Vendor Roundup: WebMD Acquires Patient Portal Startup
WebMD Health Corp., the New York-based provider of healthcare information content, has acquired Avado Inc., a start-up company that has developed a cloud-based patient portal for
According to WebMD CEO, David Schlanger, the acquisition is an example of the company’s “commitment to playing a leading role in the emerging patient relationship management space.” Currently, MedMD utilizes the Medscape mobile app to send education and instructions on thousands of conditions, procedures and drugs to patients who use WebMD’s mobile app. According to Med City News, in a conference call, the company said it would be “a key building block” for its patient engagement platform.
Founded in 2010 by former Microsoft employees, Dave Chase, Bassam Saliba and John Yii, Avado’s patient portal has found investors in The Partnership Fund for New York City and several serial health tech entrepreneurs. Chase, Saliba, and other members of the Avado team will remain with the company and report to Bill Pence, WebMD’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer.
MEDSEEK Acquires SymphonyCare
Birmingham, AL-based MEDSEEK, a provider of predictive analytics and a web-based strategic patient engagement and management tool, has acquired Madison, Wis.-based SymphonyCare, a provider of population health and care management software.
MEDSEEK plans to integrate SymphonyCare’s population segmentation, risk stratification, care management workflow and quality reporting tools with its health system marketing and digital patient engagement solutions. The full integrated software will be out by 2014.
“There are many population health management tools on the market, but most lack the critical functionality to successfully engage patients,” Peter Kuhn, MEDSEEK’s CEO, said in a statement. “While high-touch programs can be effective, high-tech strategies are the key to cost effectively changing patient behavior in a way that is meaningful in terms of reducing unnecessary hospital readmissions, improving medication and nutrition adherence and eliminating gaps in care.”
MEDSEEK was ranked 83rd in this year’s Healthcare Informatics 100.
CareCloud, ZocDoc Announce Collaboration
CareCloud, a Miami-based cloud-based practice management and electronic health records (EHR) software provider, has announced a partnership with the New York City-based ZocDoc, a vendor that provides an application to help patients schedule doctors’ appointments digitally.
As part of the collaboration, ZocDoc will fully integrate into CareCloud’s platform via APIs. As a result, CareCloud doctors can now have patients seamlessly book appointments online through ZocDoc.
“Our partnership with ZocDoc exemplifies our strategy of opening our platform to work with the most innovative healthcare IT and non-healthcare companies alike to deliver practical, cloud-based solutions that enhance patient engagement and ultimately support the financial health of clients’ businesses.”
