When you think about video chat apps, you probably imagine a father on a business trip video chatting with his kids at home; or perhaps old college roommates catching up from opposite coasts. Charles Butler, MD, imagines video chatting with his ophthalmologist, his cardiologist, and his dermatologist – and he’s made it a reality for countless patients and physicians.
I think patients should have the right to choose what doctor they want to speak with."
Dr. Butler is passionate about eliminating healthcare disparities. During his internal medicine residency program at Rush University (he graduated from NYU’s School of Medicine and he has a Business Degree from the University of Michigan), Butler says he thought continually about how to improve access to healthcare while empowering patients. So one year later he did just that: He created VideoMedicine in Chicago, Illinois, and he has directed it from inception, to BETA, to launch. He’s also the Chief Product Officer.
“The future of telemedicine.”
Telemedicine is the idea of an electronic exchange of medical information between doctor and a patient from one location to another. “The VideoMedicine app lets patients connect with medical specialists via an innovative face-to-face video chat app,” says Dr. Butler. “It’s the world's first mobile, free-market doctor network.”
Not surprisingly, VideoMedicine is recruiting physicians at a rapid pace.
"We have physician providers from the world’s top-ranked institutions including Harvard, Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins," Dr. Butler says. "We recruit a wide variety of highly skilled providers from psychiatrists to cardiologists to primary care specialists.”
How are they recruiting physicians to join them?
“We attend medical conferences and medical society meetings. We also use Doximity Talent Finder," Dr. Butler says.
The VideoMedicine team started using the platform about seven months ago and it does exactly what it’s supposed to do.”
What is Video Medicine’s biggest recruitment challenge?
“It may not sound like a problem, really, but GPs are easier to reach,” says Dr. Butler. “They’ve shown a lot of interest in our model, too, so Doximity Talent Finder is invaluable for prequalifying and prescreening physicians. It does a great job for us because we don’t believe in broad strokes. Our communications with physician candidates are very specific. We also like to be detailed and Doximity Talent Finder (specifically DocMail) is ideal for that.”
Dr. Butler says VideoMedicine’s strength comes from a technology platform that’s more sophisticated than potential rivals. “It’s the system built by doctors for doctors – it mirrors what they already do and know so they’re instantly familiar with the technology when they start.”
He admires the same thing about Doximity. “We’re a technology company, so we love Doximity because what it does really well is facilitate physician communication. It’s easy to use for physicians on the go,” says Dr. Butler. “Physicians are always trying to improve ways to provide the most effective treatment for patients and that means better communication. Doximity was founded for that same purpose. And the Doximity Talent Finder team understands physicians well, so they understand physician recruitment well.”
If you’re not familiar with VideoMedicine, let’s start first with telemedicine – something physician recruiters are all well aware of. Telemedicine isn’t new, but it has been getting increasing attention, in part because availability and affordability of health-related services remains a growing issue among physicians. By all reports, telemedicine and mobile health are driving costs down and improving the quality of healthcare around the world. Patients are also being encouraged to take more responsibility for their own care – and technology is bringing the change. Technology like VideoMedicine.
By the way, if Dr. Butler and Video Medicine seem really familiar to you there’s probably a good reason. Before he was a doctor and CEO, Charles was an Olympic athlete at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games. VideoMedicine also gained international attention when two of their ambassadors camped out at the New York City Apple store for 19 days prior to the launch of the iPhone 6. The pair used their positions in line (#1 and #2) to purchase new iPhones, and then promote the VideoMedicine app while it was still in BETA phase. The media glommed on and the VideoMedicine folks became “tech celebrities” overnight.
Physicians are invited to join the Video Medicine program. If you’re a patient who wants to know how it Video Medicine works, check out their video here.
