Sometimes, just a second opinion can save you from going through a surgery, and still save your life, says Dr Arbinder Singal, recounting how his father had been advised against a surgery, following a heart-attack five years ago. The bold decision saved my father's life, he says, illustrating the gravity of an informed second opinion.
In fact, a similar incident happened with fellow doctor, Dr Debraj Shome – who was guided through consultations overseas to a liver–related therapy for his father, says Dr Singal, giving an insight into why they founded the e-hospital, MediAngels.
It's not just tele-medicine, they say, but an effort to get people to be in control of their health. Running like a fully functional hospital, at MediAngels.com, a patient can seek online consultations, second opinions and order lab tests, the world over. Consumers can choose a doctor, look through his accreditation , upload reports, scans etc and seek a consult at a nominal price.
While one can browse the site and get information on medical conditions for free — specific consultant queries are charged Rs 500 for Indian consumers, equivalent to or sometimes even less than specialist fees at certain hospitals. Launched in January, the site has had 250 consults, Dr Singal says, largely from within the country.
The Web site follows the US' HIPAA guidelines, says Dr Singal, a paediatric urologist. Patient data are totally protected, as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires all medical records and other health information be kept confidential, he explains.
The site has 300 doctors and 85 specialists across 20 countries. There is no affiliation to hospitals or pharmaceutical companies, he clarifies. The site has associations with laboratories, and the plan is to have medical records and consultation details logged into the system to help map a consumer's health risk profile, he says.
The idea is not to replace a doctor, but give unbiased opinion that can make a difference to the outcome of treatment, they say. Besides, about 90 per cent of specialists are available in 10 per cent of geography, making it necessary to remove barriers between consumers and medical specialists, explains Dr Shome, a facial plastic surgeon.
Funding pains
Doctors empanelled by MediAngels are through invitation and their credentials are vetted by a Health Quality Assurance Committee, comprising independent global experts not involved with MediAngels, Dr Singal says. Consumers get responses in maximum three days from specialists – in the real world it may take months to get an appointment.
On the funding, Dr Singal says: “Nobody wants to fund an idea,” since the site was not selling baby-food or anything else. “I got tired of hearing it's a brilliant idea, but …,” says Dr Shome, adding that nevertheless there are evangelists out there. The project received funding from HDFC, they add.