PetalMD acquires Medago, enters e-prescription market

MONTREAL – PetalMD, Canada’s largest network of physicians, has announced the acquisition of Montreal-based Medago. As part of PetalMD’s commitment to serve its growing community of physicians, specialists, and medical staff, this acquisition will expand PetalMD’s reach to the pharmacist – closing the primary care circle.

With the acquisition of Medago and the recent development of a patient booking system for medical clinics, PetalMD moves closer to its mission to become a patient-focused platform that improves access to care. “Our vision is for every Canadian to have the ability to book their doctor’s appointments online, visit the right doctor via our scheduling solution, and receive a notification when their prescription is ready, all for free,” said PetalMD’s CEO, Patrice Gilbert (pictured).

Alex Aoun, founder of Medago, was inspired to create the company by his experience in running a clinic in downtown Montreal. “I was in charge of operations and business development, and our team was spending too much time on the phone with pharmacists because either they didn’t understand the physician’s writing or patients were losing their paper prescription,” said Aoun.

“So, we decided to build a company to fix these predicaments and streamline the pharmacist and medical provider workflow.”

As the only app-based e-prescription service in Canada that connects doctors to pharmacists, Medago has attracted attention from many pharmacists. “This app will revolutionize the industry; faster service for patients, secure prescriptions, and fewer errors due to doctor’s bad handwriting. It’s time for pharmacies and clinics to upgrade their ways of functioning,” said Ralph Mokbel, a pharmacy owner.

A recent Canadian Institutes of Health Research study showed that 1 in 3 prescriptions go unfilled in Canada. “We were surprised at the magnitude of the gap between leaving the physician’s office and receiving a prescription at your local pharmacy. With over 25,000 medical professionals on the platform, PetalMD is uniquely positioned to fill this gap by providing our customers a simple way to communicate with pharmacists and improve the experience for patients,” said Gilbert.

Aoun will join the PetalMD team to integrate the solution to the platform and work towards a full launch in mid-2016. “It was a natural fit; we share the same vision and our solutions complement each other. This transaction will allow us to rapidly offer an integrated medical platform, which will undoubtedly benefit patients and healthcare professionals,” he said.

About PetalMD

With over 25,000 medical professionals, PetalMD is Canada’s leading medical platform for hospitals, physician departments and clinics. With a mission to improve access to care, PetalMD offers web-based physician scheduling, a patient booking system, and secure messaging. PetalMD is proud to be a full-service company offering turn-key solutions, including a free option and custom modules.

About Medago

A Montreal-based e-prescription startup that streamlines the pharmacist’s workflow with the mission to improve prescription fulfillment. The mobile app allows doctors and dentists to send their prescriptions from their smartphones to the pharmacy chosen by the patient, and the secure web portal allows pharmacists to manage prescriptions and send notifications to patients.