St. Cloud-based Horizon Virtual, a telemedicine provider, was acquired by a Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based competitor called Avel eCare.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Avel eCare CEO Doug Duskin said his company has been interested in Horizon Virtual since its inception. "With Horizon based in Minnesota, we have been watching its growth and progress," Duskin said.
Horizon Virtual has 13 employees, and 12 will go to Avel, increasing the number of physicians available for it to provide service to hospitals, he said.
"Additionally, Horizon as a very well-run organization," Duskin said. "As Avel continues to explore opportunities to grow and expand its reach, we are always looking for organizations that add process enhancement, geographic expansion and business model attributes that make Avel better. Horizon Virtual was able to meet these requirements and thus its profile fit nicely into our strategy to serve more patients and communities throughout the country."
Horizon Virtual was founded in 2017 and worked with critical access hospitals and medical facilities in Minnesota. Horizon Virtual CEO Darin Willardsen will join Avel eCare as vice president of provider relations and strategic partnership. Todd Severnak, chief operating officer and chief medical officer at Horizon Virtual, will also join Avel eCare as medical director for the combined physician services.
Avel eCare was founded in 1993 and was one of the country's first telemedicine providers. The company services more than 600 sites across 36 states.
Last year, the company purchased Texas-based virtual physician provider Fident Health In and remote pharmacy services provider NightWatch. Avel eCare provides a broad range of service lines that include behavioral health, correctional health, emergency, hospitalist, ICU, pharmacy, school health, specialty clinic and senior care.
"This strategic move is to expand Avel’s network with doctors, nurses and clinicians," Duskin said. "Horizon Virtual’s highly skilled team of hospitalists will only further our reach to hospitals around the country, delivering high-quality care to everyone in need."
Avel eCare was renamed in 2021 after Aquiline Capital Partners, a private investment firm, purchased the company from Avera Health.
