Doximity, one of the largest social network for doctors, is jumping into the Apple Watch app pool with news that it will offer a version of its app for Apple’s wearable device, which is scheduled to go on the market later this month.
Physicians will be able to use Doximity’s HIPAA secure app to send and receive messages, receive alerts about faxes and manage messages from colleagues on the network, according to a company statement. Doctors can also read previews or full messages and dictate responses, but they can also switch over to an iPhone or iPad or Mac computer for more detailed responses or ones that involve sending images securely.
Adding the Apple Watch to the mobile devices that can support its app is a logical move for a communications company but it also underscores the widespread use of Apple devices by physicians who bring their own devices to work. Physicians are routinely discouraged from using smartphones to exchange messages with other physicians if they lack the HIPAA security safeguards that puts that information at risk.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
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As of December 2014, Doximity said it had 400,000 members and claimed to have 50 percent of US doctors on its network. It closed a Series C round last year to help it branch out to other medical professions, such as nursing, and markets beyond the U.S.
Other companies, such as Sermo and QuantiaMD, have built physician networks not only to make it easier for physicians to contact each other, but also to make it easier for companies to reach them, particularly across payers, pharmaceutical and medical device sectors.
