A new startup has taken aim at the telehealth space. However, unlike other apps, the focus is to connect patients with physician assistants and nurse practitioners, as well as registered nurses, instead of physicians. The app, which offers a 24/7 chat-based model, also aims not to diagnose or prescribe, but to triage and inform.

Developed in the Harvard Innovation Lab and launched earlier this month, Nurse-1-1 is designed to offer patients a better and more reliable resource than being left to their own devices, such as Googling symptoms, to determine whether or not they should seek medical attention. It is HIPPA-compliant and encrypted, and offers patients a low-cost model of $12.50 per chat, with or without insurance—which is undoubtedly cheaper than a wasted co-pay, if medical attention isn’t deemed advisable.

To use the service, patients only need to download the app, answer some simple questions, and then they are paired with either a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse, who can triage their situation through photos and information shared via the chat.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.