TELUS Health announced it will acquire Ontario's largest electronic medical record provider MD Practice Software LP, a member of the MD Physician Services Group and subsidiary of the Canadian Medical Association. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Closing of the transaction is slated for March 4.

 

With the new acquisition, TELUS Health will further expand its reach in the first line of care, now providing EMR solutions to some 9,000 Canadian physicians nationwide, and impacting more than 25 million patient interactions each year, officials say. TELUS Health provides solutions to all major stakeholders in the health system, including hospitals, pharmacies and extended healthcare providers, such as physiotherapists and chiropractors.

 

"TELUS Health firmly believes that by securely connecting physicians to the broader healthcare continuum and facilitating confidential interactions between the patient and their full care teams, we will further realize our vision of turning information into better health outcomes," said Paul Lepage, president, TELUS Health. "This acquisition is part of TELUS Health's future vision for next generation EMR, which enables us to examine best practices, drive efficiencies and reduce care gaps throughout the healthcare system, resulting in strengthened primary care access for Canadians."

 

According to company officials, TELUS has invested more than $1 billion over the past five years, including the acquisitions of EMR providers Wolf Medical Systems in Western Canada and KinLogix in Quebec. These combined acquisitions, coupled with organic growth, positions TELUS Health as the largest EMR provider in Canada, officials say.

 

"We are proud of the support we have provided physicians and our involvement in the evolution of EMR platforms, assisting in fundamentally changing the nature of healthcare," said Mike Gassewitz, president, MD Practice Software LP. "As the business evolves and focus shifts to connectivity of systems and the continual improvement of outcomes, this is the right time to transition EMR clients to a leading IT company which shares our vision and has the standing and resources to implement a national best-in-class EMR offering which delivers inter-operability."