Makemytest? How DoctorC is becoming the makemytrip of medical tests
Medical tests are a pain in themselves. Add to the discrepancies in prices and quality and the act of getting a medical test done is worse than the treatment that follows. With illnesses getting increasingly complicated and doctors ordering more and more tests, this problem will only get worse.
So here’s DoctorC. A mobile and internet application that brings transparency in medical testing and creates a level playing field in laboratory testing. Search for a test online or on the app, and you’ll get a list of labs that conduct the test along with prices and an option to book the test at special rates.
The company is headquartered in Hyderabad and will launch in Bangalore this month. It is aiming for a pan-India presence by 2016.
It was founded by the late Dr. Dayakar Reddy, with the idea of aligning the interests of customers and diagnostic centers. The four co-founders, ex-Silicon Valley engineers and Ivy League graduates, joined in last year with their technical know-how to create and grow the company.
“Think of us as similar to travel aggregators,” said Mansi Gandhi, COO of DoctorC. “You can check prices, read and write reviews and book tests online or through the mobile app.”
The first step, says Mansi, was to break their own misconceptions.
“For instance, our natural assumption was that patients go to the labs that their doctors recommend. But there is a new category of educated patients who research the tests, search for alternatives. Those are our natural target customers.”
DoctorC has also tied up with diagnostic labs to offer discounts on tests booked through their app. They are a 20 member team handling marketing, customer service and business development.
The company recently raised Rs 2.5 crore through seed funding from California based Leviathan Investments headed by Anil Dharni , Ram Gudavalli and Andrew Keidel, the founder of gaming startup Funzio.
Other investors include Spice Capital which has startups including Druva and StayZilla in its portfolio, and Indian Angel Network members Sanjay Jesrani, founder and CEO of Go North Ventures.
In a year, DoctorC has reached an annual run rate of Rs 1.4 crore and estimates that the diagnostic market will rise to $10 billion by 2016. Around 70 percent of treatment decisions in India are based on test results and diagnostics services constitute one of the most critical components of medical care.
Click here to check out DoctorC’s website and here to download the Android app.
