Start-up BetterDoctor has launched an iOS app that it says enables patients to more easily find a physician locally. The co-founder and CEO of the firm is Ari Tulla, who previously ran the Nokia App Studio.

BetterDoctor offers access to a database of 600,000 physicians made up of doctors, dentists and optometrists. The service enables users to view doctors’ profiles, reviews, biographies and photos before making their choice.

This is BetterDoctor’s first mobile app. The firm did not say when it planned to launch an app based on other OSes such as Android.

The service is free to users but hopes to make revenue through lead generation.

In an interview with GigaOm, Tulla said BetterDoctor “pays special attention to evaluating doctor quality” on behalf of patients. Rivals may give space to physicians willing to pay for it but BetterDoctor attempts to assess each doctor, he says.

The start-up collates patient reviews, any malpractice history and referral data, which show if physicians have patients referred to them by their peers (a possible indication that someone is well regarded).

As the publication points out, BetterDoctor faces stiff competition from the likes of HealthTap, PokitDok, HealthInReach as well as ZocDoc, all companies in a similar market.

As head of the Nokia App Studio, Tulla was in charge of building mobile apps and games for the handset vendor’s platforms.

Interestingly, given his current interest in the health market, prior to Nokia, he was in charge of the Lucky Strike cigarette brand in Northern Europe for BAT.