Advice sought for an online doctor business

bourkestephen

Hi folks,

I work for an online doctor business called drthom.ie and need some advice as ramp up activities in Ireland.

The service works as follow: Patients complete an online questionnaire which is then reviewed by one of the Irish registered doctors sat here in the office. If appropriate, the then doctor issues a script and the patient pays for medication, which can either be delivered by post or picked up in-pharmacy.

Right now we specialise in erectile dysfunction (diagnosis), asthma and the pill (repeat prescriptions only).

Most people I speak with assume there must be something dodgy about this but we are fully signed up with the IMC. The parent business has been operating in the UK for 10 years now.

I would really appreciate any thoughts/insights from the forum on how to best market the service... can't believe its on average €51 to see a doctor in Ireland, but feel that if we price too low patients will assume its not legit. What is a fair price for a online doctor consultation?

Also, Google adwords bans advertising of doctor services in Ireland (unlike UK); does anyone have experience of this (and can reccommend alternatives)?

Welcome any general thoughts on the service, things to think about / improve.

Thanks in advance,

Stephen

Ionax

IMO will have none of it.

Also, no doctor would sign a prescription without a physical exam.

testicle

Ionax wrote: »

IMO will have none of it.

Also, no doctor would sign a prescription without a physical exam.

DR Thom would, it seems... I don't however believe that it's legal to buy prescription meds on the internet here.

drkpower

Ionax wrote: »

IMO will have none of it.

Also, no doctor would sign a prescription without a physical exam.

Plenty do in certain circumstances.
Why do you think they would not (in certain circumstances)?

drkpower

testicle wrote: »

I don't however believe that it's legal to buy prescription meds on the internet here.

This site doesnt involve the sale of prescription meds on the internet here, it appears.

Stheno

drkpower wrote: »

Plenty do in certain circumstances.
Why do you think they would not (in certain circumstances)?

For a checkup to get a repeat pill prescription you are supposed to have your bp checked at the least

uck51js9zml2yt

I wonder at the credibility of your service when you're asking non legal/non medics advice on an internet forum.

Your first port of call should be the irish medical council to check the legality of the service

jhegarty

Ionax wrote: »

IMO will have none of it.

Also, no doctor would sign a prescription without a physical exam.

testicle wrote: »

DR Thom would, it seems... I don't however believe that it's legal to buy prescription meds on the internet here.

^ And there is your problem.

I presumed the service was a scam when I first read about it. It took quite a bit of research to find enough background information to try the service.

Even when I did try it , I was expecting the pharmacy to reject the prescription given the UK details on it. No problems at all in the end ,and will be using the service again.

Some suggestions for the service :

• The website looks like it's a template with just a little customisation. Spend some money on it.
  
• Who is Dr Thom ?? there is no brand recognition in Ireland. Is there no recognised name you can partner with.
  
• Erectile dysfuntion is not one of the products I would have lead with. It's far too associated with dodgy websites.

drkpower

Stheno wrote: »

For a checkup to get a repeat pill prescription you are supposed to have your bp checked at the least

That is not a legal requirement. Plenty of doctors dont check blood pressure (or do any other physical examination) when re-prescribing the pill.

Stheno

drkpower wrote: »

That is not a legal requirement. Plenty of doctors dont check blood pressure (or do any other physical examination) when re-prescribing the pill.

I know that, but I'd prefer to actually have the proper checks done rather than not

Their site does list their IMO numbers.

Peterdalkey

OP has not asked for posters approval or validation, the help sought is for routes to market/promotional marketing ideas.
I would suggest an app approach to the market and base it on the Hailo taxi services marketing model... The best app out there that is focussed on user benefits, for both passengers and taxi operators. A Winning strategy because it fulfills a market need with ease of use. Their customers are their sales people too... Friends sharing the benefits offered, real effective viral marketing and uses DART station posters too.


Cheers

Peter

drkpower

Stheno wrote: »

I know that, but I'd prefer to actually have the proper checks done rather than not

Their site does list their IMO numbers.

Telemedicine is entirely legal; but the response to this thread is a good example of how people are not at all comfortable with it (in many cases, for very good reason).

From a risk management perspective, it is a less than ideal situation. But for certain patient patient populations, it has something to offer.

You would probably have to be fully prepared for a lot of bad press because it will come with the territory. If you can afford it I would have a PR company on standby for this kind of crisis management
Also I guess you would need to have some serious insurance to protect you from potential lawsuits.

In the US there are even consultants who operate online that organisations and hospitals pay consutlants to do it and its a well established business, integrated with the government as it reduces costs.

Its a profitable business if its not in play already here as long as you are prepared for the backlash. I wouldn't scrimp on the quality of doctor either. If you had irish doctors on board as opposed to foreign ones I reckon it would be a good move and prevent some of that bad press you might get

EDIT: Why not go the consultant route which would be more accepted then the viagra route and prescription model. Lots of people have difficulty getting to the clinics for appointments and this solves that issue in the case where they dont need a physical consultation. You could get a few good consultants on board im sure who would be happy to supplement there income

Peterdalkey

No such service is ever going to get majority support, but @ at least E50 per doctor visit, there is clearly a market and demand... The basics for a successful business model.
Back to the Hailo model, they only target under 30s with their marketing, as they are the predominant demographic that have smartphones and know how to use them.
If the service were to be illegal, then it would be shut down in jig time, the vested interests that are under threat from this model are very powerful in Ireland.

The true innovators and new frontiersmen are always painted as renegades, but so often the outsiders become the new insiders.

Cheers

Peter

bourkestephen

Folks,

Thanks for the feedback and insight, I really appreciate it!

Few wee points of clarification (as its a public forum): We are already up and running in Ireland and have worked with the medical council over the past 12 months to thrash out any legal issues - they have been fantastic. We have three Irish qualified doctors on staff (albeit UK nationals) and the aim of the service is not to substitute vital face-to-face consultations but increase access, discretion and affordability for those services that we believe can be successfully managed remotely. drkpower is spot on re blood pressure requirements for the pill, but we actually require patients to provide this. Finally, we don't provide the meds, just the prescription (and that is subject to each doctor's review).

jhegarty: Really good stuff here, and indeed the issues raised on this post seem like the main marketing challenge. If you would like to PM me (in confidence) it would be great to hear more about your experience. Agree the website looks generic needs work; re using a recognised name, we are working on this but there are specific IMC rules that make this tough! Re erectile dysfunction, you make a great point which I will feedback to the team.

Stheno: re physical check-ups, is this your preference across the board? Certainly when I get sick I want the doctor to get their stethoscope out, but for repeat meds and discreet stuff (erectile dysfunction) is this still the case in your opinion? Keen to know how much you would pay as well (for both services).

drkpower: spot on again re the legalities and risks associated with tele-medicine. Its not for everyone, but the inefficiencies we come across in existing healthcare provision (UK) is mind-boggling. That Irish patients have to pay €51 for any level of consultation seems steep, would appreciate your view.

El Rifle: By consultant model do you mean provide skype based consultations (on any topic)?. We do this in the UK but take up is really low (although I expect this will be one of the big healthcare revolutions over the next 10 years).

Peterdalkey: Am loving the Hailo analogy, will be sticking this in the mix with our agency. Do you think our service would be better positioned towards under 30s? What do you think is a fair price for a consultation? Re the vested interests, that has so far been our biggest question mark but again, the IMC has been great.

Thanks again to everyone for your comments, this is great stuff!

Stephen

Peterdalkey

The offering is very limited and Erectile Dysfunction is not a big topic for under 30'S, I would have thought.
It would have much broader appeal if it covered other repeat stuff like gout meds or the classic chest infection, I know when I get one exactly which antibiotic my doc is going to give me!! There are lots of illnesses and conditions that repeat for individuals.

I would have thought Euro 20-25 was the level that will motivate people to change.

The website needs more visible pricing info.


cheers

Peter

gctest50

Any plans to add https://www.drthom.com/diabetes to the Irish website ? ( i have diabetes )

bourkestephen wrote: »

Hi folks,

I work for an online doctor business called drthom.ie and need some advice as ramp up activities in Ireland.

Its not too shabby i spose ?

I googled for " online doctor ireland "

First page , eight result down was :

[B][URL="http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=online%20doctor%20ireland&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CHIQFjAH&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.drthom.com%2F&ei=S7LmULbqLYu5hAfg44CgBA&usg=AFQjCNHUW1x7c5aTXXEmmsK7U_BXxEd0Ng&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.d2k"][I]Online Doctor[/I] | Pharmacy, and Prescription Services| [I]Dr[/I] Thom[/URL][/B]

[url]https://www.drthom.com/[/url] - United Kingdom
[I]Dr[/I] Thom can dispense prescription treatments and postal tests without having to visit a [I]doctor[/I]. Visit us to register with our [I]online[/I] service.

Make it sense if the person is in Ireland and redirect them to the .ie site maybe ?

ImDave

I think there is a distinct difference between prescription of meds for chronic, on-going condition such as ED, and the likes of a re-occurring chest infection. Once a diagnosis for a condition like ED has been made, it is pretty safe to continue treatment via prescribed meds without the need for much further investigation. A chest infection, given its nature, potential to progress into something more sinister, antibiotic resistance etc., is a different kettle of fish I would think.

Peter is spot on I think however on needing to opening up your market base, and something like Gout which Peter mentioned would be a runner I would think. Suffers of other chronic but non-progressive/degenerative illnesses could also be potential markets.

tricky D

Lack of postal address is poor for trust.

In terms and conditions your hosting appears to be provided by UKFast.net Ltd, but whoishostingthis indicates rackspace in the US. ???

Privacy policy has sterling in it.

roozer

I agree that the website needs a lot of work.
Looks cheap and doesn't instill confidence.
Also calling salbutamol/ventolin "the blue inhaler" sounds
very unprofessional, as if you are talking to a child! At least call
it salbutamol and have blue inhaler in brackets.

Also I think €35 is a bit steep. Some doctors are €40 for a face to face consultation.
You would need to undercut them more than that in my opinion.
If you go for a repeat prescription where the doctor sees you for a few seconds and issues you with the exact same script
you feel ripped off. If you only filled out a form on a website without even seeing a doctor and are charged €35 you will
feel equally if not more ripped off.

Still, the overall concept is a good idea and there is a niche in the market for it.
I work as a pharmacist for a major chain, pm me if you are
interested in teaming up with a pharmacy.
People are always trying to get an extra few months out of there scripts from the pharmacy and always giving out about the
price of the consultation for a repeat script so even if you had some sort of a referral system in place with a pharmacy it could
help.

bourkestephen

Folks,

Thanks again for your input – if I had spent €20k with a market insight agency I doubt we would have garnered as much insight!

Peter: Thank you once again; the erectile dysfunction focus is indeed niche and I agree we need to offer more general services. Gout is a top suggestion and has gone straight into the hopper.

Gctest50: Diabetes in the hopper! Will sort that SEO issue also, thanks for flagging.

ImDave: Agree that chest infections definitely require physical examinations and that it is not appropriate for an online doctor.

TrickyD: Great spots – the team is sorting as we speak.

Roozer: Thanks for input – very useful, esp. re ‘the blue inhaler’. Pricing point well-made also. Will PM you.