Kiwi skin cancer check app, Firstcheck is flying high after being profiled at the Skin Cancer College of Australasia’s “Skin Cancer Congress” 2017.
The congress brings together front-line professionals from around Australia and New Zealand in a continual effort to improve early detection capabilities in the fight against cancer, one of Australasia’s biggest killers.
In the congress keynote address, world-acclaimed dermatologist, Professor Peter Soyer, profiled Firstcheck for its innovative digital health solution – which is making getting a spot checked so affordable and easy.
Firstcheck’s innovation in the digital health space has been further rewarded with two notable strategic partnerships being announced.
Firstcheck now has a partnership with Your.MD – the world’s most advanced AI Personal Health Assistant, offering anyone with a mobile phone, free access to fully personalised, trustworthy and actionable pre-primary care information. Your.MD has been the number one health app in over 120 countries since its launch.
Thanks to Your.MD’s global license with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), the AI-powered health platform offers its users reliable and easy to understand health guidance based on their individual needs. Your.MD’s unique recommendation solution to help users find the most suitable healthcare service for their requirements – OneStop Health™ – is now referring patients with skin concerns to Firstcheck.
Firstcheck then allows people to submit photos of a mole for review via their smartphone or tablet with low-cost, quick and convenient consults with skin specialists – all without having to go into a clinic, says Firstcheck co-founder Hayden Laird.
“Being available on the Your.MD platform for New Zealand and Australia users recognises the invaluable contribution Firstcheck is making to the early detection of skin cancer,” says Laird.
The announcement follows more recent success by Firstcheck, having also just entered a strategic partnership with Australia's InfinityPATH. InfinityPATH is an independent non-corporate skin cancer laboratory servicing doctors across Australia, and a recognised innovation leader in the field of dermatopathology.
Firstcheck’s partnership with InfinityPATH, combined with the leading skin cancer clinicians that they work with, has produced an exciting new and holistic approach to skin cancer management for all Australians.
“This alignment between Firstcheck and InfinityPATH has created improved avenues of skin cancer detection, ensuring seamless skin cancer care for patients and doctors,” says Mitchell Wan, Director, of InfinityPATH.
Since launching Firstcheck in New Zealand in late 2016, and in Australia in early 2017, the app has been downloaded tens of thousands of times and is already credited with saving lives.
“We conducted an independent survey prior to launch which revealed only 4% of the population are getting the recommended skin checks – this despite New Zealand and Australia having the highest rate of skin cancers in the world,” explains Laird.
“Skin cancers and melanomas can usually be treated successfully if caught early enough. The Firstcheck app makes getting something checked easy and affordable and provides rapid feedback from a skin specialist. Enabling doctors to ensure urgent cases receive urgent attention has resulted in a number of urgent surgeries to remove skin cancers.”
Firstcheck is currently in Australia for two conferences with the Australasian College of Dermatologists and Skin Cancer College Australasia, with medical professionals from all over Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia keen to explore Firstcheck’s innovation.
Laird says the feedback has been overwhelming and is being embraced at all levels – not just by consumers and the skin specialists - but also by nurses, GPs, pharmacists, insurers and also corporates keen to offer Firstcheck to employees as a wellness benefit – or as part of their health and safety initiatives.
Firstcheck launched with $500,000 in investment capital from New Zealand angel investors and the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund.