Dr Francis Lai – a virtual care entrepreneur, pitch winner and award-winning dermatologist –  is on a mission to make dermatology more accessible and give Australians the best possible care.  

Dr Lai took first prize in a recent CICA Lab (Clinician Incubator Clinician Accelerator) program with his CosMe app which supports contact dermatitis sufferers.

He also co-founded, with Dr Kieran Dangand Dr Ludi Ge, Virtual Dermatology, a rapidly growing telehealth dermatology service offering appointments to rural and remote patients, or anyone in Australia facing a long waiting time for a consultation.

Dr Lai admits that some general practitioners were initially skeptical about the virtual service.

“However, through consistent delivery of high-quality care, we’ve managed to build a reputation in the GP community as a clinically safe and effective alternative to traditional in-person consultations”.

In the past year, Virtual Dermatology has tripled its number of dermatologists to 15 and quadrupled the number of patient consultations to 4,500 –  with four per cent of clients being indigenous.

“We built this platform to address a critical challenge in Australian healthcare: the extensive waiting times for specialist dermatology consultations,” Dr Lai said.

Comprehensive approach

“While patients in major cities typically face waiting periods of 3-6 months, those in regional areas often have no access to dermatologists at all.

“Virtual Dermatology has dramatically improved this situation by enabling patients anywhere in Australia to consult with a dermatologist within just one week,” he said.

Virtual Dermatology takes a comprehensive approach to telehealth service delivery.

The platform has strategically focused on creating an “optimal experience”  for all three key stakeholders: patients, administrative staff, and doctors.

Dr Lai said: “This holistic approach has proven to be a crucial differentiator, as many other services often overlook one or more of these essential groups.

“Our platform has also received enthusiastic endorsement from our dermatologists, who report that their days working with Virtual Dermatology are their most enjoyable.

“The streamlined clinical workflows mean they can focus on delivering high quality care, rather than annoying administrative tasks.

“Adding to this is the satisfaction from helping patients who otherwise would never have received specialist care. Our growth within the dermatologist community has been purely through word of mouth and self referral,” he said.

Patient satisfaction is high  

“Patients can now see a dermatologist via a quick video call during their lunch break or after school, and no longer need to take a whole day off.

“For certain conditions like acne, we often see patients being more honest and open via telehealth channels. These are young patients who often feel very uncomfortable during in-person appointments.

“The telehealth process allows them to open up and take their time to give comprehensive answers in our pre-consult questionnaires,” Dr Lai said.

“Looking toward the future, we are exploring expansion into skin cancer services and are actively integrating artificial intelligence into clinical workflows.

“We’re taking a very deliberate approach and implementing AI only where it enhances workflows, provides efficiencies or helps clinically.

“Having a strong background in health-tech and AI has allows us to cut through the hype and focus on implementing AI that truly adds value,” Dr Lai said.

Awarded fellow

Dr Lai is a fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists. He completed his dermatology training in tertiary adult and paediatric Melbourne hospitals. During his training, Dr Lai was awarded a scholarship to St John’s Institute of Dermatology in London.

Dr Lai achieved the highest mark in Australia in his final dermatology examinations and was awarded the Australasian College of Dermatologists Travelling Fellowship Award as well as the Ken Paver Medal for Medical Dermatology. In 2023, Dr Lai was one of 8 dermatologists in the world to be awarded the International Psoriasis Council fellowship.