San Francisco, CA– Roughly 1 billion doctor’s office visits occur each year. Research has shown that out of those visits, about 70% of them are unnecessary or could have been easily avoided with a quick question directed towards a specialist. What good is an appointment scheduled 2 months out if you need medical advice this instant?
First Opinion grants patients the ability to text directly with contracted doctors and specialists in order to get instant expert opinions. Their 24/7 service can get you responses to medical questions in 5 minutes or less with their monthly subscription or a free response with your connected doctor within 24 hours. First Opinion is the perfect solution for those who may be on the fence about whether or not they need to make an appointment.
“It’s clear that First Opinion is addressing a real problem in the healthcare industry involving the overutilization of doctor office visits,” says Brian Chee, managing partner at Polaris Partners, who will join First Opinion as a member of the board of directors. “We invested in this company because it has the power to transform an ineffective process for the better, by reducing both doctor patient loads and out of pocket expenditures for patients who seek first to consult with a physician on First Opinion.”
First Opinion has created a large global network of doctors across a wide variety of specialties such as:
- Family Medicine
- Diabetes Care
- Pediatrics
- Emergency Medicine
- Radiology
- Genetics
- Dermatology
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
