Austin start-up offers medicine for the Uber generation

The American Telemedicine Association is in town looking for new ways to connect doctors with patients. And an Austin start-up may be on to something. They want to make a doctor's consultation as easy as ordering your ride home.

Dr. Thomas Kim is an internist and psychiatrist, and he’s a believer in using smart phones to connect doctors with their patients. Dr. Kim says, “Every doctor, every vet, every chiropractor, every reiki master has the power and capacity to engage with their patients in a meaningful way right in their pocket."

Dr. Kim is with an Austin-based startup called Medici, which is Latin for doctor. CEO Clinton Phillips explains, "A patient can download the app, find their physicians, send them a message. The doctor gets to decide if they prefer to do it as a video consult or a phone call within Medici."

Medici brings medicine to the Uber generation. Need to consult a doctor? Order up one from the app. Phillips explained how he used the story after he incurred a cut on his leg. It didn’t seem to be healing right so he sent his Medici doctor a photo. I said, “Doc, do i need to come in for stitches? He said, ‘You're 6 days too late for stitches. It doesn't look infected. If you want you can come to the office and we can clean it up.’"

This is a new niche for telemedicine. But it could improve healthcare for people who just can't make time to go to the doctor. Dr. Kim adds, “Our lives are complicated and these patients often don't know where to go. Platforms like Medici will allow us to both identify as providers for this population we wish to serve for and give patients an easier way to find doctors that are tailored to their needs."