PALO ALTO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 06/15/11 -- HealthTap , the first interactive Home for Health, which provides consumers with answers and actions from trusted physicians, today announced that more than 1,500 U.S. licensed doctors have joined its network. This growth, which includes representation in all 50 states, has occurred in just over a month since the launch of its public beta. HealthTap is improving the quality of healthcare by transforming the way doctors interact with their patients, while saving Americans up to $100 Billion worth of time and money spent each year.
A pioneer in the field of Interactive Health, HealthTap enables pregnant women and new moms to interact directly with the largest and most engaged network of OB/Gyns and Pediatricians online, and get expert answers to their most pressing questions for free. For physicians, HealthTap offers an invaluable interactive "Medical Home," where they can improve patient care, save time, and get recognized for their wisdom by making answers and tips available to patients beyond the doctor visit, and at no cost.
The end result is unprecedented -- high quality direct interaction between doctors and patients that saves both sides time and money.
"Working closely with doctors for years I've learned that they are highly constrained by the current healthcare system. They are eager to have a deeper and more personal interaction with their patients, but because of how they're paid, physicians are limited in the amount of time they have for each patient visit," said Ron Gutman, CEO and founder of HealthTap. "At HealthTap, we've built the solution they've asked for: an Interactive Medical Home. It's a new way for them to make their trusted expertise available to patients 24/7, making in-office appointments more personal, faster, and more effective. With our new Interactive platform, HealthTap improves the doctor-patient relationship and increases the depth and breadth of care patients receive."
HealthTap allows patients to access their own doctor's Medical Home, before and after the visit, to find trusted relevant tips and answers for frequently asked questions. HealthTap estimates it can save an average of 4 or more minutes per patient visit, which -- at an average of 8-10 patient visits a day -- adds back more than a half hour to a doctor's day. When applied to all 790,000 U.S. physicians, given a payment rate of $400 per hour and 200 days worked per year, the impact is significant.
