London-based virtual care company HealthHero has acquired digital triage platform Doctorlink. This comes after Eight Roads sold its stake in the company to HealthHero. 

Doctorlink has several different components, including online triage, urgent care triage, risk assessment and video consultations. The technology is built using artificial intelligence (AI). The company's online triage system was designed to help patients figure out what kind of care to seek. The system can also help users find a health service that fits their needs. Doctorlink's urgent care triage can help assess patients when they arrive for care and help figure out if urgent care is the best course of action. 

HealthHero’s platform was designed to allow users to tap into medical services 24/7 through video calls, online chats and phone calls. Patients can use the service to access a general practitioner, a mental health clinician, a specialist or a musculoskeletal practitioner. 

HealthHero is a young company, founded in 2019 as a collaboration between investment house Marcol, which already had a number of health assets, and entrepreneur Ranjan Singh. It was launched in August just as it closed a deal to acquire German medical consultation platform Fernartz.com. 

WHY IT MATTERS 

While details of the acquisition were limited, it’s easy to see why a virtual care platform such as HealthHero would roll triage assets into its suite of offerings. The company said it plans to incorporate Doctorlink’s tech into its primary care tool. 

“This marks an exciting step for both Doctorlink and HealthHero,” Singh, who is CEO and cofounder of HealthHero, said in a statement. “By working together, we aim to create the gold-standard in digital primary healthcare services by combining Doctorlink’s industry leading tech tools with our existing platform and best in breed clinical operations.”

THE LARGER TREND 

Patient triage systems are becoming plentiful. One of the most well-known in the UK is Babylon Health, which has teamed up on many occasions with the NHS. Last year, the company announced that it was making its way across the pond to the United States. 

Boston-based Buoy Health, which created an AI-driven triage and care navigation platform, scored $37.5 million in 2020, bringing its total raise to nearly $200 million. 

Other companies in the space include Infermedica, which recently scored $10.2 million, and GYANT, which raked in $13.6 million.