Fredericton-based VeroSource Solutions, a tech startup that incorporated last year, has launched its first product WaitShare, a free app that aims to inform the public about wait times at walk-in clinics and emergency rooms.
Though several startups have tried to tackle the problem of people spending too long to wait to see a doctor, WaitShare relies on crowdsourcing to build up information on wait times. The idea is to give a patients an idea which facilities near them would offer the fastest service so they can choose the most efficient option.
“As a mother, I’ve been in the situation of having a sick child and not know which ER would give us the quickest attention, and sometimes had trouble finding out when the local after hours clinic opened,” said Christina Taylor, VeroSource’s spokesperson. “That’s why we developed this app, to help parents and other patients get access to that information, so that they could get the quickest health care available to them.”
A nine-member team with a background in healthcare has been working on WaitShare since 2012, either as investors, workers or a combination of the two. Taylor said that a core of six people did most of the work.
The team launched WaitShare in late January and received coverage in the Fredericton Gleaner and CBC, which gave an instant boost to the product. The team had been hoping to get 500 users by the end of February, but by last week the number had already reached 800. They hope to reach 2500 users by the end of March. Most of the users are now concentrated in New Brunswick, but the team hopes to roll it out across Canada and then beyond the country’s borders.
WaitShare works by asking members to report on the app the wait times in the facilities they’re using. That means that other people can consult the app to see which facility in their vicinity offers the fastest service. Users can sort the information by the service they need, and the app tells them the fastest combination of driving time and wait time.
It also tells users where the nearest health facilities to them and gives information like operating hours and services offered.
Taylor said in an interview the target market is largely mothers of children, and VeroSource believes mothers’ customary willingness to help one another should ensure the app is populated with useful information.
The app is free and available on the App Store and Google Play. Taylor declined to reveal the team’s plan to monetize the product. WaitShare can operate independently of the health authorities, but the team would like to work with clinics and hospitals to get their information on the app.
“WaitShare is about the local community taking control of the information that you and your neighbors need about your local health facilities,” said Mark McAllister, VeroSource’s CTO. “Information that your local health facilities can’t provide on an ongoing real time basis. Along the way, friends, strangers and visitors to your area using WaitShare are all helped by the community’s acts of caring.”
Entrevestor receives financial support from government agencies that support start-up companies in Atlantic Canada. The sponsoring agencies play no role in determining which companies are featured in this column nor do they have the right to review columns before they are published.
