August 2, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 22,1423

LOS ANGELES, Aug 1: A US-based Pakistani entrepreneur has developed a unique and simple hand-held device aimed at wooing thousands of doctors across the United States.

“We like to go to every doctor but right now our goal is to get as many doctors as possible as our clients so that in next two years period we should acquire 2-3% and in five years at least five per cent of total practising physicians’ market in the United States,” Anwar Siddiqui, CEO/President of WEBeDoctor, which is also the name of his device, told Dawn.

The US has about 700,000 practising physicians.

Launched early this year, the WEBEDoctor has been developed entirely in-house by his team of programmers in Siddiqui’s two research offices in Diamond Bar, California, and Chennai, India, through collaboration with Fujitsu of Japan.

Costing around 4,000 dollars, the device works as an Internet-based practice management system for medical practitioners, carries unique features through which a whole medical hospital or facility can be interconnected anywhere in the country.

“The WEBeDoctor provides online Internet technology services that allow physicians to communicate between patients and all aspects of the healthcare industry. Physicians and their staff can easily gain access to clinical and administrative information, lab tests and medical research,” said Siddiqui.

The software includes features such as setting up appointments, insurance verification, scheduling, patient electronic medical records and their electronic billing.

Right now, around 150 doctors or five medium-scale medical centres across the country are using WEBeDoctor, but Siddiqui said he was in an advanced stage in clinching a deal with a very large and prestigious St Joseph Hospital in Orange County, California.