Radio 702 sat down with Direct Health (now called Direct Health) recently to discuss how the innovative mobile app is creating waves in the healthcare community and providing busy patients with easy access to their entire network of doctors. The South African radio station featured Direct Health as part of their Business Accelerator series, which is centered around enterprising young companies that are disrupting their established industries and setting new trends.

Direct Health Solves for Busy Patients and Doctors

At the heart of the discussion was the idea that Direct Health is an app that solves problems. It is the WhatsApp of medical world: a mobile app allowing doctors and patients to talk anytime, anywhere on its secure network. Doctors don’t need to be chained down to their office and standard operating hours. Instead, they can provide care when patients need it most. Similarly, Direct Health allows busy patients to get medical advice from their own trusted doctor. All this while bypassing appointments, long waits and travel time.

Steve van der Watt, Global CSO of Direct Health, summed up the process. “A 14 minute in-office consult can be replaced by a 3 minute Direct Health consult without the travel time, without the waiting room time, without the time off work or away from home for the patient. It’s really a huge win-win for everyone.”

The conversation also focused on how technology and culture’s continued evolution has put Direct Health in the unique position of continual relevance. Consumers, particularly millennials, have made their cell phones the center of their social and professional lives. That gives apps like Direct Health nearly unlimited access to this busy patient base. And, unlike other apps offering talk and text features, Direct Health is HIPAA and PoPI compliant and provides the doctor and patients with medical liability coverage.

Direct Health Fills Niche for Employers and Consumers

Pavlo Phitidis, business development contributor for Talk Radio 702, dove into the business aspect of Direct Health. He delineated two segments that benefit tremendously from adopting the app: employers and consumers. For employers, Direct Health is an obvious match. It ensures that patients can consult with their doctor quickly and reduce or even eliminate sick days. On the consumer-side, convenience and ease of access to a medical professional is key. This is particularly true for busy patients with minor or chronic conditions.

“[Direct Health] really is a very compelling argument from a business point of view, but it’s more compelling for busy people because busy people can simply use this.” Phitidis said regarding these two use cases, “If you have a recurring chronic prescription that needs to be administered to you, you typically have to go in and see your doctor. You go and you waste an hour, hour and a half, two hours, to simply get your prescription filled. [Direct Health] solves those kind of problems.”

See Radio 702’s Business Accelerator series here.