Healthcare Startup Offers Medical Exams Online

Best known as a practicing psychologist and television personality, Dr. Phillip McGraw has now decided to take up another part-time profession: adviser to Doctor on Demand. This new healthcare startup was created to help patients obtain access to doctors directly online, which could have a big impact on healthcare across the country.

McGraw launched the San Francisco-based startup with the help of his son, Jay McGraw, a reality TV producer. Doctor on Demand was created to help people avoid scheduling pricey in-person visits to busy doctors’ offices and emergency rooms. Instead, people can video conference with doctors via mobile devices.

In order to take advantage of these services, patients are required to pay $40 for every online consultation. Doctors who choose to participate in the company’s online network will receive $30 per session. Services offered through the startup include diagnoses, prescriptions, or referrals to see a caregiver in-person if the situation is an emergency, calls for lab work, or requires a face-to-face examination.

Currently, Doctor on Demand is being used in 15 states, including California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Texas. More than 1,000 doctors have signed up to provide video consultations a day or two each week. Physicians are trained on how to use the service, and the company takes care of all other miscellaneous components involved in running the startup, ranging from patient questionnaires to pharmacy networks.