The new investment capital will be used for back-end technology, marketing, and to expand the service. Currently, Heal on-demand service is available in select locations throughout California, in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, Silicon Valley, and San Diego. The company says more than 10,000 patients have signed up for the service by downloading the app.
Related: The chatbot will see you now: AI may play doctor in the future of health care
Major medical network insurance companies that accept claims from Heal service include Blue Shield of California, Anthem Blue Cross of California, Cigna Healthcare, Aetna, and United Healthcare. Patients with coverage pay the same as they would for an office visit copay. Patients who do not have insurance coverage pay a flat $99 fee for the house call.
Heal was founded when Dr. Renee Dua’s son was sick and waited for hours in an emergency room. He was eventually unable to see a doctor because “it wasn’t that serious” and told to go home.
A company spokesperson told Venture Beat, “Sixty percent of Americans want a doctor who will make house calls. The health care system is broken — and no one is happy. Patients aren’t getting needed access to quality primary care, doctors aren’t practicing the quality medical care they’ve been trained to, hospitals aren’t living by measures consistent with what’s best for the patient, and $40 billion is spent annually on the overuse of U.S. emergency rooms.”
Heal doctors are available for house calls 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, with no weekend premium charges.
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