Here’s Why Doctors Are Betting On Docterz’s Hospital Management Software

Running a clinic involves more than examining patients. Like any business, doctors also need to manage their schedules, patient records, billing, staff and follow-ups, leaving them with less time to focus on medical care.

Mumbai-based Docterz is building a platform to ease this administrative burden. Founded over a decade ago by practising paediatrician Dr Atish Laddad, the startup offers an integrated electronic medical records and clinic management platform for doctors, clinics and healthcare organisations. It aims to simplify day-to-day clinic operations while helping doctors deliver more accessible and affordable healthcare.

With AI opening up new possibilities for automating routine tasks and improving clinical workflows, Docterz is looking to deepen its technology offering for the medical community.

The healthtech startup has now raised ₹5 Cr from around 35 investors, nearly 60% of which, or close to ₹3 Cr, came from approximately 20 doctors who already use its platform. The investor group also includes Sugar Cosmetics’ Vineeta Singh and CaratLane’s Avnish Anand.

The fresh capital will be used to drive organic growth, explore acquisitions and develop practical AI-powered tools for doctors.

Bringing Clinical And Administrative Workflows Under One Roof

In essence, Docterz aims to reduce the administrative workload of running a clinic, allowing doctors to spend more time on patient care while giving them better control over their clinic’s operations.

From arranging appointments and maintaining records to then aiding in prescriptions, billing, the all-in-one clinic management platform helps doctors handle everything. For this, the platform trains AI based OS on doctors’ prescription patterns to simplify the process of recommendations.

It also provides easy-to-understand medical information that doctors can share with patients, alongside tools to manage vaccine inventory, track expiry dates and monitor the use of medical supplies.

On the patients side, Docterz offers a WhatsApp-based assistant to book appointments, check live clinic waiting times, access medical records and view appointment history without downloading a separate app.

Docterz’s Commercial Bet

The latest fundraise comes with an interesting investor mix. Nearly 60% of the capital has come from doctors who already use Docterz, making the round a bet by its own customer base on the startup’s future.

According to the startup, several of these doctors have used the platform for years. For instance, Dr Dhananjay Sangle, a paediatrician and one of the user-investors, said he had been using Docterz across his clinic’s paediatric and OB-GYN practices for several years.

The participation of existing users could give Docterz an advantage as it looks to expand within the medical community. However, scaling a healthcare software business will require it to convert this initial user trust into wider adoption across independent practitioners and healthcare organisations.

With its users also now present on its cap table, the startup’s next phase of growth will focus on three areas:

• AI-enabled tools: Docterz plans to introduce practical AI capabilities to address everyday clinical and practice-management tasks, including documentation, administrative workflows and practice-data analysis.
• Organic and inorganic expansion: The company intends to grow its existing business while exploring acquisitions and other inorganic opportunities.
• Wider doctor adoption: Docterz plans to reach more independent practitioners and smaller clinics across India, while continuing to build its patient-engagement capabilities.

It also plans to strengthen integrations with India’s digital-health ecosystem, including the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

Inc42 Take: Can Docterz Become The Operating System For Doctors?

Docterz is targeting a fairly fundamental problem in healthcare.

An integrated platform could help reduce a doctor’s burden, particularly for independent practitioners and smaller clinics that may not have the resources to manage multiple systems.

The participation of around 20 existing doctor-users in the round is also an encouraging signal of product acceptance. However, user trust is only one part of building a scalable healthcare software business.

The larger challenge now is to get more doctors to move their existing records and workflows onto the platform. Once they are there, their retention also depends on whether the software can deliver tangible operational benefits.

AI could also open another avenue for growth, particularly across documentation, patient follow-ups and administrative tasks. 

The value of these tools will depend on how seamlessly they fit into doctors’ existing workflows and how responsibly patient information is handled.

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