BOSTON — Buoy Health, a start up health technology company that develops digital tools,  has entered into an agreement with CVS Health’s MinuteClinic subsidiary to provide patients with access to convenient, accessible and affordable care at any of its over 1,100 MinuteClinic locations nationwide.

The relationship, which will be available to patients through www.buoyhealth.com later this year, will leverage Buoy’s advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help patients not only gain a more accurate assessment of what is wrong, but to help them get better faster by providing them with easy access to care at a nearby MinuteClinic, when appropriate.

“We started Buoy to stop the spiral that consumers currently face when they attempt to look up and analyze their symptoms online,” said Dr. Andrew Le, chief executive officer of Buoy Health. “But when someone is sick, they need more than just an accurate assessment of what is wrong; they need tangible options for what to do next. By aligning with an industry leader like CVS Health, we will now not only have the ability through AI powered triage to guide people to the right care, we will also be able to connect them with the care they need in the moment they need it the most.”

To access, consumers will go to the website and begin engaging with its intuitive AI, in an exchange designed to mirror a conversation with a favorite doctor. Patients are then prompted through a series of questions to enter their symptoms in detail. Sample questions include, “How long have you been experiencing your cough” or “Any fever today or during the last week or two?”

Buoy’s AI will then analyze the consumer’s inputs in real-time and measure them against proprietary and granular data, to intelligently decide the most important question to ask next. In just two to three minutes, Buoy will gain a detailed and accurate understanding of the consumer’s case and point the consumer to the best next step for care. This can include directing a consumer to the right clinically validated over-the-counter treatment, recommending that they go see their primary care physician or that they access a doctor via telemedicine. If additional care is needed and a retail clinic would be the appropriate place to receive that care, Buoy will help the patient connect to MinuteClinic, where they will be able to hold their place in line at a location nearby. In more severe cases, consumers may also be directed to urgent care or to an emergency room.

“CVS Health is committed to helping people on their path to better care. We do so by providing high-quality health care services that are convenient, affordable and accessible for patients,” said Dr. Troyen Brennan, executive vice president and chief medical officer at CVS Health. “Entering into a relationship with a health-tech innovator like Buoy to connect their experience to our nationwide network of MinuteClinic providers gives us the opportunity to provide affordable care at times and locations that work best for the patients who utilize this innovative technology.”