Chennai: Vistara Health to provide timely access to hospital records

Vistara Health is another venture in the healthcare technology startup space, and with a noble intent and a unique offering. The online company provides timely access to hospital records for the patients.

In addition, this booking.com of the healthcare industry will also provide access to testimonials and ratings from other patients. More significantly, the users will also get an informed second opinion from specialists.

The company has been founded by the 26-year-old Ravina Jain. Her basic idea to start the venture was to address the gap which existed between the patient and the hospital. Once the patient was admitted to the hospital, it has been a challenge to have timely access to medical record of the patient. Many hospitals lacked in providing the timely access of the medical records of the admitted patient- So, a portal was launched to empower patients.

Now, with Vistara Health (techvistara.com), patients can simply check hospitals in their vicinity, the specialties offered, doctors available with email IDs and phone numbers listed and ratings and testimonials from other patients.

Ravina has further implied that if the hospital is not willing to share the medical records information, then they will not be registered on the portal. The basic motto of our website is to provide people with a clear choice of availing the health information by providing access to hospitals who are transparent about their records and billing. Even a second opinion through a telemedicine link from a specialist registered on the website is made possible.

As reported by the TOI, Jain, who heads medical device equipment maker Surya Surgicals, which has a network of 1,200 dealers and 6,500 hospitals in India and an annual turnover of Rs 20-25 crore, saw potential in the idea and helped them get their first-round of angel funding of Rs 15 lakh. "We felt patients were getting a raw deal. They have no access to hospital records. And the hospitals don't encourage them getting a second medical opinion. There is no transparency on treatment costs. So we are hoping to bridge all these with our portal," says Bhaskaran Subbaraman, director of the company.

Vistara Health has tie-ups with the Apollo Group, Global Hospitals and 45 other big facilities and is venturing into the medical tourism space. "We have signed up with hospitals in Singapore and Malaysia. We are in talks for a tie-up with Thailand," Ravina says, adding that they plan to rope in translators so patients worldwide and from any part of India can communicate with ease.