A Tampa-based serial entrepreneur has launched a mobile application he believes will make healthcare more affordable, accessible and convenient by providing on-demand traveling physicians.
The RevDoc app functions like a ride-share platform – users select vetted doctors according to the care or service needed, who then meet patients at their home, office or hotel at any time of the day or night. It also offers mobile clinics, telemedicine and lab tests while eliminating the insurance industry constraints.
Anil “AK” Kottoor, founder of RevDoc, said his personal experiences influence the companies he creates. He recalled waiting months for medical appointments and making costly late-night trips to an emergency room, as that was the only available option.
“I’m not inventing anything,” Kottoor told the Catalyst. “I’m taking what was broken and making it better with technology.”
Anil “AK” Kottoor, founder of RevDoc.
The app launched Tuesday and is now available in the Apple and Google Play stores. Over 100 services are currently available in Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Kottoor, who also founded MHK and FutureRx, wants to ensure his latest venture’s “hometown” success before a nationwide – and potentially international – launch. He noted that RevDoc now receives about 150 downloads daily despite little publicity.
Kottoor said he spent a decade building “many of the systems causing all this chaos” as an executive in the insurance industry. He said healthcare should be between patients and doctors, without third-party interference and charges. “I’m just going back to basics.”
The app is free for providers and users. Participating physicians set their price, schedule and services after passing a rigorous background check.
Kottoor explained doctors can increase prices on holidays or lower costs during typical hours. The platform allows providers to eschew a storefront and skip extensive insurance paperwork.
Pricing includes all related materials without hospital markups. Kottor said physicians must order associated products through the app due to strict safety standards.
“Would you want to go to urgent care and sit around in an office full of sick patients, or would you prefer somebody to come to your house and take care of you?” he asked. “From a convenience perspective, and also it’s affordable, what would you prefer?”
RevDoc provides urgent and primary care, sports medicine and women’s health services in the privacy of someone’s home. The platform also offers aesthetic treatments like Botox, laser hair removal and IV therapy.
The startup uses Mercedes-Benz sprinter vans as “Luxe Mobile Clinics” to facilitate cosmetic procedures. Kottoor plans to eventually offer diagnostic imaging services “wherever you are – office, hotel or Airbnb.”
The concierge healthcare platform will retrieve and store medical records to share with doctors. Kottoor noted it also eliminates insurance network restrictions.
He said doctors can earn more money through the app than in a typical setting. “They don’t have to see 1,000 patients just to break even,” he added.
An independent firm conducts stringent background checks and verifies professional licenses. A RevDoc provider relationship manager then conducts live interviews, and physicians must complete the company’s HIPAA (privacy) training. The process repeats annually.
The app issues identification codes that allow patients and providers to verify each other’s identities. Kottoor said the platform features additional protective measures for both parties.
“There’s four hours of buffer – you can’t just get on the app and book a house call,” he explained. “Your provider has to be alerted and feel safe. They can call the patient. If you have a gunshot … we’re basically going to say, ‘You better go to the hospital. Hang up and call 911.’”
RevDoc accepts flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health savings accounts (HSA) that help patients pay for out-of-pocket expenses. Kottoor said cash prices for services and medications are typically cheaper than insurance co-pays.
He added that most people pay cash for aesthetic treatments. RevDoc eliminates the need for a health spa visit.
Kottoor also questioned why someone would want to “sit around for five hours” at a laboratory when they could take in-home tests and use their insurance to receive the results. He also touted the startup’s community focus.
The company will donate $25 to a local charity for every person who subscribes to the $20 monthly subscription plan. Kottoor said RevDoc encourages pro-bono work and provides associated supplies at no cost.
“When you take insurance companies out of the equation, it just becomes so much more affordable,” he said. “As well as easier to connect providers with their patients, and just take care of them.”
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