GoodRxwill fold HeyDoctor's services into its company, offeringtreatment, prescriptions and lab tests from doctors for routinemedical issues through its website.(Photo: Shutterstock)

(Bloomberg) –GoodRx Inc., an online marketplace for discounts onprescription drugs, has acquired the startup HeyDoctor LLC, givingit a foothold in the growing business of providing medical careover the internet.

The terms of the deal weren't disclosed. GoodRx was valued at$2.8 billion in August 2018 after the private equity firm SilverLake Management LLC took a major stake.

The move into virtual medicine marks a shift for SantaMonica, California-based GoodRx. It joins the ever-growing list ofcompanies seeking to turn quick, convenient online doctor visitsinto big business.

Related: More physicians are embracingtelemedicine

GoodRx enables consumers to shop for the best prices onprescription drugs, which can vary widely not only between brandnames and generics but from pharmacy to pharmacy. GoodRx doesn'tsell the drugs; instead, it directs consumers to the drugstore withthe best deal and offers coupons.

Adding the ability to connect its customers with doctors who canwrite prescriptions seemed like a natural fit, said Doug Hirsch,co-chief executive and co-founder of GoodRx.

"When we started GoodRx, we had a very simple mission, which wasto try to bring affordable and convenient health care toAmericans," said Hirsch, a former Facebook Inc. executive. "As wegot deeper and deeper into this, we realized that we're onlysolving with prescriptions about 10% of the cost of healthcare."

GoodRx will fold HeyDoctor's services into its company, offeringtreatment, prescriptions and lab tests from doctors for routinemedical issues through its website. HeyDoctor currently offersonline physician visits for 18 medical issues, including acne,birth control, HIV testing and vitamin D screening.

Under the rebranded GoodRx Care, most of those visits will cost$20, without insurance. Hirsch said the company plans to expandthat list to offer treatment for more conditions.

With the acquisition of HeyDoctor, GoodRx joins a group of newtelehealth companies like Hims Inc. and Roman Medical LLC that seekto provide easy, quick prescriptions by simply filling out aquestionnaire online. But HeyDoctor had set itself apart bypositioning itself as a replacement for a visit to an urgent-careclinic. And unlike its competitors, GoodRx won't sell drugsdirectly. Instead, it will arrange a doctor's appointment and thendirect the patient to the pharmacy with the best deal.

"The challenge, of course, is to do in a way that's bothaffordable and high quality," said Hirsch.

Read more: 

• Employers want telemedicine but employees stillunsure
• 6 ways to increase telehealthadoption
• CMS expands telehealth access for MedicareAdvantage enrollees

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