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Rocket Doctor Strengthens Access to Care Across Ontario as ER Closures and Physician Shortages Rise

  • 2024 marked the worst year on record for ER closures in Ontario, with 1 in 5 hospitals experiencing unplanned shutdowns, especially in rural areas.

  • Ontario’s family physician workforce is aging, with 15% of patients attached to doctors nearing retirement and 2.5 million Ontarians lacking a family doctor as of 2023.

  • Rocket Doctor-affiliated physicians have treated over 360,000+ patients in Ontario on the platform since 2020, highlighting growing demand and need.

  • In 2024, MDs using Rocket Doctor saw 62,648 patients, a sharp rise from 38,378 in 2023, demonstrating a 63% increase YoY in adoption.

  • More than 102,000 patients from communities under 30,000 population have accessed care through Rocket Doctor, reflecting its impact in underserved regions across the Province.

  • Physician engagement with Rocket Doctor continues to grow, with 138 Ontario doctors signed on by July 2025

TORONTO, ON, Aug. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Treatment.com AI Inc. (CSE: TRUE, OTC: TREIF, Frankfurt: 939) (“Treatment”) and its wholly owned digital health platform and marketplace, Rocket Doctor, are making meaningful strides in Ontario as the province faces mounting healthcare challenges. Since its Ontario launch in 2020, physicians using Rocket Doctor have treated more than 360,000 patients, reflecting both the platform’s growing reach and the critical demand for innovative care solutions across the province.

In 2023, Rocket Doctor-affiliated physicians provided care for 38,378 patients, a figure that grew to 62,648 in 2024, representing a 63% YoY growth rate. This as ER closures and family physician shortages left more Ontarians than ever looking for accessible healthcare alternatives. The platform’s growth has been especially impactful in smaller communities: over 102,000 patients from towns with fewer than 30,000 residents have received care through Rocket Doctor to date.

Ontario’s healthcare system hit a breaking point in 2024, recording its worst year on record for emergency room closures. According to a CBC analysis, one in five hospitals with an emergency room or urgent care center experienced unplanned shutdowns, predominantly in rural areas. What was once a rare occurrence has now become a persistent challenge, leaving many communities with no reliable access to emergency care.

At the same time, Ontario’s family physician workforce is showing signs of strain. The number of comprehensive family physicians has stalled since 2019, with nearly 15% of patients now attached to physicians aged 65 or older, many nearing retirement. Coupled with a decline in younger physicians entering comprehensive practice, access to family medicine continues to erode, leaving 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor by 2023.

“Ontario’s healthcare system is under enormous pressure, and Rocket Doctor is stepping up to meet that need,” said Dr. William Cherniak, Founder and CEO of Rocket Doctor. “We’re proud to empower independent physicians with the tools they need to deliver comprehensive care on their own terms, reaching patients in urban centers with family medicine deserts, as well as rural towns, and remote communities across the province. Having personally seen thousands of patients on the platform, I can attest to the dire need of many patients across numerous communities in the province to access even the most basic care in a timely fashion.”

Physician adoption of Rocket Doctor continues to climb. By July 2025, 138 Ontario doctors were connected to the platform. The first half of 2025 alone saw 27 new Ontario physicians sign on, nearly doubling the total from the same period in 2024. Rocket Doctor’s flexible, physician-led model, allowing doctors to maintain independence without the overhead of traditional practice ownership, while still being able to order labs, imaging, make specialist referrals and book follow-up appointments has resonated amid a shifting healthcare landscape.

As Ontario’s healthcare system evolves, Rocket Doctor remains focused on strengthening access, supporting physician-led care, and leveraging technology to meet the needs of patients, especially those in regions hit hardest by provider shortages and system gaps.

About Treatment.com AI Inc.

Treatment.com AI is a company utilizing AI (artificial intelligence) and best clinical practices to positively improve the healthcare sector and impact current inefficiencies and challenges. With the input of hundreds of healthcare professionals globally, Treatment has built a comprehensive, personalized healthcare AI engine - the Global Library of Medicine (GLM). With more than 10,000 expert medical reviews, the GLM delivers tested clinical information and support to all healthcare professionals as well as providing recommended tests (physical and lab), imaging and billing codes. The GLM helps healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses or pharmacists) reduce their administrative burden; creates more time for needed face-to-face patient appointments; and enables greater consistency in quality of patient support. Treatment’s GLM platform, through supporting healthcare professionals, allows for the inclusion of disenfranchised communities.

Learn more at www.treatment.com or contact info@treatment.com.

About Rocket Doctor Inc.

Rocket Doctor is a technology-driven digital health platform and marketplace that is breaking down obstacles that limit access to quality, comprehensive and cost-effective healthcare. Our proprietary software equips doctors with the tools to run practices in virtual and hybridized in-person/virtual models of care, enabling them to provide tailored care to patients in rural and Northern communities across Canada and on Medicaid in the United States. Leveraging large language models, AI/ML and wireless medical devices, Rocket Doctor is bridging the healthcare divide, connecting patients to equitable and accessible virtual healthcare services regardless of age, location, or financial status.

Visit www.rocketdoctor.ca or contact media@rocketdoctor.io.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Dr. Essam Hamza, CEO
Email: ehamza@treatment.com
Media inquiries: media@treatment.com
Call: +1 (612) 788-8900 / Toll-Free USA/Canada: +1 (888) 788-8955

Dr. Bill Cherniak, CEO, Rocket Doctor
Email: bill@rocketdoctor.io
Media inquiries: media@rocketdoctor.io

Cautionary Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on Treatment’s expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates, including with respect to the implementation of its shareholder communications initiative and the timing thereof. Although Treatment believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Treatment undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances unless otherwise required to do so by law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.


 

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