Best start-up companies in Bowie, MD

MDsave has announced the addition of laboratory/pathology services to its medical service listings. With the proliferation of high deductible health plans, the push for price transparency is a hot topic. MDsave, a Brentwood, TN based healthcare startup, is aiming to be an “Expedia of health care”. MDsave is the first e-commerce company to offer a single online resource for consumers to research, compare, and purchase healthcare services at significant discounts. Launched June 2012, MDsave is already in 3 large metro markets and likely to expand to another 4 this year. MDsave is in partnership with SSM Healthcare Oklahoma, parent organization to St Anthony hospital. The partnership encompasses more than 225 healthcare providers across 20 locations and over 200 procedures and services that include MRIs, flue shots, CT scans, and specialty visits. With the current challenges in the healthcare marketplace, this couldn't come at a better time for St. Anthony's patients and the Oklahoma City community. Because an individual can purchase medical procedures and services directly from physicians, MDSave eliminates the complexity that many are currently experiencing with health insurance exchanges. Also, with thousands of Americans temporarily finding themselves with canceled health plans, MDSave helps these individuals to immediately save on their current pressing and preventive healthcare needs. Over the long term, as government leaders work through these challenges and more Americans sign up for high-deductible plans, the need for reducing out-of-pocket costs will only increase. MDsave is also in partnership with Weatherford Regional Medical Center outside of Fort Worth, whose parent company is Community Health Systems, one of the nation's leading hospital systems. Weatherford currently offers imaging services and has just added all of their lab/pathology services as well. Outpatient surgeries and physician office visits will be added to the listing soon. “Partnering with Weatherford Regional Medical Center is an important step toward making healthcare more accessible, affordable and transparent in Texas,” said MDSave co-founder and CEO Paul Ketchel. “We know that the cost of preventive treatments like diagnostic imaging is often a factor in consumers neglecting to have them. A recent National Cancer Institute study found that CT scans reduced the risk of death from lung cancer by 20 percent. We hope that our partnership will increase Texans' access to quality imaging and, as a result, help save lives.” For example, an MRI would typically cost a patient without insurance $2,074.77, while a patient with a high deductible plan would pay $1,231.96. By researching and booking through MDSave, that same patient could get an MRI at Weatherford Regional Medical Center for $425, resulting in a more than 65 percent savings. A patient who needs an X-ray would typically pay $181.26 without insurance and $107.66 with a high deductible plan. Through MDSave, he or she could pay $82 at Weatherford, resulting in a more than 23 percent savings. The typical CT scan would cost an uninsured patient $1,374.53 and a high-deductible patient $816.41. An MDSave user could book and get the scan for $350 at Weatherford, at more than 57 percent savings. MDsave announced its latest partnership in the Nashville market in April. In an effort to bring more consumers greater access to colonoscopies, AMSURG Corp. and MDSave are launching a pilot program to introduce bundled pricing for the procedure to two Nashville-area surgery centers. Associated Endoscopy in Hermitage and St. Thomas Medical Group Endoscopy Center in Nashville will offer a fixed cost for the procedure to high deductible, self-pay and under-insured patients at a lower rate than those individuals would typically pay. Those who are insured under the Affordable Care Act's healthcare exchange marketplace will also be eligible for the program. Consumers can access these savings through the MDsave website, www.MDSave.com. Experts recommend colonoscopies for everyone aged 50 and above, and the pilot program will create an option for patients who might otherwise be deterred by the idea that a colonoscopy is financially out of reach. Bundled pricing means that qualified patients will pay a single, set price for all costs associated with the procedure. Without bundled pricing, these patients would receive multiple bills for charges like facility fees and anesthesia fees, which can be confusing and lead to unexpected costs for the patient. This marks only the second time that colonoscopies have been offered with completely bundled pricing - the first being the MDsave partnership with DDSI, a gastroenterology center in Oklahoma City. Going one-step further, this program includes any and all diagnostic procedures that take place during the colonoscopy, such as biopsies, in the bundled price. These procedures are not always covered by insurance when a screening colonoscopy is ordered. The average cost of a colonoscopy in Nashville is $5,175 for uninsured patients and $3,583 for those with a high deductible. With the MDSave partnership, Associated Endoscopy and the St. Thomas Medical Group Endoscopy Center are able to reduce those fees to $1,795 for patients who qualify, representing a significant savings to consumers. “Through this pilot program, we are able to provide Nashville-area consumers with a potentially lifesaving procedure at a more affordable and easier to understand price,” said Paul Ketchel, MDSave CEO and co-founder. “This complements our growing suite of healthcare services offered in our community and with providers in other areas across the country.

MOD Super Fast Pizza owns and operates a chain of pizza restaurants in the United States and the United Kingdom. Its restaurants offer pizzas, salads, sides, and beverages. MOD Super Fast Pizza also allows customers to customize their orders. It offers its products through restaurant chains, as well as online. Moreover, MOD Super Fast Pizza franchises its pizza restaurants. Scott and Ally Svenson founded it in 2008, with its headquarters in Bellevue in Washington.

A cutting-edge, scalable solution to Americans' increasing demand for local and sustainable food, BrightFarms is pioneering the future of local, low-impact farming. We build, own, and operate local greenhouse farms that create permanent green-collar jobs and deliver fresh, great-tasting produce to homes across the country. BrightFarms' growing methods - a model for the future of scalable, sustainable local farming - use far less energy, land, and water than conventional agriculture. Fast Company recognizes BrightFarms as “One of the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies” and one of the “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Food” in the world.

LiquidSpace is the new model for startup real estate. You can now complete your office hunt online in minutes rather than months. Gone are the days of complex leases and hassles; simply find a space you love and book it on a month-to-month basis. You can upgrade anytime as your business grows and your needs change. And when you need an additional work or meeting space anywhere, you have access to a world of workspaces that you can book instantly by the hour or the day, across the U.S., Canada and Australia. If your company already has an office with extra space to share, we can be your new funding source by helping you fill those desks and bring in extra revenue. Our tools make it easy to merchandise and present your space to likeminded startups who are in search of an office. We handle the terms, agreement and credit card transaction to make it quick and easy, so you can stay focused on your business.

Lovepop creates unique, laser-cut pop-up cards that unfolds like a miniature surprise. The company sells 3D pop-up greeting cards for every occasion and works with retailers, businesses, and event hosts to make their message pop on custom orders. The company helps customers build and strengthen personal relationships that go beyond the connections common in a hectic, digital world. Lovepop was founded on 2014 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

At Lotsa Helping Hands we envision a world where everyone can give and receive help through the power of community. Our service brings together caregivers and volunteers through online Communities that organize daily life during times of medical crisis or caregiver exhaustion in neighborhoods and communities worldwide. Caregivers benefit from the gifts of much needed help, emotional support, and peace of mind, while volunteers find meaning in giving back to those in need. To date, nearly one million Members have lent a hand through a Lotsa Helping Hands Community and more than 50 national nonprofit organizations partner with Lotsa to support caregivers. Lotsa Helping Hands also offers both customized, private-label versions of its service to organizations in many different industries, as well as opportunities for sponsorship and affiliate marketing programs. For more information about Lotsa Helping Hands,