TeleClinic builds on market leadership in telemedicine

Increasing number of patients opting for an online doctor
TeleClinic builds on market leadership in telemedicine

• TeleClinic ends 2020 on a successful note with patient growth of over 500%
• Over ten thousand private prescriptions transmitted to local pharmacies via proprietary pharmacy portal
• The platform for online doctor’s consultations plans to expand its network of physicians in 2021
• Laboratory testing to be added to the range of treatments by video in 2021
• DiGa portal displays all “apps on prescription” approved so far

 Munich, 8 January 2021. TeleClinic, the German market leader in online doctor’s consultations, built on its leading position in telemedicine in 2020. The number of treatments rose by over 500% year on year, exceeding company expectations. The increased patient demand was due to the coronavirus pandemic and cost-free access for non-private patients for the first time. Thanks to its high quality standards, TeleClinic also secured its position with doctors and patients as the first port of call for digital healthcare. The offering from the Munich-based company made a major contribution towards ensuring healthcare provision across the country in 2020. As a platform provider, TeleClinic is a key strategic building block in the healthcare ecosystem of the Zur Rose Group, which acquired the company in July 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic has acted as a catalyst for telemedicine and accelerated its development in Germany. For many people, at the peak period of infections an online consultation with a doctor was the only way to access or provide medical services without taking any risk of becoming infected. The potential for video consultations will grow over the long term: TeleClinic CEO Katharina Jünger expects that by 2026, 5% of all outpatient consultations with a doctor in Germany will take place online – that’s equivalent to 50 million visits:

“Our aim is to make quick and reliable medical care available to all patients at any time. Last year, many people opted for a digital consultation with a doctor for the first time. Video consultations will become firmly established as a part of the healthcare system in 2021, regardless of the coronavirus. A glance at the USA and Scandinavia confirms that in future telemedicine will be an integral part of healthcare provision and make a sensible addition to both inpatient and outpatient treatments.” 

 TeleClinic plans to expand its network of doctors
An increasing number of doctors are opting for telemedicine offerings alongside their normal consultations. In 2017, 2% of doctors offered consultations by video: by early 2020 it was 52%^[1]. TeleClinic currently has a national network of around 260 registered doctors and plans to increase this number significantly.

“When it comes to online consultations, TeleClinic is the partner of choice for registered doctors. We are keen to attract even more medical professionals to online treatment in 2021 in order to expand our network”, comments Ms Jünger. “This is especially crucial so patients can speak to a doctor online at any time.”

Along with the coronavirus and antibody tests already introduced, in 2021 TeleClinic is looking to add laboratory testing with partner Cerascreen and self-administered tests for home use to its online doctor’s consultations. This will make it possible to have saliva, urine, blood and DNA tests done without another visit to a local medical practice, increasing diagnostic certainty. 

Video consultations often bring patients into local pharmacies
TeleClinic has fully digital processes for consulting a doctor, from booking the appointment to having the prescription filled – either online or in a local pharmacy. To allow patients to get the medicines they need quickly after seeing a doctor, TeleClinic has set up its own pharmacy portal with a digital connection to local pharmacies. Since the portal was launched in October 2020, four patients out of five have been collecting their prescriptions from a local branch. As a partner to all local pharmacies, TeleClinic has arranged for over ten thousand private prescriptions to be filled in this way in our 4,000 bricks-and-mortar pharmacies around the country. 

The introduction of e-prescriptions on 1 July 2021 is a key milestone for TeleClinic. Statutory health insurers will then receive non-private prescriptions from online doctors. Unlike with the private digital prescriptions seen so far, the costs of the medicines will then be covered by the statutory health insurers. Patients have their e-prescription filled digitally, either online or locally in the pharmacy.

 “Apps on prescription” appear in digital practices
Since October 2020 doctors have been able to prescribe not only medicines but also “apps on prescription”. TeleClinic identified the potential of certified digital healthcare applications (DiGa) at an early stage and has developed the DiGa portal as the partner to the digital healthcare system in Germany. This provides doctors with an overview of applications that have been officially approved by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices and other information relevant to treatment, giving patients easier access to medical apps. This allows both sides to benefit from the new offering. TeleClinic includes newly approved apps as a matter of priority.

 About TeleClinic:
TeleClinic GmbH is the German leader in online doctor’s consultations. The company was founded in Munich in 2015 by Katharina Jünger with the mission to provide rapid access to medical care for all patients at any time. Using the TeleClinic app, in just a few hours patients receive telemedical treatment from an experienced doctor registered in Germany. Sick notes, prescriptions and doctor’s letters are sent straight to the patient’s smartphone. Prescriptions can be filled in one of 19,000 local pharmacies around the country or by mail order. Since December 2020, partner doctors have also been able to prescribe certified digital healthcare applications (DiGa) by video consultation. The TeleClinic app is available free in the App Store (rating: 4.8) and in Google Playstore (rating 4.8) (as at 7 January 2021).

TeleClinic currently employs over 60 staff and cooperates with more than 260 doctors, who so far have carried out more than 100,000 medical treatments over the TeleClinic platform. Since July 2020 the platform provider has belonged to Zur Rose Group AG, Europe’s largest e-commerce pharmacy.

In 2020, 29-year old founder and CEO Katharina Jünger was included on the Forbes “30 under 30” list for Germany, Austria and Switzerland and the Capital “Young Elite – 40 under 40”.

For more information go to www.teleclinic.com

Press contact TeleClinic:

schoesslers GmbH
Elisa Randelzhofer
pr@teleclinic.com
+49 170 3314465

^[1] McKinsey & Company, ehealth Monitor 2020, November 2020