Medicilio offers vulnerable people hospital examinations in their own homes

For elderly and disabled people, a trip to the hospital can be an insurmountable problem. The Italian Medicilio has the solution. Mattia Perroni talks to us about it.

What is Medicilio?

“We are an innovative start-up with a mission. The way in which medical care is being offered is outdated. Many patients have difficulty reaching a hospital and consequently don’t get the healthcare they need. This could be because they are disabled, or elderly, or just because they are very busy. In all cases, the problem is that they are unable to reach a hospital. We solve that problem. Our idea is to become the first decentralized hospital in Italy by bringing hospital care into people’s homes. Healthcare is meant to help people, that includes those who are less mobile or busy.”

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Why is your start-up relevant?

“We want to provide people with the high-quality healthcare that they need; the best diagnostics and medical care right in their own homes. We started a year ago after co-founder Marcelo, an X-ray technician, raised the issue that vulnerable patients were unable to travel to hospital on account of the coronavirus, among other things. On top of that, a visit to a hospital is often time-consuming. We bring that medical care to people. We have qualified healthcare professionals who do the examinations using portable equipment. For example, we work with an X-ray machine that was once designed for veterinarians. Meanwhile, the device has also been approved by the European Union for use on human beings.”

Is your start-up already operational?

“Yes it is. We ran our first tests in the summer of 2020. They worked. We now have five radiologists and a few more other medical specialists. There are even patients who want to give us a tip. We admittedly do not accept those, but that just goes to show how satisfied and grateful patients are that our service exists. We are now working from Milan. This is where our main office is located, from where we also serve cities in the area. Hospitals are also gradually finding their way to us. Sometimes we are hired by them, but people can also schedule an appointment directly through our website. An X-ray now costs around 120 euros, but that is not yet being reimbursed by the health insurance companies. So now we fall under private healthcare. We keep the prices low and our aim is to become accessible to everyone.”

What does the future of Medicilio look like?

“We want to expand our patient base and make sure that our technology is second to none. Then we can offer our technology to other players, including those outside of Italy. To do this, we still have some steps to take. All the technology is built with hospitals in mind. We have already invested a lot in adaptations of that technology and are continuing to do that.”