A new startup has scraped public and private data to compile a directory of 10 million physicians worldwide, Forbes reported Nov. 16.
The New York City-based company, called H1, has distilled information to create a LinkedIn-like interface that allows users to see physician details including their specialties, clinical trial involvement and social media mentions. It currently aims to help biopharmaceutical companies to find the best physicians to involve in clinical studies or educate about new therapies.
"H1 is a global platform of every healthcare professional in the world and everything you want to know about them," CEO Ariel Katz said.
Big clients already include Novartis and AstraZeneca. The company plans to expand beyond the life sciences to eventually offer the platform to hospitals, health insurers and patients.
"There's a lot of old-fashioned, broken stuff with the [healthcare] system. But the people within the system are not the system," Mr. Katz told Forbes. "They're really hungry and thirsty for something new to help them operate in a smarter way."