VENICE BEACH, Calif — In just two years, nearly 2.5 million apps have been downloaded to bring a doctor directly to your smartphone.
Telemedicine--allowing folks to pay less to see a doctor and skip out the pain of skipping work for daytime appointments, is clicking with consumers.
"Most patients won't stop their day, leave work and find child care, before they make the commitment to see a specialist," says Dr. Ian Tong, the medical director for Doctor of Demand, one of the two leading telemedicine apps, along with AmWell."Now I can take care of this right away."
Doctor on Demand, the company formed by TV's Dr. Phil and son Jay, this week raised $50 million in a second round of funding, following it's first investment of $24 million. The company competes with AmWell, Teladoc, MDLive and several others in trying to reach consumers who don't want the hassle of getting to see the doctor in-person. American Well, which works with huge healthcare providers like Anthem and Blue Cross Blue Shield, has raised much more, at $128 million, according to TechCrunch.
Telemedicine was the subject of this week's Talking Tech Roundtable podcast, featuring reps from AmWell, Doctor on Demand, insurance provider Anthem and Cleveland Clinic.
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