WebMD buys clinical best practice information firm MGP

WebMD Health Corp, a health information services company, has announced it has acquired MGP, an information provider supporting clinical best practice and implementation of best practice guidelines. 

In a statement WebMD said the acquisition combines the core competencies of MGP with that of Medscape, WebMD's flagship global brand for healthcare professionals.

Medscape and its affiliate network of platforms currently reach over 5 million physicians worldwide, of which over 4 million are outside the US.

The addition of MGP will build on Medscape's offerings of clinical news, health information, education and point-of-care tools to provide market-leading, multi-channel reach and engagement with doctors and other healthcare professionals across the UK.

Based in Chesham, UK, MGP's content is designed to inform clinical decision-making and change clinical behaviour in line with best practice.

The diverse offerings include guidelines summaries, expert articles and videos, and conference and virtual events.

Jeremy Schneider, group general manager, WebMD Global, said: “Clinical guidelines are foundational to enhancing and improving patient care, and the addition of MGP further drives Medscape's commitment to supporting UK doctors in clinical practice.”

“MGP and Medscape have the trust and the engagement of hundreds of thousands of UK healthcare professionals, driving clinical behaviour change.

“Through this transaction, we can leverage our combined strengths and scale to deliver robust, information-rich content to doctors and innovative solutions to customers."

Following closing, MGP will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of Medscape as the companies build on and integrate products, platforms, and services.  The terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed.