Two Austin-based healthcare messaging tech companies are joining forces in hopes of providing a useful mix of telehealth communication tools.
Medici, which raised a $22 million round of funding earlier this year, announced it is acquiring DocbookMD, an Austin startup founded in 2008 that was previously acquired by Scrypts.
Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
DocbookMD's app provides secure texting between medical professionals, and it has more than 25,000 active doctors on its network and is distributed by 42 state medical associations.
Medici has created a niche for itself by building a smartphone app that connects patients and healthcare professionals with video, voice and text. Their app also has billing, referral and prescription functions as well. It may seem like a simple thing in the era of Facetime, but creating HIPAA-compliant digital communication tools in the highly-sensitive medical industry has required legislative actions, in addition to all the other barriers to entry startups face.
On one side are technologist and medical professionals who see an opportunity to improve access to care, efficiency and outcomes. On the other are medical professionals and regulators who want to prevent patients from misdiagnosis and other lapses in care.
But as the technology becomes more prevalent and traditional providers become more familiar, the market is opening rapidly -- at least for some types of care.
For example, Texas schools are using real-time video communication between students, doctors and parents to improve potential mental health issues. That type of easy, remote communication is especially attractive in rural areas where there may be dozens -- if not hundreds -- of miles between providers.
Meanwhile, Medici has also found use cases with veterinarians and mental health professionals. Acquiring DocbookMD brings new tools, talent and customer contracts into Medici.
"Medici and DocbookMD are so well-aligned with each other, and with the interests of medical associations in helping doctors live and practice at the highest level," Medici CEO and founder Clinton Phillips said in a news release.
