Practo pushes into US healthcare market after early traction

Practo, a digital healthcare platform, has expanded into the US market, betting that its care-navigation model, built in emerging markets, can gain traction in one of the world’s most complex healthcare systems.

The company said it has listed more than 200,000 doctors on its US platform since quietly entering the market in April 2025 and has reached an annualised gross merchandise value run rate of over $75 million.

Monthly active users in the US have crossed 300,000, up nearly sixfold in six months, according to the company.

Practo’s early growth has been concentrated in dental and mental health, two high-frequency, out-of-pocket categories in US healthcare, where it has monetised more than 500 doctors across clinics, hospitals and independent practices through paid subscriptions. The company plans to expand into additional

specialties, aiming to replicate the broader specialist discovery and booking model it operates in India.

Founded in 2008, Practo built its business around helping patients discover doctors, book appointments and manage follow-up care, while also selling software tools to hospitals and clinics. The company says its US expansion is driven less by aggressive marketing than by organic search traffic and provider listings, supported by what it describes as a deep healthcare data stack developed over nearly two decades.

Chief Executive Shashank ND said the US launch reflects a broader ambition to organise healthcare around patient decision-making rather than institutions, adding that the company sees opportunities to improve navigation and outcomes even in mature healthcare markets.

Practo is hiring locally in the US and evaluating potential acquisitions to expand provider networks and specialty coverage. The move follows the company’s entry into the United Arab Emirates last year, where it said it has listed more than 31,000 doctors and attracted 50,000 monthly active users.

The US expansion places Practo in a crowded field that includes platforms such as Zocdoc and Healthgrades, as well as health systems investing in their own digital front doors. 

The US market also brings a more complex regulatory environment. Platforms involved in doctor discovery, appointment scheduling and patient data management are subject to federal health-privacy requirements under HIPAA, as well as a growing number of state-level consumer health data laws. Marketplace models that collect fees from providers must be structured in line with US fraud-and-abuse regulations governing referrals and commercial relationships in healthcare. 

Any expansion into teleconsultations or clinical services would require compliance with state-specific physician licensing rules and restrictions on corporate involvement in medical practice. In addition, regulators have increased oversight of data sharing and online tracking on healthcare platforms, influencing how products are built and monetised.