Health IT, Hospitals, Startups

California startup simplifying how doctors return after-hours calls raises $1.2M

San Francisco-based Ringadoc, which aims to provide doctors an easy way to return patient calls […]

San Francisco-based Ringadoc, which aims to provide doctors an easy way to return patient calls that come after hours, announced Tuesday that it has raised $1.2 million in a seed round from Founder’s Fund FF Angel.

Ringadoc Exchange is an answering service that notifies doctors through their smartphones when a patient calls after hours and leaves a message. The doctors then have the freedom to call back or use the service to a send voice mail to the patient addressing his or her concerns.

The service is meant to replace the third-party answering services that physicians’ offices use to route calls to the on-call doctor and other technology that simply routes the call to the on-call doctor’s mobile phone without any ability for them to screen the calls and triage them.

“Traditionally, doctors have relied on 1970s-era technology to handle their after-hours calls. In an instant, connected world where technology quickly delivers whatever you want — from taxis, to books, to groceries — patients now expect the same thing of doctors,” said Jordan Michaels, Ringadoc’s CEO and co-founder, in a news release. “We’re showing doctors that adapting to the world of on-demand access actually makes their lives easier.”

Currently, Ringadoc covers 500,000 patients in more than 20 states. Doctors who download the app from the App Store or Google Play can then set up their profile on Ringadoc Exchange. After the first three months, when the service is free, doctors would need to pay $50 per month to keep using it.

One of the early investors in Ringadoc is Practice Fusion founder and CEO Ryan Howard.

 

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