Anyone in the U.K. who has tried to book an NHS medical appointment of late will know just how much of an ordeal it can be, with median waiting times for consultant-led elective care (i.e. pre-planned clinical treatment) currently sitting at around 14.6 weeks in England. This has led to a spike in people turning to the private medical sector, a trend some argue heralds the start of a two-tier healthcare system where those with financial means effectively pay to fast-track their treatment.In tandem, a floundering public healthcare system has created fertile ground for healthtech startups to flourish, addressing everything from staffing shortages to improving radiologists’ tech stack.One such company is Scan.com, a London-based medical imaging startup that connects patients with scanning centers, covering MRI, ultrasound, CT, and X-ray. The company today announced it has raised $12 million in a Series A round of funding, as it looks to build on its recent U.S. launch.Waiting timesThe problem, according to Scan.com, is that even if a patient is able to book a doctor’s appointment in the first place (a procedure that is becoming increasingly difficult in itself in the U.K.), the subsequent referral process to get an appropriate scan can take several months, after which they may have to wait even longer to receive the results.Scan.com has partnered with hundreds of scanning centers to enable individuals to access medical imaging services with or without a GP’s referral, with user-friendly reports replete with clickable diagrams delivered within a week.Scan.com report Image Credits: Scan.comTo use Scan.com’s online referral system, users pay up-front to secure their scan, and then they are booked in for a virtual consultation with a clinician within 48 hours.Prices vary based on a number of factors such as location and the type of scan required, but rough ball-park figures run anywhere from £180 to £395 or more, and includes the consultation, the scan, and all the follow-on reports.If a scan identifies a serious problem, the patient enters Scan.com’s “urgent findings pathway,” where a clinical team contacts the patient and their doctor to explain the results and offer guidance on what to do next.But the ability to bypass a GP (general practitioner) and self-refer for a medical scan surely could lead to all manner of time-wasting endeavors — what if a patient doesn’t actually need a scan?“Our clinical team offers consultations and guidance to all patients once they’ve booked, which is a core part of the service we offer,” Scan.com CEO Charlie Bullock explained to TechCrunch

London company says its platform significantly reduces diagnostic wait times to a week, a third of the NHS average

National MRI Scan are delighted to announce its newest partnership with Medbelle.