My Specialist Appinion (MSA), a healthcare technology company, has launched a self-titled app-based platform to connect patients with healthcare specialists for private consultations.
“On one side, patients had long waits of three to six months to see a hospital specialist having been referred by their GP. On the other hand, they were met with unaffordable private fees. MSA bridges that gap,” said Dr David Onwubalili, co-founder of MSA.
The MSA user-friendly app allows patients to select from multiple specialties: cardiology, dermatology, orthopaedics, rheumatology, ophthalmology, and urology.
Once the patient has chosen the speciality, they complete a brief medical questionnaire, upload relevant images or documents and receive expert advice through a secure, WhatsApp-style messaging interface.
More specialities will be added to the app in the coming months.
All of the specialists on the platform are UK-based NHS consultant specialists.
The company said it is currently working with healthcare providers and NHS hospital boards, and the private provider LIPS Healthcare in London, to integrate the platform into healthcare services across the country.
Creating MSA
The healthcare technology company was founded in December 2020 by seven doctors who went to medical school together.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the doctors recognised the need for patient connection to multiple medical and surgical specialities.
The team worked to create the app and did a successful soft launch with friends and family involving 50 to 60 patients.
The MSA app officially launched on October 16, and is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.
The platform is protected by a secure, GDPR-compliant messaging system.
It allows patients to download transcripts of their interactions with their GP and other healthcare specialists.
The company says that the launch of the app aligns with the government’s goals to harness technology to improve healthcare efficiency, set forth in the 10 year plan.
“[The app] solves problems for both patients and specialists, making everyone’s time more efficient while easing the burden on an overstretched system,” said Dr Sachin Modi, co-founder of MSA.