Vitals (website)
Encyclopedia
Vitals is an online resource for patients to find and connect with doctor
s. 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, including patient reviews. It differentiates itself by remaining free for both consumers and doctors to use.
Originally launched in 2008, Vitals has grown to be the 18th largest health website according to comScore
, and peaked as the 387th most visited website in the United States. 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. In February 2011, MDx Medical Inc., the parent company for Vitals, completed the purchase of UCompareHealthCare.com from The New York Times Company
.
Vitals has raised investment capital from Milestone Venture Partners, Greycroft Partners
, Cross Atlantic Partners, Cardinal Partners and Health Venture Group.
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.
After the February 2011 purchase of rival UCompareHealthCare.com, Rothschild stated the combined sites are visited 100 million times annually.. Shortly after that, Vitals was listed as 122nd fastest growing private company in US by Inc.
and other doctor-review sites for allowing reviews to be posted about doctors anonymously. 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.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s. 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, including patient reviews. It differentiates itself by remaining free for both consumers and doctors to use.
Originally launched in 2008, Vitals has grown to be the 18th largest health website according to comScore
ComScore
comScore is a Internet marketing research company providing marketing data and services to many of the Internet's largest businesses. comScore tracks all internet data on its surveyed computers in order to study online behavior....
, and peaked as the 387th most visited website in the United States. 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. In February 2011, MDx Medical Inc., the parent company for Vitals, completed the purchase of UCompareHealthCare.com from The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company is an American media company best known as the publisher of its namesake, The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. has served as Chairman of the Board since 1997. It is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City....
.
History
Vitals was launched in 2008 by Mitchel Rothschild. Rothschild claims the idea was born out of personally experiencing the complexity of finding a qualified physician for a surgery on his knee.Vitals has raised investment capital from Milestone Venture Partners, Greycroft Partners
Greycroft Partners
Greycroft Partners is a venture capital firm focused on investments in early stage companies primarily in the digital media sector. The firm raised its first fund with $75 million of investor commitments and has deployed that fund into 34 companies....
, Cross Atlantic Partners, Cardinal Partners and Health Venture Group.
CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
’s Money Magazine
Money Magazine
Money Magazine is a business news and financial programme that is broadcast on Sundays at 7:00pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl.-Producers and reporters:...
named the company the best doctor site in February 2010, and Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
called Vitals one of the “Five Health Shopping Web Sites Worth Watching” in June, 2010.
After the February 2011 purchase of rival UCompareHealthCare.com, Rothschild stated the combined sites are visited 100 million times annually.. Shortly after that, Vitals was listed as 122nd fastest growing private company in US by Inc.
Inc. (magazine)
Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is a monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the "Inc...
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 AvvoAvvo
Avvo.com is an expert-only Q&A forum where people can ask legal and health questions of lawyers and doctors, for free. The Q&A forum is backed by an online directory of doctors and lawyers licensed in the United States. Avvo provides listings to which doctors and attorneys can submit their own...
and other doctor-review sites for allowing reviews to be posted about doctors anonymously. 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.