Focus on prevention and early detection

Focus on prevention and early detection

Twin sisters Lidia Nancovski and Lana Klimovski launched Doctors.com.au as an online platform to help patients find doctors and manage their healthcare. 

You may have heard of Doctors.com.au – a website which began as an online search and booking portal for patients to look up health professionals. Now the platform developers are onto their next phase of their journey – expanding the function of the online portal to focus on prevention and early detection. 

Creators of the platform, twin sisters Lidia Nancovski and Lana Klimovski, recently formed a national partnership with Cancer Council Australia to deliver vital reminders to people about the need for regular screenings and health checks. 

The website uses metrics such as the patient’s age, gender and last appointment and sends direct automated health messages and reminders – for example, messages from Cancer Council Australia about regular cancer screenings. The aim is to drive patients to book their appointments and health checks immediately upon seeing the notifications.

“Cancer Council Australia shares the same mission as us – which is prevention and early detection of illnesses, so it was a perfect match. More than half of Australians would eventually have an illness that can be prevented if they went to regular screenings and health check-ups,” Ms Nancovski said. 

$1 AUD from each new patient booking via Doctors.com.au will be donated to Cancer Council Australia. 

“Cancer Council is helping Doctors.com.au by providing reliable messaging and reliable screening schedules – so ideally giving the right information and the right tools to prompt our patients at the right time,” Ms Nancovski said.

As a result of COVID-19, an increased number of patients missed essential health check-ups. The redevelopment of Doctors.com.au will also be helping doctors and medical practices better manage patient care by sending targeted appointment reminders and prompts. It aims to act as an all-in-one digital solution for practices as it provides the tools needed to attract and retain patients.

During the pandemic, Doctors.com.au helped people book their COVID-19 vaccines as well as Telehealth appointments online. 

“The website traffic dramatically increased during the pandemic – which shows us the need for people wanting to see health professionals more online and have an online presence,” Ms Klimovski said.

“The increase in traffic has really prompted us to think we really need to be doing more here. The vision we have will help prevent illnesses, and will help save lives,” she added.

The twins were inspired to start the online portal after watching their grandparents die from cancer and heart disease, which they knew could have been detected earlier. The experiences motivated them to ensure more people are aware of the need for regular check-ups and screenings. 

“We aspire to be saving millions of lives across Australia – and helping many families in need. That’s the main goal over the next couple of years. We are a world of technology now – we’re evolving with technology and it’s important for people to have many ways to access health professionals and to be able to book appointments without hesitation,” Ms Klimovski said.