POLAND – Polish healthcare platform and world’s largest online healthcare marketplace DocPlanner, has bought its German counterpart, Jameda in a big move that catapults it into Europe’s largest healthtech market.

DoPlanner will invest significant capital and global expertise in Jameda as part of the acquisition, with a focus on rapidly growing the company’s sales, customer care, and marketing teams.

The purchase price was not disclosed, but DocPlanner will add more than 200 new team members to Jameda as part of the agreement, investing more than a quarter billion euros (US$280.54) million in the German market over the next three years.

Hubert Burda Media’s Munich-based Jameda, Germany’s largest online healthcare marketplace, collaborates with over 20,000 doctors.

Its platform attracts eight million patients on a regular basis, which will be added to Docplanner’s global client base of 110,000 doctors and 70 million monthly patients.

The transaction follows DocPlanner’s most recent funding round, which valued the company at more than US$1 billion in August.

DocPlanner has more than doubled its employee base to 2,000 in the last two years and now serves nearly 70 million monthly patients.

DocPlanner’s acquisition marks the company’s second foray into a new market, following the establishment of local operations in Mexico and Brazil in 2017.

In addition, the company has market leadership positions in Italy, Spain, Turkey, and its home market of Poland, giving it the most geographical reach in the digital healthcare space globally.

DocPlanner, on the other hand, will face competition in its most recent entry into the German market. Its main competitor, French Doctolib, already has 450 employees in Germany.

The consolidation of healthtech startups is not limited to Germany. This year’s acquisition sprees have also included Kry, Zava, and HealthHero.

The acquisition of Jameda, which will become fully operational on January 1, 2022, is the next step in DocPlanner’s growth strategy.

As part of its global expansion efforts, the company has demonstrated strong organic performance combined with a track record of successful acquisitions.

To date, it has acquired six other companies, including TuoTempo in Italy (2019), Doctoralia in Spain (2016), and Eniyihekim (now Doktortakvimi) in Turkey (2014).

Significance of digital healthcare

The mission to make the digital healthcare experience more human and user-friendly continues. Saving time by utilizing digital healthcare apps and software to reduce the backlog between healthcare professionals and patients can result in significant time savings.

Streamlining scheduling, booking, communication, and payments can improve patient flow and reduce no-shows.

Accordingly, doctors can use the Jameda calendar to optimize their appointment management, saving time and money – and spending more time with patients rather than admin work.

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