DocPlanner has raised $20 million for its platform that helps patients get a doctor's appointment

DocPlanner, a startup that helps healthcare professionals manage their diaries, has raised $20 million (£14 million) and merged with rival firm Doctoralia.com.

The London-based company, which claims to process 200,000 bookings a month, received the investment from venture capital firm Target Global.

DocPlanner's online software is aimed at private healthcare providers, including individual doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals such as dietitians and psychologists, as well as small and large clinics. The company says doctors can use its software to:

• manage their professional profile
• follow and respond to opinions received from patients
• offer an online calendar to their existing and new patients
• and improve their office administration with the help of features like a personal "tele-assistant" and automatic appointment reminders.

The latest investment means DocPlanner's total funding to date stands at $34 million (£24 million). Previous investors include EBRD, Point Nine Capital, Piton Capital, RTAventures, and Fabrice Grinda, who has invested in the likes of Airbnb and Uber.

Yaron Valler, general partner at Target Global, provided the following statement:

"We are proud to become an investor in DocPlanner. Our team was blown away by the market response to their unique product suite which provides better patient management, more sophisticated marketing and lead generation tools to doctors and clinics. We believe that DocPlanner's ability to expand internationally by integrating local service providers will lead them to a position of market dominance."