Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy helps people deal with trauma disorders. The traditional method of administering treatment involves in-person sessions with a registered therapist who uses paper and crude digital tools to make notes and record data.

“In high school, I was receiving in-patient EMDR therapy to help me deal with a traumatic incident,” explains Zach Jordan, CEO of Easy EMDR. “The session itself was really cool but the technology used to deliver it was lacking, which detracted from my overall experience. In 2016, I decided to build a better, fully digitized version of the systems being used by therapists and offer it for free.”

From 2016 to late 2019, patients mostly relied on screen share and combined Easy EMDR with for-pay HIPAA-compliant video screen-share services. At the time, most treatment was provided in-person by therapists and very few offered or provided care online.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, EMDR therapists and patients found their ability to continue care jeopardized in this new remote-first world. Existing tools like Skype and Zoom had major pitfalls that led to a less than ideal experience. “The therapists and patients started asking for video capabilities directly in Easy EMDR. Daily allowed us to offer an all-in-one platform that combined our bilateral stimulus tools with a seamless video call,” Jordan notes.

In 2019, Easy EMDR launched a professional version of its service with a paid plan, but the search continued for a way to add HIPAA-compliant video and other features.

Easy EMDR's wish list for a video integration solution included:

• HIPAA compliance
• Ease-of-use for end users (therapists and patients)
• Affordable pricing and no large upfront fees
• Good product documentation
• Simple integration with the Easy EMDR platform

Jordan evaluated the available options on the market and was unimpressed. “We tried Zoom's SDK for HIPAA-compliant video, and it couldn't do much of what we needed. We initially tried integrating it into our tool, but it was messy.” Similar analysis of Skype found it also lacking in user-friendliness and performance.

Jordan discovered Daily via a simple Google search. He found that Daily's flexible APIs could integrate easily, deliver video quickly and seamlessly, and offer all-important HIPAA compliance. Easy EMDR integrated Daily video into its platform, followed by chat. 

• Ability to add HIPAA-compliant video with a small staff was critical
• The first to offer a fully supported embed via Daily Prebuilt that can be compliance enabled
• Quick integration of video and tools into the Easy EMDR platform
• Good documentation references
• Time and money saved on integration: integrating Daily's zero-maintenance components without having to change Easy EMDR's own code
• Prompt and responsive customer-service support
• Robust tools free from technical issues
• Saving three weeks of three developers' time by having HIPAA-compliant chat app come built in with Daily

A virtual therapy call with Easy EMDR

End users of Easy EMDR also appreciate the benefits Daily has helped to deliver. “Our platform really saves therapists and patients time,” says Jordan. “Therapists who had spent decades doing in-person therapy, and suddenly had to transition to remote service, were initially intimidated and skeptical of remote-care technology. However, they found it really easy to use.”

The ability to respond to sudden market demand paid off. “Now we are able to provide a versatile, clinical-grade EMDR tool at the fingertips of therapists and patients,” says Jordan. As a result, Easy EMDR has grown several times over since it started using Daily and saw the following results:

• 22X revenue growth in the month following video integration
• Up to 3 weeks development time saved with Daily
• Additional 1 month saved with Daily add on features such as HIPAA and chat
• 5% increase in trial conversion rate after implementing integrated video
• 6% increase in signup volume after implementing integrated video

The company has also added customer service representatives and programmers, and is planning for an even brighter future with Daily in which it will:

• Build a robust mobile-app video experience so people can receive care by phone with seamless interoperability between web and phone apps
• Create group session support
• Add services for other forms of therapy, such as talk therapy

Looking back on his journey, what means the most to Jordan is knowing he's making a difference in people's lives. Not only is Easy EMDR a pioneer through its philanthropic efforts (being the second company in the US to adopt the Giving What We Can pledge to donate 10% of company profits to effective charities) but the company also continued to succeed in its mission to help people access the care that they need.