Practo Technologies, a Bangalore-based venture, started four years ago when co-founder Shashank ND needed to find an orthopedic surgeon on short notice for his father. He struggled trying to find an orthopedist to get a second opinion and had to call family friends to get contacts. Then he faced the problem of getting medical records sent across since they were all on paper.
Shashank and co-founder Abhinav Lal realized the solution to this was simple, yet no one in India had tried to come up with a solution before. Therefore, in May 2008 they created a software solution for physicians across India to streamline patient care and enhance the patient experience.
Practo Ray was the start-up’s first product. It is an easy-to-use web-based practice management (PM) software for physicians that allows them to schedule appointments, track patient medical records, and send out patient reminders. So far, it has been adopted by about 10,000 physicians all across India.
While Practo started as a tool for doctors, it has now evolved into a patient service as well. Practo Hello is their cloud telephony solution that has revolutionized how doctors can connect with their patients. It includes various features that physicians may need to better manage patient calls.
Practo Technologies also has Practo.com, which allows patients to search for physicians and specialists throughout India and instantly book an appointment. They currently take appointments for over 25,000 doctors across over 100 cities, all for free. Additionally, it has a patient medical records aspect where patients can set up an online account to store and view their personal medical records.
Last July Practo Technologies raised about $4.6 million in a Series A round of funding, which it has been using to expand the company and launch its products globally.