A group of Finns in California is helping to solve a very American problem: finding the right doctor.
When Finn Ari Tulla moved to California he spent days searching the web and calling offices to try to find the right doctor. Then he came to the realization that Americans needed a better way to locate a doctor. He decided to partner with his ex-Nokia colleague Tapio Tolvanen and provide that better way.
Better Doctor launched in late spring 2012, and began helping people around the San Francisco Bay area find good, available doctors in a handful of specialties. By the autumn of 2012 they expanded nationwide, according to Finnfacts.
“We have been building Better Doctor’s consumer apps for four years, and are excited to have already helped 20 million people to find a better doctor,” says Tulla, co-founder and CEO.
The company has a database of more than one million doctors, searchable by their location, specialty and insurance plans they accept. Consumers can even check to see which languages doctors speak or where they spent their residency. Additionally, Better Doctor has a physician rating system, which checks medical licenses and education, experience and training, and how doctors are regarded and referred by their peers.
They are also expanding their services in complementary areas, such as a doctor marketing business and licensing their data to third parties.
Better Doctor has a development hub in Helsinki, and the Finnish investor Lifeline is one of the lead investors in the company. They have also transplanted seven Finnish employees to work in San Francisco.
Source: Finnfacts
