Dallas "Uber Doctor" Can Make House Calls With Help Of App
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Some call him the "Uber Doctor." With the click of a smartphone, Dr. Jonathan Clarke will show up just about anywhere in the Dallas area to treat a patient. Dr. Clarke recently developed a new app he calls Mend. It is an on-demand physician service that utilizes the technology of smartphones to connect doctors and patients.
It is a new take on old-fashioned medicine. "We actually use Uber pretty frequently and when we heard about this, it actually seemed really convenient," said Linday Bruning, an East Dallas resident.
A few weeks ago when Bruning's son Edwin showed flu-like symptoms, she and her husband Scott decided to get in touch with Dr. Clark. "I think we should expect from healthcare what we expect from every other service industry," said Dr. Clarke.
His services range from about $200-to-$250. Using a van as a mobile office, Dr. Clarke and his team will treat most common illnesses and injuries like most urgent care facilities.
"The last thing you want to do when you're sick is getting out of the house, get the kids dressed and throw everyone in the car and spend hours in a waiting room," said Dr. Clarke. He got the idea in part from his grandfather who also made house calls in Texas as a physician.
Bruning and her family just hope the idea spreads. "It's worth it to us to pay a little extra money to have the convenience," said Bruning.
Mend does not work at all hours. Most nights, Dr. Clarke and his team operate from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Dr. Clarke is not accepting insurance right now, but said most of his clients use their HSA accounts to pay for his services.
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