Clinton Phillips, founder of Medici, courtesy photo.

A Native of South Africa, Clinton Phillips, a serial entrepreneur, recently founded Medici, a HIPAA-complaint telemedicine app, in Austin and raised more than $24 million in venture capital funding.

Previously, Phillips founded and ran Aspen-based Aspen Back & Body, physical rehab clinic, that he sold to Laser Spine Institute. And Phillips founded another medical advice company called 2nd.MD in 2011 in Houston.

Phillips, a former chiropractor, sports therapist, and rugby player, started Medici because he saw a need to provide more efficient healthcare. He recently discussed his vision for the company in the Ideas to Invoices Podcast.

“Healthcare is such an inefficient, difficult and frustrating industry, there are few industries left that can really be disrupted in such a meaningful way that would help so many people, and Medici was the opportunity to restore care and efficiency for doctors so they would be able to enjoy their times with patients again and be able to able have a level of ease around their workforce that has really disappeared over the last 50 years,” Phillips said.

Medici is a healthcare business platform for doctors that allows them to be able to consult via phone, video or text all within the Medici app in compliance with healthcare laws. It also allows them to bill directly from the app.

“It’s an opportunity for physicians to rethink how they practice,” Phillips said.

For patients, it’s really the ability to text with your doctor, your dentist, you veterinarian and your therapist. Bringing all your medical providers into one place. Making healthcare vastly less expensive and more efficient.

The app is largely being adopted by referrals through doctors, healthcare providers and through word of mouth from consumers from one to another.

Medici is really trying to recreate the doctor and patient relationship, Phillips said.

Over the last six years, Phillips built 2nd.MD in Houston, which is an employer benefit app that allows companies to provide it to their workers.

Up until recently, there wasn’t a way for the doctor to get paid for consulting through text, phone calls, and video chats. It’s been a huge source of frustration for the doctors. Now, by providing a payment mechanism, there is a huge opportunity for doctors to get reimbursed and states have passed laws allows doctors to get reimburses for virtual visits, Phillips said.

“Part of it has been technology, part of it has been policy,” he said.

The Medici app is also providing more flexibility for doctors to work from home and to work non-traditional hours. The goal is for the doctors to feel empowered and not overwhelmed, Phillips said.

Phillips loves Texas and thinks it’s an incredible state to do business. He likes the talent in Austin and the startup community.

Medici has raised $24 million in funding to hire key employees and further develop and market its app.

The startup, based at WeWork on Congress, has more than 30 employees including 20 in Austin, five employees in an office in Paris, one person in Chicago, a few people in Houston and six employees in and office in South Africa.

Medici launched in the U.S. a few months ago and it recently launched in South Africa and it has been widely received and done well there, Phillips said.

The biggest challenge in scaling Medici is focusing on the right markets, Phillips said. It’s important not to try to do too many things at once, he said.

Phillips is also an athlete. He is a former rugby player and is competing in the USA National Track and Field Masters Outdoor Championship next month in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is training to do the pentathlon, the 200-meter run, the 1,500-meter run, the long jump, javelin, and discus.

For more on Phillips’ vision for Medici, listen to the full podcast.