The Teladoc and Livongo Merger
Teladoc and Livongo had ridden the tailwinds of the COVID-19 pandemic—and a merger between the two would offer a “one-stop-shop” for technology-driven care for patients with acute, chronic, and specialty care needs. The case study describes the regulatory history of telemedicine in the United States, and the licensing barriers that had inhibited virtual doctors’ visits—until the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic forced urgent changes to the ways doctors and patients interacted.
Would the Teladoc business model—and the proposed merger with Livongo—help establish the company firmly in the increasingly competitive telemedicine field? Analysts projected the telehealth space would grow at a compounded annual growth rate of more than 20 percent over the coming years. Livongo, with 147 million members, offered software and personalized health coaching to address diabetes, hypertension, behavioral health, and weight management. Did this acquisition make sense for Teladoc?