Affordability and convenience are the goals

In the years since, dr.consulta has expanded dramatically. It now provides an extensive range of services and care through 31 medical centres across São Paulo), while also offering online appointments and home care assistance for some lab tests, exams and vaccines.

These improvements allow our patients to take care of their health anytime, anywhere, online and offline.

Low-cost monthly subscriptions and more recently a partnership with a health insurance plan startup are also available for patients. These enable patients to spread the costs of treatment, which is crucial for those with low incomes and especially those with chronic conditions.

dr.consulta’s approach is based on finding efficiencies among the complexities that traditionally face healthcare providers. It designs its medical centers so that it can provide a wide range of services under one roof, which enables patients to see the doctor and do exams in one visit. That is an important factor for patients with low incomes because it minimises the inconvenience and expense of attending multiple appointments.

Technology and data analysis play an important role by helping the company to anticipate and manage demand. “We use artificial intelligence to see the demand from patients and put doctors where we need them,” explains Tin Hung Ho, Medical Director, Quality and Clinical Intelligence at dr.consulta. This helps centres to meet patient demand while ensuring that resources are used as effectively as possible – and it keeps costs down.

Reducing women’s cancer rates

Recently, dr.consulta has focused on tackling the significant challenge of HPV and cervical cancer. Almost 18,000 women in Brazil are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, which makes it the fourth most common cancer among women. And about 5.4% of women in the general population are estimated to have a cervical HPV infection at any given time.

Brazil’s publicly funded healthcare provider, the Unified Health System (SUS), launched a vaccination programme for girls aged 9–14 in 2014 and expanded it to boys aged 11–14 three years later. But dr.consulta recognised the importance of encouraging uptake of vaccination against HPV among women who fell outside the scope of that programme.

Partnerships promise future growth

dr.consulta has developed an innovative partnership model to generate further company growth. It recently announced substantial new funding from investors, and plans to expand to 45 health centres over the next three years. “We are evolving our business model,” says Tin. “Now, we can really say that we are a complete health ecosystem, because we have all the services.”