Vitals (website)
 | |
| Foundation date | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Lyndhurst, New Jersey, United States |
| Industry | Doctor ratings and reviews |
| Services | Doctor evaluation and comparison service |
| Parent | MDx Medical, Inc. |
| Slogan(s) | Have a better doctor visit. |
| Website | http://www.vitals.com |
Vitals is an online resource for patients to find and connect with doctors. Although the site focuses on doctors in the United States, it also provides limited international physician listings. Vitals claims to collect over 1.4 billion points of data on doctors,[1] including patient reviews. It differentiates itself by remaining free for both consumers and doctors to use.
Originally launched in 2007, Vitals has grown to be the 15th largest health website according to comScore, and peaked as the 365th most visited website in the United States.[2] In addition to being a doctor finder, the site also provides content on preparing for a doctor visit and has tools for patients to connect with doctors online via email appointment request forms.
History
Vitals was co-founded in 2007 by Mitchel Rothschild and Todd Rosengart. Rothschild claims the idea was born out of personally experiencing the complexity of finding a qualified physician for a surgery on his knee.[3]
Vitals has raised investment capital from Milestone Venture Partners, Greycroft Partners, Cross Atlantic Partners,[4] Cardinal Partners[5] and Health Venture Group[6] HEA and Athena,[7] and Enterprise Partners.[8]
In August 2012, a press release stated that annual traffic to the sites reached 120 million visitors. The same release announced that Vitals moved up to the 47th spot on the Inc. 500 list, and was ranked third on the list of Top Health Companies. This was the second year that Vitals was named to the Inc. 500. In 2011, they were ranked #122.[9]
Kiplinger Magazine named Vitals the Best Health Review Site in 2011.[10] CNN’s Money Magazine named the company the best doctor site in February 2010 and Forbes called Vitals one of the “Five Health Shopping Web Sites Worth Watching” in June, 2010.[11]
In June 2012, Vitals opened an office at 632 Broadway in New York City.
Vitals launched its first mobile app in July 2012. Available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, the Vitals mobile app enables users to find and compare doctors while on the go, anywhere in the U.S.[12]
On June 18, 2013, Vitals closed $22 million in Series C funding. Investors participating in the round were Piper Jaffray, Cardinal Partners, Health Enterprise Partners, Milestone Ventures Partners and Greycroft Partners. Funding will be used to expand the Vitals consumer footprint and includes better data, more tools, helping consumers know the cost of their healthcare and developing decision-support tools for health insurance choice.
Business Model
Revenues for Vitals are generated by ad sales, as well as by selling direct services to physicians, health care facilities and insurances.
Criticism
Vitals has been criticized along with Avvo and other doctor-review sites for allowing reviews to be posted about doctors anonymously.[13] Vitals claims that reviews submitted by users are systemically screened for defamatory or inflammatory remarks. They also have a Physician Relations team that investigates suspicious reviews. That said, not all inaccurate information can be removed.
References
- ↑ http://www.vitals.com
- ↑ Vitals.com Traffic and Demographic Statistics by Quantcast
- ↑ "Vitals.com finds physicians, draws first institutional VC round". October 13, 2008.
- ↑ "Vitals.com Closes on $4 Million in Financing, Fueling Accelerated Growth and Building on the Company's Rapid Expansion". October 13, 2008.
- ↑ Cardinal Partners - Portfolio
- ↑ Health Venture Group, LLC - Transactions
- ↑ HEA and Athena
- ↑ Enterprise Partners
- ↑ Inc. 500 - Article
- ↑ Kiplinger Magazine
- ↑ Forbes Magazine
- ↑ Vitals Mobile App
- ↑ Deardorff, Julie (November 15, 2010). "Doctors: Web ratings flawed". Chicago Tribune.