RingMD launches telehealth Android app

RingMD

After offering its service through a web-based app, RingMD is launching its very first mobile app, catered towards the Android community. The Singapore-based telehealth company wants a global audience, despite the fact that most of its doctors are based locally.

RingMD offers a marketplace approach to facilitating virtual care, allowing doctors to sign up for the service individually, through a practice, or via an insurer.“Basically, when it comes down to healthcare and really just the world in general these days you have to think global from day one,” CEO Justin Fulcher told MobiHealthNews. “And we’re one of the only companies that are really taking that to heart as a core part of our philosophy. From there, being based in Singapore, we have the best opportunity to leverage the huge growth in the Asia region, but still given our management team – a lot of them come from the US – leverage our knowledge of the American market and accomplish that remotely.”

RingMD offers a marketplace approach to facilitating virtual care, allowing doctors to sign up for the service individually, through a practice, or via an insurer.

This, according to Fulcher, gives more choice to patients who are able to filter by categories such as medical specialty or symptoms, or see which doctors are available at any given time. “And on the doctor side, we allow them to keep in touch with their existing patients or gain new patients all in a very simple and easy to use fashion,” he added.

Doctors can set their own rates on the platform with RingMD making its money from a commission. Some physicians charge 10 or 20 percent less than their regular price, whereas some others ask a premium for virtual visits.

RingMD currently has around 100 doctors who mostly see patients from the surrounding countries in Southeast Asia.The entire Southeast Asian region is known for health tourism services, and RingMD hopes to take this whole trend to a new level, providing an easy way for follow-ups without requiring additional flights to Singapore.

The company has raised seed funding from few undisclosed Angel investors which helped RingMD cement its presence in Southeast Asia. Expansion into the United States and Australia is planned, but will undoubtedly face a number of regulatory hurdles. Current licensing restrictions make it difficult for any telemedicine company to operate coast-to-coast, even if it is based in the U.S.

RingMD currently has around 100 doctors who mostly see patients from the surrounding countries in Southeast Asia.