More than 80% of U.S. consumers conduct online research prior to making everyday purchases. This is a statistic that is growing, and extends beyond products to include services and, finally, even healthcare. With the abundance of information available, consumers are empowered--they want to be as informed as possible when selecting physicians, but how does someone navigate through the overwhelming results of Google searches and decide how to best make a decision as important as selecting a healthcare provider? I think most people would agree that selecting a physician and selecting where to have dinner have highly differing degrees of importance when it comes to online research.
According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, two-thirds of the general public are aware of online physician ratings, and yet many of the existing databases publish unregulated ratings derived from a mere 5% of responding patients. I’m willing to bet that the average care seeker would love to know how to find the right doctor based on quality metrics like education, certification, sub-specialty, research, referrals and consumer ratings. Historically this kind of information, the kind of information that allows consumers to make truly informed decisions, has oscillated between opaque and unattainable. But fortunately, a talented team of tech experts recognized this enormous need and responded with BetterDoctor.
Founded by Nokia alums Ari Tulla, CEO, and Tapio Tolvanen, CTO, the team at BetterDoctor has developed a proprietary quality algorithm that takes into account all of the essential data available to provide consumers with an impartial assessment delivered through both mobile and desktop platforms that are beautifully designed, easy to use, and extremely consumer-friendly. With more than one million doctors searchable by specialty, insurance, location, availability and condition, BetterDoctor has essentially created a translation tool for healthcare in that it can help patients understand doctors better through the behaviors behind their activities. In comparison, existing platforms are littered with inaccurate, outdated information, or only limit the doctor directory to those who pay to be listed on the site, regardless of quality.
What’s even more compelling here is BetterDoctor’s achievement of a dual value proposition. Not only is their platform comprehensive and trustworthy for patients, it is also extremely beneficial for doctors in terms of rating reliability, branding, and patient engagement. With a $5 billion patient acquisition market and so much power in the hands of the consumer, doctors have to work harder than ever find the right kind of new patients. The option of purchasing premium profile upgrades from BetterDoctor is allowing physicians to grow their practices without taking valuable time away from patient care.
Over the course of NEA’s commitment to healthcare investing, we have noticed more and more instances of the medical and technical worlds colliding– and sometimes these collisions are too powerful and too disruptive to ignore. WebMD, Care.com, and more recently Welltok and Stride Health, have all offered unique and disruptive approaches to solving problems related to health information for consumers and care givers alike, and BetterDoctor is doing just that – it’s big data making a big difference in healthcare, and NEA is thrilled to be a part of it.
Read more from BetterDoctor here