Zwivel
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Medicine |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Paramus, New Jersey |
Area served | United States |
Key people |
Dr. Gary Breslow (CEO) Dr. Craig Abramowitz (Founder) Scott Kera (COO) |
| Products | Consultation services |
| Website | https://www.zwivel.com/ |
Zwivel is an online, educational cosmetic treatment and virtual consultation platform created by board-certified cosmetic surgeon Dr. Gary Breslow and dentist Dr. Craig Abramowitz. Designed to increase efficiency in the medical consultation process, the platform is the first to allow online consultation between cosmetic surgeons and patients.[1]
History
Doctors Breslow and Abramowitz conceived Zwivel while discussing their frustrations with the medical consultation process and ways to increase its efficiency. In 2012, they spent $250,000 on two different web development teams, neither of which could properly implement the site. Scott Kera, who had recently sold his previous startup and currently serves as the company's COO, assembled a new team in 2014 that managed to create the website in six months.[1]
Initially, the company built their brand by waiving subscription fees for doctors who used the service. Subscription fees were implemented starting in February 2016.[1]
Services
Zwivel provides pre-consultation interactions to cosmetic surgeons and patients, in which asynchronous communication, as opposed to live chats, is utilized.[2] Only approximately 36% of consultations end in procedures, which founder Dr. Gary Breslow believes is due to patients possessing insufficient information regarding costs, risks, and necessity of the desired procedures. The reasoning for patients' use of the service is that the price of consultation can be wasteful, especially if the consultation does not end with a procedure.[1] 90% of cosmetic surgery patients are also women with jobs who may not have time for consultations that are unproductive.[2]
Online consultation through Zwivel is meant for patients to find doctors who best suit their needs, as well as determining the correct treatments and procedures for their needs prior to office visits, which saves time for both parties. The platform is designed to increase the number of office consultations that end with procedures being performed. As such, it has been noted that the service is not intended to replace office consultations, but provides patients with the information they need to decide whether a procedure is right for them.[1][3][4]
Interactive medical web services such as HealthTap predate Zwivel but are more oriented toward dispensing medical advice. Zwivel focuses on forming doctor/patient relationships prior to office visits, and in that regard, as been described as a Match.com for the cosmetic surgery field.[1][4]
Reception
In an analysis by the The New York Times, patients have rated the experience with Zwivel as positive, although some physicians have questioned the need for the service, as office consultations will always be necessary. Dr. Breslow responded by pointing out that Zwivel was never intended to fully replace office visits, but is meant to enhance the process by forming relationships prior to consultations, saving both doctors and patients time and effort.[1]
In 2015, Dr. Breslow was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the magazine Plastic Surgery Practice for his founding of Zwivel.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Morrisey, Janet (6 July 2016). "Cosmetic Surgery That’s Just a Click Away". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- 1 2 Young, Sarah (25 November 2015). "With Zwivel, cosmetic procedures start online". Consumer Affairs. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ↑ "Zwivel Is Transforming the Way Cosmetic Patients Search for Doctors". Business Wire. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- 1 2 "Zwivel is an Uber for plastic surgery appointments". Business Insider. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ↑ "Zwivel Co-Founder, Dr. Gary Breslow, Named Plastic Surgery Practice's 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year". PR Newswire. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2017.