Spruce secures $15M for its tele-dermatologist service

Spruce mobile app

Spruce has raised $15 million for its remote dermatology care service. A number of investors participated in the round, including Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers; Google Ventures; Baseline Ventures; and Cowboy Ventures; bringing Spruce’s total funding to date to $17 million.

The San Francisco-based firm provides its service through an iOS app that helps consumers get treatment for select skin problems without having to interact with a physician in-person or even in real-time.

“Our mission is to build a better way to see the doctor,” Spruce CEO Ray Bradford told MobiHealthNews. “We really want to understand, uniquely, per condition, how care gets provided and try to improve upon the visit experience for patients and doctors.”

The online interaction costs $40, and that money also includes messaging service with the doctor for the next 30 days.The service was launched in September, offering only acne consultations. Today, it also offers treatments for other conditions such as rashes, bites and stings, eczema, psoriasis, anti-aging, and male hair loss. Each of the conditions is supported with a special program, which Bradford calls “comprehensive clinical frameworks.”

Users register from within the app, answer few questions and are able to upload the photos of their condition. Then, after 24 hours, they will receive a response from the doctor with a treatment plan and a prescription. There’s also an option to choose a doctor from Spruce’s directory that shows users where the doctor practices medicine, where they went to school, and why they are using Spruce.

The online interaction costs $40, and that money also includes messaging service with the doctor for the next 30 days.

Right now, Spruce is offering its service in California, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania, with plans to expand to the majority of states within a year.