Healthapple

About Healthapple

Healthapple, known in China as 小苹果儿科医生 (Little Apple Pediatrician), operates as a child health management and consultation platform, established in October 2014. The company was founded by Lu Bo, who serves as the CEO. Lu Bo's background includes a clinical medicine degree from Capital Medical University, an MBA from Peking University, and extensive experience as a senior executive at multinational pharmaceutical companies like MSD, Bayer, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson. His motivation to start the company stemmed from his wife being a pediatrician, giving him firsthand insight into the high workload and talent drain in the field, which created an opportunity to address the difficulty in accessing pediatric care.

The firm's business model integrates three core components: a doctor group, physical clinics, and internet-based healthcare services. It began by establishing China's first professional pediatric doctor group, which has grown to include over 300 senior pediatricians. This network forms the foundation for its services. The company generates revenue by providing professional diagnosis and treatment services, rather than relying on traditional markups from pharmaceuticals and laboratory tests. This model serves parents who are willing to pay for premium pediatric services, including basic medical needs, upgraded health check-ups, and consumer-driven medical services like dentistry and ophthalmology.

Healthapple provides a comprehensive suite of services through both online and offline channels. Its digital offerings, accessible via an app and WeChat, include online consultations for child care and chronic disease management, educational health content, and a platform for doctors to provide paid voice consultations. The acquisition of an internet hospital license in Yinchuan further solidified its online presence. Offline, Healthapple operates a chain of self-owned and cooperative pediatric clinics in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, handling thousands of patients monthly for services that require physical examination, lab tests, and treatment. These clinics offer services in general pediatrics, endocrinology, ophthalmology, and dentistry, with a focus on early screening and intervention for common childhood issues like obesity, stunted growth, and myopia. The company utilizes a cloud-based HIS (Hospital Information System) to ensure patient data is accessible to doctors across different clinic locations. Over the years, Healthapple has secured significant venture capital, including a Seed round in 2015, a Series A round in late 2015, a RMB 50 million Series B in 2018 led by CITIC Capital, and a Series C round in 2022, accumulating over $26 million in total funding.