“Modern-day house call” startup gets $3 million investment
by Deanna Pogorelc
More than 136 million Americans
visit an emergency room each year, but fewer than 13 percent of them are
admitted to the hospital. In fact, a company called Stat Health Services
estimates that two of three ER visits are for minor medical conditions that
could be treated via telemedicine.
Aimed at relieving
crowded ERs, saving time and reducing the cost of emergency care,
Stat Health Services created a virtual ER portal where patients can go for
on-demand attention from a doctor without leaving their home.
The company, founded by emergency physicians, appears to
have just landed a $3 million
investment as disclosed in a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange
filing. CEO Dr. Alan Roga was not available to comment.
Stat Health Services’ customers are employers and insurance
carriers who offer its e-visit service, STAT DOCTORS,
to people as a supplement to a health or wellness plan. The company and its
network of medical groups provide members with 24/7 access to
board-certified emergency physicians. Patients can use a webcam, a
cellphone or a landline to connect with a physician instead of visiting the ER
or an urgent care clinic for common, minor
medical issues like respiratory infections, colds, pink eye, sports
injuries and rashes. Prescriptions are sent electronically to the patient’s
pharmacy of choice.
More
healthcare providers are starting to offer e-visits, and more health plans
are covering them too. But there are also other, third-party
telemedicine companies including Teladoc
and virtuwell by
HealthPartners that offer generalized e-visits. The telehealth
market as a whole is expected to
double by 2016.
Aside from the new equity investment, STAT DOCTORS also won
$250,000 from the Arizona
Innovation Challenge last fall. Formed in 2009, it’s based in
Scottsdale, Arizona. Clients that the company has made public include the Arizona Small
Business Association and Scottsdale Healthcare.
Published in Business Insider, January 29, 2013
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