In the ‘purple’ of health

K Bharat Kumar
The Hindu Business Line
Visiting a relative at a hospital gave Narayanan Ram the idea for his new start-up.
A second-time entrepreneur, Ram says of the patient, “She was barely able to swallow anything and ironically, she was asked to swallow this huge capsule at regular intervals.” If she did not do it or was unwilling to, she needed reminding and coaxing. And what better way to do it with than an SMS alert on a very personal device, the mobile phone? If messaging the patient did not help, get the closest relative to do it. And that is the business model for Purple Teal of which Ram is CEO.

PurpleTeal currently helps patients of hospitals (and customers of insurance and pharmaceutical companies) get healthcare priorities right. PurpleTeal sends subscribers SMS alerts on when to take their medicines and reminders about doctor appointments.

The clarity behind the business model is this, he explains: “we ensure that people are aware of their vulnerabilities; this should lead to treatment and diagnosis, if required; and should end with the patient following up with the doctor.” The last, he feels is as critical as any of the goals, since most patients give up on treatment after the first 30 days.

But aren’t potential customers of PurpleTeal its own stumbling blocks? After all, if someone does not want to go to the doctor or refuses to take medicines, then what’s the point in reminding him/her? Says Ram, “We cannot change those who don’t want to take care of themselves. But, even if I get a small percentage of converts, that is great return on investment.”

Both Dr Kalkunte Suresh, director at Jain Institute of Vascular Sciences (JIVAS) in Bangalore and his patient S Pratap Kumar vouch for the utility value of this service.

Dr Suresh says that his institution JIVAS has tried out PurpleTeal’s offering for about three months now, across 200 patients. “Our hospital focuses on vascular diseases.” So, a patient not returning for a review could be disastrous.

He confirms that many patients do not take medicines on time, either. “With this service, we only seek to remind them, not hound them.”

The software from PurpleTeal is customised for the hospital. For instance, some tests may require the patient to report on an empty stomach. Those seeking to quit a smoking habit may need periodic alerts. So, the hospital keys such reminders for patients into the software. Integrated with an SMS dispatching system, it sends out alerts as required.

The hospital has about 80 admissions a month and treats about 2,000 out-patients a month. Interestingly, there is zero investment for the hospital, he says, since the patient is billed Rs 100 a month for three months (on behalf of PurpleTeal).”