A company called FirstLine Medical has launched a novel telehealth service that goes beyond virtual visits. Beyond texts, calls and video chat, the San Francisco-based company also offers in-person visits on user’s request.
Backed by e.ventures and Great Oaks Venture Capital, FirstLine was started last year with iPhone owners in mind, and has thus far managed to attract over 20,000 users. An Android app will likely be released in the near future, though we yet have to get something official on that front.
The idea is to eliminate waiting rooms and overall make it more convenient for some patients.The idea, according to the CEO Bryan O’Connell, is to eliminate waiting rooms and overall make it more convenient for some patients. What’s more, for some user groups — namely those aged 18 to 27 — FirstLine can pretty much serve as a full replacement for a primary care doctor. The service is also deemed ideal for moms and families aged 28 to 35 or 40, who don’t want to drag kids down to the waiting room.
FirstLine is best used for non-emergency health issues such as the flu, a sore throat, food poisoning, constipation, STD treatment, travel medication, women’s health issues, and skin conditions. The company can also do various lab tests, including blood work, urine analysis, and swabs.
In order to use FirstLine, patients pay a one-time initiation fee of $25 and after that, it costs $15 per month. This money gets users access to phone, video chat, and text message consultations, which are available between 8 am and 10 pm. In-person doctor visits are charged $199 per visit, and the wait time is about an hour. Going forward, the company hopes to drop the price below $100 for most consultations.
Patients pay a one-time initiation fee of $25 and after that, the service costs $15 per month; in-person visits cost $199 per visit.Also interesting is the fact that FirstLine doesn’t hire doctors directly. The service acts like Uber where all the doctors are independent contractors, earning a cut of each in-person visit. Some doctors are even turning their FirstLine gigs into a full-time employment, while others use it to make incremental money.
FirstLine’s virtual visits service will be rolled to 50 percent of the US by the end of the year. The in-person services, on the other hand, will kick off with highly populated areas such as the Bay Area, Boston, and then to other major cities.
[Via: mobihealthnews]