In April 2020, health-tech startup Docosan was established in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. With social impact as a core goal, Docosan’s mission is to connect patients to the best quality healthcare and help doctors digitize and expand their businesses.
The Docosan team is made up of talented, like-minded professionals with the same underlying goal of bridging the tech gap in the healthcare industry. Docosan has an Ivy-league educated management team from the US and Vietnam with years of experience in Southeast Asia and tech – a perfect fit to tackle Vietnam’s healthcare challenges.
Nearly 18 months later, Docosan has attracted over 600 medical practitioners to join its innovative platform, added over 25,000 transparently-priced medical services, and helped more than 100,000 patients find healthcare across the country.
What inspired Docosan in the first place?
Vietnam has a rapidly-growing healthcare market, with per capita health spending doubling over the last ten years. As standards of living rise, there is higher demand for quality healthcare services.
Vietnam does not lack healthcare services, with over 30,000 healthcare providers in the private market alone. However, consumers and providers alike face big challenges accessing healthcare, with sparse high-quality, third-party information available. Patients cannot easily compare doctors according to price, location, quality, and service, while scheduling appointments in advance remains a rarity. The result is frustration on all sides. Patients use unreliable word-of-mouth recommendations to make important healthcare decisions and tolerate sitting in crowded waiting rooms for healthcare. Providers burn cash on marketing and administrative expenses trying to expand their patient base and manage bookings.
The answer to these issues is Docosan, which provides a digital marketplace that matches patients and doctors 24/7. Docosan’s platform allows patients to instantly view healthcare services and book appointments at the touch of a button. For healthcare professionals, Docosan provides an easy way to get new patients while outsourcing the time-consuming process of scheduling appointments.
Zooming into the features of Docosan…
Docosan allows potential patients to identify clinics and healthcare providers across up to 29 medical specialties, including fields such as dentistry, gynecology, psychiatry, and pediatrics.
A feature that often catches patients’ attention is the 5-point rating system that allows previous patients to rate and leave reviews on the facility based on their experience. This gives patients a way to see how well certain facilities guide their patients through the treatment process.
All healthcare providers display price lists stating the range or exact price of each medical service allowing patients to take charge of their own health spending. Certain clinics also incorporate price discounts for patients who choose to book through Docosan, helping grow repeat customers. In case of doubts or further questions about specific health providers, Docosan’s chat function allows patients to contact Docosan’s 24/7 customer service team.
All medical professionals listed on Docosan’s platform are 100% certified, ensuring that patients are treated with the reliable and credible care they deserve. Once patients are satisfied with their choice, they may secure a fast booking by selecting a time slot that works the best for them. Bookings are supported by multiple payment options including e-payments, contributing to safe and hassle-free transactions on the platform.
Docosan also allows patients to book for other people, such as mothers booking for their young children or young adults booking for elderly parents who might not be tech-savvy. This is a simple feature but one that has gained much traction and retained patients on the platform.
The user-friendliness of Docosan’s platform brings ease and convenience to each patient, a world of difference from the usual healthcare experience. While national surveys show Vietnamese patient satisfaction rates of below 50%, Docosan’s average provider rating is 4.83 stars out of 5. This has allowed Docosan to grow fast and achieve high repeat booking rates.
Digital platforms have revolutionized how people access food, transportation, and other services in Southeast Asia. Docosan’s mission is to make quality, vetted healthcare just as accessible as well.
