Better's iPhone app is a doctor in your pocket

Everyone has had their moments of medical uncertainty, being bitten by an unknown insect and forming a rash, having a funny feeling you've never had before, or perhaps more serious symptoms that happen at a time when a trip to the hospital is impossible or inconvenient. Soon, you'll be able to say, "There's an app for that," with Better announcing an iPhone app at AllThingsD's D: Dive Into Mobile.

Better's iPhone app will, depending on which subscription the user chooses, provide 24-7 access to Mayo Clinic information, as well as nurses and doctors. That aforementioned bug bite? With the app, you'd be able to snap a picture and send it off to a professional, along with your symptoms, for some real medical advise. This instead of Googling your symptoms and getting results about rare tropical insect-like harbingers of death.

The device was demonstrated by Geoff Clapp, Better's founder, who used it to check symptoms for a fake round of stomach pain, which the app indicated was celiac disease. He then called a Mayo Clinic nurse via the app and spoke with her, getting information and suggestions, as well as a blood test scheduled for when he returns.

Such is an example of how the app works. Like all things, such a level of service won't come without a price, however – unless you use the free version of the app, which provides access to the Mayo Clinic website and the ability to create health records. The next level, which isn't finalized, would, for example, provide access to a nurse, while the most expensive option would provide 24/7 access to a doctor, as well as medical bookings and such. Prices could be as high as several thousand a month, with the app's founder saying that the best range is between $100 and $500 monthly.

An iPhone beta app is available now, with a full iPhone app rolling out this summer. Eventually an Android app will also be available.

[via AllThingsD]