#idea-validation I am thinking of an app that allows parents of newborns to click a button and talk live with a licensed pediatric, to get first hand…
#idea-validation I am thinking of an app that allows parents of newborns to click a button and talk live with a licensed pediatric, to get first hand answers to questions or situations that may be worrying.
Sounds very interesting. Do you have expience in this space? What has compelled you to want to develope this idea?
I do not have experience in the space, however, we have a 2 week old daughter and even though she does not have major complications we were at the clinic a few times asking about minor stuff that we could not find sufficient answers to via a google search. So I thought that it would be neat to just jump on a quick call to chat about specific questions we had without having to go to the clinic.
This is essentially what most concierge medical services do already, like One Medical.
I am thinking of a different model to One Medical. I am thinking of a quick video chat with pediatricians to get answers to minor questions that are not easily found or slightly complex.
Have you used a telehealth service before?
No, but since I have a 2 week old daughter , I have not found a service that could help my wife and I and had no choice but to go to the clinic for basic questions we were unsure of. Good thing we have insurance but still had to pay a $25 copay every time.
Ok, I'd check out a telehealth offering before you move further along with your business.
What you've described already exists. I've used Aetna's teledoc service for basic questions about joint pain and to get medicine for an ear infection. Took five minutes each time.
Thanks for the feedback @JohnF , I am in the process of reviewing a few teledoc services. I still have not found a cheaper, focused and slimed down provider yet.
This kind of thing is always going to depend entirely on execution. Whether the parents (and patient) pay by cash or by insurance could make a large difference in the manner of which you acquire users.
Thanks for the response @Caleb . The initial thought is to charge $ 1 - 3 per minute. Still validating the model.
Sure, but to whom? Again, your customer acquisition strategy is going to be quite different depending on whether you plan to bill prospective patients directly, or bill their insurance. Good luck!
Thanks again for the response. I am thinking of charging the parents (patients) art first. Going the insurance route will be a game changer if I can get the buy in but that will take a while to get started. Also, there are many parents that do not have insurance and this will be a great option for them. Also, selling this to employers as a benefit could be another option. Many ways to go about it but charging the parents would be step 1 I think.
In many countries, when you have a baby, you have a phone to which you can call and ask your questions, this is basic public health, and you don't overcrowd clinics with parents of newborns.
If your country doens't provide this, you can try on your own. Just a phone number, you don't even need to develop an app, and you can start validating your ideas.
I know this kind of service is highly used by parents in France and the Netherlands.
$1 per minute is $60 an hour, minus costs, etc. I wonder if you would get any doctor willing to be taking phone calls non-stop for that amount of money...
I am not sure if this is a good idea or not. Depends on execution as others have said but also, this seems a very regulated space (not good for startups, in general).
I hope you don't take as criticism, but many times when we are in a specific situation we tend to think that this situation is more common than it really is. Because you change your perception. This is very common when you are pregnant or with a baby.
Thanks for the response and feedback. Yes, I am taking it slow and figuring out if this is as regulated as it seems or if there are work arounds. Upon research I see that this startup is doing very well in their local area: https://www.nice.healthcare/ . which gives me hope.
The company I work for provides something similar but for the employees called Teladoc. You can talk to a doctor via phone or video chat and they can prescribe medicine for basic illnesses without you ever having to go to a doctor's office.
I could see this working out pretty well if an insurance company wanted to provide it for all of their customers. The other way would be for it to be so good for people to demand it from their insurance providers. The medical industry tends to have a lot of red tape though.
Thanks for the response. The insurance option is definitely something to look at, however, I think at first to get started relatively fast, I think charging the parents per min for a call is what I would like to validate then branch out from there. The employer benefit would also be on the roadmap