, we’ve decided to launch a more robust corporate partnership program. We work closely with our corporate partners to understand their needs and tailor packages accordingly. This includes a combination of annual memberships, executive physicals, wellness consultations, employee-paid options, and company-wide programming. By offering customized packages, we are able to align ourselves with the needs of our employer partners to ensure satisfaction, increased utilization and decreased spend.
What is next for The Lanby in 2024?
Just The Labs: We are launching a beta of our first a la carte offering next month, focused on providing non-members with access to our comprehensive lab panel. This is a chance to obtain a deeper, data-driven understanding of your baseline, which includes your hormone health, metabolic health, cardiovascular health, nutrient levels, and more. Our offering includes a 45-minute discussion with The Lanby’s Care Team to review your results and receive personalized recommendations on specialty care, preventive screenings, nutrition & wellness, supplements, and further testing if needed.
Membership Add-Ons: Through robust partnerships with our preferred health and wellness brands, we recently launched an add-on menu for members to tap into off-market discounts and differentiated experiences. This includes a proprietary biomechanics assessment, a 6-month wellness mastermind program, a concierge ER membership, whole-body preventive screening, IV therapy, cryotherapy, and acupuncture.
Podcast: Over the coming weeks, we are releasing the first season of "GET WELL, BETTER" a podcast by The Lanby. This is an extension of The Lanby's mission to revolutionize primary care into a true cornerstone of health. Each episode promises to engage listeners with insightful discussions featuring a diverse array of health specialists, all through the lens of real patient experiences. Our aim is to demystify the health and wellness landscape, spark curiosity, and reveal the synergies between medicine and wellness.
