Doctena, founded in 2013 and experiencing significant growth, partially as a result of numerous acquisitions, including DocBook (BE), Doxter (DE) and Terminland (DE), has announced that it is now acquiring the medical customer base of the Belgian firm Sanmax.

With the recent takeover of Sanmax, Doctena is strengthening its position as European market leader: 9,000 doctors are now using the online booking platform. “Our rapid growth proves that doctors believe in the digitalization of the booking process. With Doctena, medical practices save at least an hour a week by digitizing tasks”, explained Patrick Kersten, Founder and CEO of Doctena.

The leading medical booking platform in Belgium

Sanmax has been in business since 1998, giving users the possibility to manage their online agenda. The doctors who have joined Doctena work in 25 different specialist areas. On average, 700,000 appointments per month are made via Sanmax and, on some days, the figure can rise to up to 40,000 appointments per day.

These are incredibly exciting times for both doctors and patients. With online bookings of medical appointments on the rise, and ever-evolving technology, we are convinced that Doctena is the right partner for our common trajectory towards digital health”, explained Pascal D’Helft, founder of Sanmax.

With a total of 3,500 medical professionals using Doctena, over 10% of Belgian doctors now manage their appointments through the software. According to Eurostat, there are approximately 33,000 doctors active in Belgium. “Doctena has reached an important milestone in Belgium,” said Patrick Van de Mosselaer, CEO Belgium. “With 10% of doctors using the same software, online booking is already standard in many practices. It becomes increasingly convenient when medical professionals from all specialties are using the same platform, as we will be able to facilitate referrals. As a result, we expect to see additional doctors joining our platform.”

In Luxembourg, 20% of doctors have already chosen to offer online booking with Doctena, making it the preferred medical booking tool.

Our rapid growth proves that doctors believe in the digitisation of the booking process. Doctena’s software simplifies a process that previously took up a great deal of both doctors’ and patients’ time, which is simply no longer necessary in an era of smartphones and tablets. With Doctena, practices can save at least an hour per day by digitising tasks. We also help medical professionals simplify their diaries, reduce the number of cancelled appointments and expand their patient load,” explained Patrick Kersten.

A growth strategy based on acquisitions

With the takeover of Sanmax’s medical booking clients, Doctena has completed four acquisitions in two years. Doctena has experienced significant growth, partially as a result of numerous acquisitions in Europe, including DocBook (BE), Doxter (DE) and Terminland (DE). Doctena has a lead presence in its active markets of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland, cementing its position as market leader for Western Europe.

Across Europe, 9,000 independent doctors have already joined Doctena”, said Patrick Kersten, “With significant access to doctors outside the hospital throughout Europe, Doctena is well placed to offer an integrated process for primary and secondary care and simplify referrals.”