Teladoc believes the deal will make it the healthcare market’s biggest single provider of consumer telehealth and medical consultation services.

Teladoc Inc. is spending $440 million on an acquisition it believes will make it the healthcare market’s biggest single provider of consumer telehealth and medical consultation services.

This afternoon Teladoc announced a deal to acquire Best Doctors Inc.,  a digital healthcare company that provides patients and doctors with access to medical experts in the U.S. and overseas to obtain a better diagnosis and treatment plan. Under the terms of the deal, which is expected to close next month, Teladoc will pay $375 million in cash and issue $65 million of Teladoc common stock to Best Doctors shareholders.

Teladoc says it has secured financing from Jefferies Finance LLC and Jefferies Group LLC for $360 million, which combined with the company’s cash on hand, will fund the cash portion of the transaction. The Best Doctors global network consists of more than 50,000 medical experts in more than 450 medical specialties. Best Doctors’ services include reviewing a member’s diagnosis and treatment plan in detail by a physician expert and providing expert answers and advisory services to basic questions about a medical condition or treatment plan.

The company also provides a critical care program that provides support for members experiencing multi-trauma, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, severe burns and sepsis and for patients with increasing ventilator requirements, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute lung injury, according to Bloomberg.

Best Doctors, based in Quincy, Mass., also provides physician search assistance and treatment decision support services. Best Doctors was formerly known as Health Resources and Technology Inc. and changed its name to Best Doctors in October 2002. The company was founded in 1989.

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With the acquisition, Teladoc aims at building a global digital healthcare services program consumers, employers and others can use to secure telehealth and related digital provider office visits or consultations for a wide range of acute and chronic care conditions.

“Teladoc will marry its technology, engagement capabilities and scalable platform with Best Doctors’ network of medical experts, analytics expertise, patient decision-support, and regional expertise on a global scale,” says Teladoc CEO Jason Gorevic. “The newly combined company offers a highly differentiated suite of virtual care delivery solutions for a broad range of market segments, spanning the full spectrum of employers to health plans and health systems.”

Best Doctors generated 2016 revenue of $92.2 million, and generated $23.7 million of revenue for the first three months of 2017, Teladoc says. Best Doctors is expected to generate in excess of $100 million in 2017 revenues. Best Doctors generated a net loss of $5.6 million in 2016 and net income of $2.1 million for the first quarter of 2017.

“Our vision has always been to provide the central, trusted source for consumers to find resolution to the broadest array of healthcare needs, on their terms,” Gorevic says. “Now with Best Doctors’ network of world-renowned experts in over 450 specialties, global footprint, and exceptional analytic capabilities, we are taking a monumental step towards making that vision a reality.”

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