A passionate drive to truly care for people by helping to eliminate their pain and poor health is what led Brent Kruel to create BioFunctional Health Solutions, Inc. (BHS). As the Chief Executive Officer, Brent utilizes his profound expertise to make BHS the leader in onsite and digital wellness solutions for U.S. employers. His venture has revolutionized corporate occupational health by leveraging the latest technology and mobility healthcare trusted by small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
We, at CIO Look, came across Brent in our endeavor to find ‘The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs to Watch, 2021.’ Our conversation led to more in-depth insights on how Brent and BHS have changed the landscape of the healthcare sector with their innovative technologies.
Let’s unveil the journey to understand more about the Brent and his strategic mission in the health and wellness community.
Where did it all Begin?
Upon enlisting in the Air Force, after graduating from high school, Brent was assigned to a combat communications unit which introduced him to some of the most advanced technology of his time. He quickly developed passions for both technology and helping people. This was born out of his experiences during deployment into combat environments and humanitarian missions like Operation Uphold Democracy, in Haiti, in 1994. Brent went on to attend the United States Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, CO. While there, Brent’s highly athletic lifestyle led him to the track where he competed as an NCAA Division I varsity 800-meter runner for the Academy’s track and field team.
Brent also suffered a severe injury resulting in a fractured spine from jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 ft during his time at the Air Force Academy. This injury jeopardized his commission and the ability to compete in the 800-meter. He pushed through the pain but still needed help to heal. He became passionate about alternative therapies that would reduce the pain and inflammation and allow him to function and compete. This new passion led him to choose the medical service corps office upon his graduation from the Air Force Academy in 2000.
It was a formative experience for Brent’s career to be a medic in the Air Force. Some of his accomplishments include being in charge of building a new hospital, CIO of a large inpatient facility at 27 years old and landing the job of hospital administrator of the largest hospital in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Air Force also sponsored his in-residence Master’s in Healthcare Administration at the #1 school of public health in the nation, UNC-Chapel Hill.
A year after separating from the Air Force, Brent was promoted to his first executive-level position in a significant software and services company that was a market leader in healthcare insurance and payment processing software. Not long after, Brent suffered another injury, a torn ACL, that required surgery. This was a success, but he lost range of motion in his knee and it was suggested that he have yet another surgery. Brent did not see this as an option and he went on a quest to find other alternatives. This is when Brent was introduced to a better healthcare option and a model that professional athletic teams used on their athletes. In less than five minutes, in a treatment that looked like a pinpointed massage, he regained full range of motion without surgery.
Brent has experienced four more miracles of this level using these soft-tissue healthcare methods and avoided four surgeries. He now lives pain-free.
Brent’s passion about bringing this care to as many Americans as possible in his lifetime led him to create a company that will carry on his passion to a larger scale for generations to come. And so began the birth of BioFunctional Health Solutions. BHS is now the leader in TOTAL health and wellness, leveraging technology as well as hands-on soft tissue healthcare to resolve and treat conditions that cause pain. But this is not where it ends. This dynamic company offers a whole litany of other traditional wellness modalities.
On the Mission of Healthier Nation
BHS is radically passionate about improving American employees’ quality of life, leading to a better tomorrow for them and their employers.
It’s mission is to make the chronic pain prevention and resolution programs available to as many employees and their families as possible, knowing that this will lead to a healthier, happier, and more productive nation., asserts Brent.
The company intends to be available to every American by 2023 either through employer-sponsored wellness programs or its new application, YouMari. BHS is the first company to translate its hands-on system into a self-treatment system coupled with a symptom checker enabling customized self-treatment programs to resolve musculoskeletal conditions accessible from anywhere.
A Complete Wellbeing Approach
BHS is a thought leader and innovator in musculoskeletal health. It has become the standard pathway for resolving musculoskeletal conditions (MSKs) like back pain, shoulder/neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and many more are very expensive, invasive, and a leading cause of opiate addictions in the United States.
It is bringing American employees the most effective, least invasive, and most affordable resolution for these MSK issues that cause over 50% of adults’ chronic pain. It does this by detecting injuries and dysfunctions through its patented 3D mobility health assessment system and leveraging a proven hands-on system that professional athletes trust.
This hands-on system is not new, although it is not widely available. According to Brent, the system was developed in 1991 by a doctor of osteopathy that made a revolutionary discovery regarding the relationship between the connective tissues (fascia) and MSKs. This system has been widely adopted in elite sports to include professional sports and Olympic athletes. These elite athletes are not the only ones who need to stay pain-free and competitive; your employees deserve this care as well so they can be productive and safe in the workplace.
Innovating Technology
BHS is an innovator in technology and consummate collaborators with others advancing technology in its field. It was the first to implement patented screening tools using a 3D range of motion analysis that identifies dysfunctions in the musculoskeletal system and joints. This analysis helps it to treat repetitive motion injuries before they become painful chronic conditions.
Envisioning Future Wellness Culture
BHS envisions itself servicing 100 million Americans within the next three years with its onsite and online solutions. Its goal is to be the first choice in employee wellness and MSK treatment for individuals.
Guiding the Caretakers of Tomorrow
Brent advises upcoming entrepreneurs in Employee Health and Wellness sector to match the solutions according to market needs by seeking and understanding the market before designing any solution. He says, “This is how we were able to redefine ourselves prior to developing and adopting technology that supports our solutions.”
“Do not get caught under the complexity avalanche of technology functionality and instead leverage technology to enhance outcomes for your customers without burdening them with using the technology,” concludes Brent.
