Brent Kruel
CEO, BioFunctional Health Solutions is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and and recei ved a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds the crown for spearheading innovation to more effectively screen for and treat musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and put the power of self-healing into the hands of employees in the workplace. Brent comes up with over twenty years of experience in a variety of settings to include hospitals, military healthcare, healthcare insurance, software, professional services, and consulting. This experience has allowed him to understand and intelligently address the challenges faced by both employers and employees in facing the problem of MSDs in the workplace to deliver effective solutions. He is a member of the Delta Omega and Alpha Epsilon honours societies.
Prior to joining BHS, Brent has held a variety of corporate leadership roles as well as started a software company. Brent served 14 years active duty in the Air Force and is a two-time combat veteran. In his last combat tour, Brent was the hospital administrator in charge of the largest military hospital in Iraq in 2004. He also served as a Physician Group Practice Manager, Director of Supply and Logistics, and Chief Information Officer of the largest Veterans Affairs and military hospital joint venture located in Las Vegas, NV.
Outside of BHS, Brent is an active volunteer in his community as a Committee Chair of the Cubs Scouts of America and delivers meals for Meals on Wheels. He is also an avid outdoorsman and mountain climber, having scaled many 14,000 foot plus mountains.
Bio Functional’s Advanced Health Solutions
The problem BHS Addresses: Total employee health and wellness can be summarized into three high-level “buckets” and the majority of corporate wellness programs and India’s healthcare system address only the symptoms without resolving the root causes of the problems:
Musculoskeletal Conditions/Disorders (MSKs/MSDs) affect 50% of all adults at any time and cost $781B in direct medical care costs annually which is 24% of all healthcare spending. These conditions are also the number one cause of worker’s compensation and disability claims costing and costing an additional $291B in lost productivity annually. Additionally, employees spend 1.1B hours away from work seeking care for masks. Poor health and wellness of employees. This very broad and general category includes nutrition (diet is arguably the biggest issue and easiest to fix, but takes difficult to obtain adoption/compliance); fitness/activity; chronic disease management; and substance use/abuse; and stress management.
Infectious diseases were a problem long before COVID with Influenza costing U.S. employers $11.2B annually. Now employers are faced with employees that do not want to return to work with over 23 million employees voluntarily leaving their jobs in 2020 and the number expected to exceed 25 million in 2021. Employees don’t feel safe returning to the workplace, and OSHA has put pressure on employers to assure a safe work environment.
How BHS addresses: Science + Technology + Human Touch = Measurable Outcomes
MSKs/MSDs – in short, BioFunctional brings the same patented screening and hands-on treatments that professional athletes trust to employees through a corporate wellness program. Some notable results are 98% of employees report more than a 50% reduction in pain associated with their MSKs. 79% of MSKs are resolved without the need to go to a doctors’ office for another type of treatment. Health and Wellness – Here, the registered nurses provide education and training to employees in the group and individual sessions. They will also design customized wellness plans to include goals established with individuals in their key focus areas like nutrition, weight loss, fitness, mental health support, etc.
Infectious Diseases – this includes assessment of the physical workspace, recommendations to low-cost solutions to reduce contact/surface transmission, recommendations to reduce employee-toemployee aerial transmissions, as well as contact tracing and return to work protocols after exposure or infection. The mere presence of a nurse provides a sense of safety.
Clients & Unbreakable Faith
BioFunctional’s customers range from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. They are also launching a self-care AI application for individuals all over the world. They establish and maintain unbreakable faith with their customers by treating them with mutual respect and having integrity in all their interactions with their customers. They also have a sense of excellence in all that they do and strive to truly help people be their best version of themselves. Simply put, they care about people and it shows.
Hurdles on the Way
Currently, the biggest challenge is companies understanding the importance of employee wellness in the midst of a pandemic. COVID-19 is a big deal; however, there is a lot that employers can do to help employees achieve better overall, they call it TOTAL wellness, health, and wellness. Another challenge they have always had is educating employers on how the treatments and procedures trusted by professional athletic teams around the world are better than what their doctor is prescribing them for musculoskeletal conditions (MSKs). The treatment pathway of choice unfortunately is the most expensive, most time-consuming, most invasive, and has alarmingly low efficacy (poor results).
The Driving Force
When asked about his driving force, the visionary shared, “Having been enlisted in the U.S. Air Force then graduating from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO were the two most significant influences on my career. First, I learned the value of core values and have continued to use the Air Force’s core values to guide my career and life: “Integrity First, “Service before Self”, and “Excellence in all We Do”. Furthermore, I came to follow Jesus Christ and in doing so have added the following core values: “Humility in Everything”, “Compassion for Everyone”, and “Faith in God”. Having these core values has been a compass to navigate me and my companies through the most challenging circumstances without compromising what is important to as a part of the human community.”
Favourite Books:
The Holy Bible & The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Future Outlook & Accomplishments on the Way
BioFunctional is on a very exciting stage. In January of 2022, they are releasing YouMari, the AI self-care system whose design is based on the same musculoskeletal healthcare trusted by professional athletes. They are making it affordable in order to help as many people as possible worldwide with getting out of pain without the need for surgery, physical therapy, or prescriptions. They are also supporting the system with a telehealth portal allowing people to speak directly to the physicians and make sure they are getting the best care available anywhere. This system will be available through employers and individuals can subscribe too.
Here is the list of awards won by the firm and visionary;
- 10 Best Global Healthcare Companies to Watch in 2021
- 50 Smartest Companies of the year 2020
- The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs to Watch
- 50 Fastest Growing Companies of the Year 2021
- 10 Best Entrepreneurs of 2020
- Perseverant Companies to Watch Globally 2021
A Piece of Advice for Female Entrepreneurs
Surround yourself ONLY with people that share your values and passion, and then invest in those who also have a similar drive as you. Too many entrepreneurs make the mistake of giving away too much of their ideas and company too soon to the wrong people that end up making growth challenging and sometimes controversial.