Digital health company HealthTap is embracing the new Facebook Messenger “chat bot” platform by making its network of U.S. physicians available to the estimated 900 million Messenger users worldwide. Palo Alto, California-based HealthTap said it is the first healthcare company to join the business-oriented Facebook platform.
Now, any Messenger user can ask health questions to HealthTap’s 100,000 U.S. physicians in 141 specialties and get quick answers from whichever doctors happen to see a post. The free service also provides answers to similar questions previously asked on HealthTap’s website or mobile app.
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“It’s now easier than ever to access top doctors immediately in a succinct and personal way,” HealthTap CEO Ron Gutman said in a prepared statement. “The new Messenger Platform enables us to extend the ability of our dedicated and generous doctors to help people everywhere feel good.”
In some ways, it’s a return to HealthTap’s roots. The company started in 2011 as a Q&A service, but since has branched out into telehealth, basic physician ratings, employer wellness, lab test referrals and broader patient engagement. HealthTap now calls itself a “global health practice.”
Facebook on Tuesday introduced the beta version of Messenger Platform, featuring bot capability. “Bots can provide anything from automated subscription content like weather and traffic updates, to customized communications like receipts, shipping notifications and live automated messages all by interacting directly with the people who want to get them,” David Markus, vice president of messaging products at Facebook, explained in a blog post.
Not surprisingly for a product in beta, there were some first-day hiccups.
https://twitter.com/readDanwrite/status/720007273888747520
HealthTap said the problem should be fixed by Wednesday.
Sorry to hear that @readDanwrite. Facebook is in the process of opening up the chatbots, which should be complete within 24 hours (1/2)…
— HealthTap (@HealthTap) April 12, 2016
Here’s a short promotional video from HealthTap about the Messenger integration.
Photo: HealthTap
