Doctor24 Case Study: From MVP to Scheduled Calls

Context

Doctor24 began as a simple telemedicine service, connecting users with doctors via online video calls. The concept was straightforward: log in, click, and consult a physician from anywhere.

Traditional doctor visits take time and effort, so people often self-medicate or delay care, even though catching a problem early is cheaper and safer than treating it later. We wanted to close that gap between patients and doctors. Our hypothesis was that if connecting with a doctor took no effort, people would ask for medical advice more often.

The MVP

In healthcare you can't rush and risk errors. Sensitive data and legal compliance aren't negotiable. To test our hypothesis quickly and safely, we built a lean, law-compliant web app for unscheduled video calls with primary care physicians.

A web app. It was the fastest way to build one platform for patients and doctors.

Unscheduled calls. Scheduling would have added complexity we weren't ready to take on yet.

Primary care physicians. A small team could handle most common medical issues.

The MVP aimed to answer key questions:

• Are Spaniards ready for telemedicine?
• What share of medical issues can video calls resolve?
• What problems will users bring to the service?
• Do users prioritize speed or doctor choice?
• What's an acceptable wait time?
• Will users sign up proactively or only when sick?

MVP Challenges

Video calls on platforms like Hangouts or Skype are prone to glitches. A medical consultation adds patient history, diagnosis, treatment, and billing on top of that, so a dropped call costs a lot more than a normal one. We controlled the doctors' internet stability, but patient-side disruptions were common. Users expected:

• To resume calls with the same doctor.
• Not to repeat their medical history.
• Doctors who didn't have to redo diagnoses or prescriptions.
• Failed calls that didn't leave clutter in their medical record.

The MVP offered no doctor selection, only a "Talk to a doctor now" button. Interrupted calls couldn't reconnect instantly, but since often only one doctor was online, patients usually got the same physician again on retry. When all doctors were busy, we showed an estimated wait time and queued patients in a virtual waiting room.

The Pilot

In Spain, doctor visits cost companies €330 per employee a year. We pitched Doctor24 as a B2B perk that saved employees time and employers money. A three-month pilot with a pharmaceutical company gave their entire Spanish staff access, and we learned:

• Users were accurate about which issues suited a video call. Doctors resolved 83% of cases.
• Skepticism faded after the first try.
• Patients wanted follow-ups with the same doctor.
• Recurring users valued that familiarity but also loved instant access.
• Chat worked as a fallback when video failed, which made us wonder if a simpler MVP would have been enough.

The pilot confirmed what we'd hoped: Doctor24 solved a real problem, and patients kept using it. Next we needed to commercialize it and test product-market fit while fixing what the pilot had exposed. We pivoted to support two use cases:

• Instant doctor access for emergencies and new users.
• Follow-ups with a preferred doctor for recurring patients.

Scheduled Calls

After the pilot, we tackled scheduled calls to fix the MVP's flaws. Patients could connect instantly if their doctor was free, or pick another physician or book a slot if not. This also fixed the reconnection problem after dropped calls.

Scheduled Calls Challenges

Unscheduled calls kept the MVP simple. Scheduling breaks that simplicity in a few ways:

• Setting medical shifts.
• Ensuring doctors log in on time.
• Defining time slots.
• Managing overlaps.
• Tracking and reminding about appointments.
• Handling cancellations.
• Delaying virtual room access until the doctor's ready.

The Solution

Overlapping appointments proved tricky. Fixed slots clashed with fluid consultations, since doctors couldn't cut a patient off mid-conversation. A doctor-only timer showed when another patient was waiting and let them choose:

• Schedule a follow-up.
• Wrap up for the next patient.
• Continue if no one's waiting.

We started with 15-minute slots, adjustable later based on data, and let patients book up to two minutes before a session started. Reconnecting after an interrupted call stayed simple. For "Talk to a doctor now," we reserved unbooked slots so at least one doctor was always free for instant calls while others handled appointments. That worked for both full-time and part-time physicians.

The Results

Scheduled calls fixed the MVP's problems, reconnections included, without making the platform harder to use despite the added complexity. The product could now handle far more volume, but sales lagged. Users loved Doctor24, but companies didn't see enough value in it to pay for it. We tried new pricing and a B2C pivot, but the service shut down before we found out whether scheduled calls alone could have won businesses over.

We never found product/market fit, but I still believe in what Doctor24 was building toward. Telemedicine where physical visits are rare and prevention comes first looks like where healthcare is headed. It's cheaper for providers to deliver and easier for patients to use.