Game Changer Profile

Clinton Phillips, CEO at 2nd.MD Read insights

Voted one of Houston’s “40 under 40” business stars by Houston Business Journal, Phillips has founded and grown a company which is changing the game for consumers in the healthcare field. In fact, in September 2014, PBS named 2nd.MD one of the Most Innovative US companies. Whether solving the most complex medical case, serving the poorest in Africa, or speaking at MIT, he is determined to make healthcare ridiculously easier, and more effective, for millions of families.

While most Americans facing serious heath challenges must wait roughly two months to access doctors who specialize in their conditions, Phillips’ firm, 2nd.MD, guarantees a consultation with a leading specialist within 72 hours – entirely free of charge to patients covered by a company plan. The multiple life-saving innovations at its heart include an online platform for retrieving and uploading patient tests, MRI scans and medical charts; a legal and ethical framework for remote consultations; and video conferences with specialists at their homes. Some 5,000 members have already consulted with some of the hundreds of top doctors in their system, and 7 large companies, including Starbucks and Morgan Stanley, have already put their thousands of staff on the 2nd.MD benefit.

The South African expatriate and his wife Jade founded the business when – despite his own background and contacts in the healthcare field – he found he could not quickly identify or access a specialist to treat his baby daughter, Gabi, who suffered a stroke at 4 months old. Thanks to remote consultations with specialists through the system, Gabi – now almost 3 – is now recovering “beautifully.” And she's not the only one to benefit from this groundbreaking system. 2nd.MD users rate doctor expertise on the system at an astonishing overall average of 4.9 out of 5.

Some experts project the firm’s potential as a future billion-dollar company, and a trailblazer for an entirely new way to make the single most important decision in anyone’s life.