Next-generation virtual health clinics

A new telemedicine platform aims to help doctors take a more holistic approach to patient care

Spotted: Healthcare is big business and getting bigger. Yet the basic model for the industry remains the same: a fee-for-service model that places a growing number of bureaucratic, technological, and economic barriers between patients and their physicians. But now, a group of doctors in Poland is working to create a new model of health.

Doctor.One is a healthcare service that connects patients with their regular practitioners daily, using a mobile-first approach. Doctors can subscribe to the service and use the virtual clinic to perform daily digital check-ups and visits. It allows them to reply to messages from their regular patients, check their treatment progress, and offer a video consultation. Patients can also use the service to schedule an in-person visit.

However, unlike most telemedicine platforms, Doctor.One is not centred around booking appointments. Instead, it is organised around daily ‘rounds’, where physicians respond directly to messages from patients and check on treatment progress. Doctors may also use the platform’s asynchronous chat feature, start a video call without revealing their private number, and issue prescriptions. By 2040, Doctor.One aims to provide the care of a private doctor to 100 million people around the world.

The global shortage of health workers has created opportunities for new approaches to medical care. Springwise has also recently spotted wearables that can monitor disease and the use of assistive robots.

Written By: Lisa Magloff