Description
Buoy Health is a consumer health platform built around an AI symptom checker. It was founded by Andrew Le, M.D., who saw ER patients repeatedly misjudge their symptoms after searching online during his final year at Harvard Medical School, and started the company to give people a more reliable first stop than a generic search engine.
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Users start a chat and describe what they are experiencing. Buoy's AI asks a series of follow-up questions about the symptoms, then gives feedback on possible causes and how serious they might be. Based on that assessment, it recommends the type of care to seek, whether that is self-care, a primary care visit, urgent care or an emergency room, and it can follow up by text on the person's progress afterward if they give permission.
Beyond the chat, Buoy runs a library of symptom and condition articles researched by medical writers. Buoy says these go through at least four rounds of review by doctors, specialists, illustrators and editors before they publish, and that custom medical illustrations are vetted by doctors, with some content produced together with Harvard Medical School. The site also carries review and "Top 10" style guides meant to help people choose a specific doctor, product or service once they know what they are dealing with, plus a community section where users can read how others handled similar symptoms.
Buoy is aimed at people who feel stuck between searching symptoms online on their own and calling a doctor right away, and who want a structured first pass at figuring out what might be going on before deciding where to go for care.
Buoy states plainly that it does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and is not a substitute for a relationship with a doctor or other qualified health care provider. It tells users to call their doctor or 911 if they think they may be having a medical emergency, rather than relying on the chat.
- CategoryMedical & Clinical AI
- Pricing ModelFreemium
- DeploymentCloud
- PlatformsWeb
Buoy Health's Core Features
AI chat that asks follow-up questions about symptoms to narrow down likely causes and severity
Personalized care recommendation covering self-care, primary care, urgent care or the ER
Optional text follow-up on a user's symptom progress after a chat, with permission
Library of symptom and condition articles researched by medical writers
Editorial process with at least four review rounds by doctors, specialists, illustrators and editors
Custom medical illustrations vetted by doctors, with some content produced with Harvard Medical School
Review and "Top 10" guides for choosing a specific doctor, product or service
Community section with stories from other users about similar symptoms
How to use Buoy Health?
Start a chat: open Buoy and describe the symptoms you're experiencing
Answer follow-up questions: respond to Buoy's AI as it asks about specifics to narrow things down
Review the guidance: read Buoy's feedback on possible causes and how serious they might be
Pick a care option: follow the recommendation for the right next step, from self-care to an ER visit
Opt into follow-up: allow Buoy to check back by text on how your symptoms are progressing
Browse related articles: read clinician-reviewed symptom guides and reviews for more context
Buoy Health's Use Cases
- Symptom triage
- Reading up on a condition
- Choosing a provider or product
- Tracking symptom progress
