California startup simplifying how doctors return after-hours calls raises $1.2M
San Francisco-based Ringadoc,
which aims to provide doctors an easy way to return patient calls that
come after hours, announced Tuesday that it has raised $1.2 million in a
seed round from Founder’s Fund FF Angel.
Ringadoc Exchange is an answering service that notifies doctors through their smartphones when a patient calls after hours and leaves a message. The doctors then have the freedom to call back or use the service to a send voice mail to the patient addressing his or her concerns.
The service is meant to replace the third-party answering services that physicians’ offices use to route calls to the on-call doctor and other technology that simply routes the call to the on-call doctor’s mobile phone without any ability for them to screen the calls and triage them.
“Traditionally, doctors have relied on 1970s-era technology to handle their after-hours calls. In an instant, connected world where technology quickly delivers whatever you want — from taxis, to books, to groceries — patients now expect the same thing of doctors,” said Jordan Michaels, Ringadoc’s CEO and co-founder, in a news release. “We’re showing doctors that adapting to the world of on-demand access actually makes their lives easier.”
Currently, Ringadoc covers 500,000 patients in more than 20 states. Doctors who download the app from the App Store or Google Play can then set up their profile on Ringadoc Exchange. After the first three months, when the service is free, doctors would need to pay $50 per month to keep using it.
One of the early investors in Ringadoc is Practice Fusion founder and CEO Ryan Howard.
Ringadoc Exchange is an answering service that notifies doctors through their smartphones when a patient calls after hours and leaves a message. The doctors then have the freedom to call back or use the service to a send voice mail to the patient addressing his or her concerns.
The service is meant to replace the third-party answering services that physicians’ offices use to route calls to the on-call doctor and other technology that simply routes the call to the on-call doctor’s mobile phone without any ability for them to screen the calls and triage them.
“Traditionally, doctors have relied on 1970s-era technology to handle their after-hours calls. In an instant, connected world where technology quickly delivers whatever you want — from taxis, to books, to groceries — patients now expect the same thing of doctors,” said Jordan Michaels, Ringadoc’s CEO and co-founder, in a news release. “We’re showing doctors that adapting to the world of on-demand access actually makes their lives easier.”
Currently, Ringadoc covers 500,000 patients in more than 20 states. Doctors who download the app from the App Store or Google Play can then set up their profile on Ringadoc Exchange. After the first three months, when the service is free, doctors would need to pay $50 per month to keep using it.
One of the early investors in Ringadoc is Practice Fusion founder and CEO Ryan Howard.
Swapping the ER for an e-visit: “Modern-day house call” startup gets $3 million investment
More than 136 million Americans
visit an emergency room each year, but fewer than 13 percent of them
are admitted to the hospital. In fact, a company called Stat Health
Services estimates that two of three ER visits are for minor medical
conditions that could be treated via telemedicine.
Aimed at relieving crowded ERs, saving time and reducing the cost of emergency care, Stat Health Services created a virtual ER portal where patients can go for on-demand attention from a doctor without leaving their home.
The company, founded by emergency physicians, appears to have just landed a $3 million investment as disclosed in a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange filing.
Stat Health Services’ customers are employers and insurance carriers who offer its e-visit service, STAT DOCTORS, to people as a supplement to a health or wellness plan. The company and its network of medical groups provide members with 24/7 access to board-certified emergency physicians. Patients can use a webcam, a cellphone or a landline to connect with a physician instead of visiting the ER or an urgent care clinic for common, minor medical issues like respiratory infections, colds, pink eye, sports injuries and rashes. Prescriptions are sent electronically to the patient’s pharmacy of choice.
More healthcare providers are starting to offer e-visits, and more health plans are covering them too. But there are also other, third-party telemedicine companies including Teladoc and virtuwell by HealthPartners that offer generalized e-visits. The telehealth market as a whole is expected to double by 2016.
Aside from the new equity investment, STAT DOCTORS also won $250,000 from the Arizona Innovation Challenge last fall. Formed in 2009, it’s based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Clients that the company has made public include the Arizona Small Business Association and Scottsdale Healthcare.
Aimed at relieving crowded ERs, saving time and reducing the cost of emergency care, Stat Health Services created a virtual ER portal where patients can go for on-demand attention from a doctor without leaving their home.
The company, founded by emergency physicians, appears to have just landed a $3 million investment as disclosed in a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange filing.
Stat Health Services’ customers are employers and insurance carriers who offer its e-visit service, STAT DOCTORS, to people as a supplement to a health or wellness plan. The company and its network of medical groups provide members with 24/7 access to board-certified emergency physicians. Patients can use a webcam, a cellphone or a landline to connect with a physician instead of visiting the ER or an urgent care clinic for common, minor medical issues like respiratory infections, colds, pink eye, sports injuries and rashes. Prescriptions are sent electronically to the patient’s pharmacy of choice.
More healthcare providers are starting to offer e-visits, and more health plans are covering them too. But there are also other, third-party telemedicine companies including Teladoc and virtuwell by HealthPartners that offer generalized e-visits. The telehealth market as a whole is expected to double by 2016.
Aside from the new equity investment, STAT DOCTORS also won $250,000 from the Arizona Innovation Challenge last fall. Formed in 2009, it’s based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Clients that the company has made public include the Arizona Small Business Association and Scottsdale Healthcare.
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