Wellclicks, which matches patients with doctors via the web, is gearing up for a beta version of its product in April.

The Waconia, Minn.-based company in 2009 released a direct-to-consumer website that matches patients with doctors according to a long list of preferences, including language spoken and time and type of appointments.

Consumers use the service for free, while providers pay a monthly fee for the listing that allows patients to schedule appointments directly through the Wellclicks site.

About 40 providers in the southwestern area of the Twin Cities had signed up for the service as of last June. At that time, co-founder and COO Mark Prondzinski said the company planned to expand to more of the metropolitan area and other regions, as well as possibly offer consumer reviews of providers.

Ahead of launch, the company is raising $225,000, according to a Securities & Exchange Commission filing. Prondzinski declined to elaborate further on what the new site would look like.

Wellclicks was founded in 2007 and has seven employees. It was spun out of Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, under a parent company, CreateHealth, which pursues "new, innovative concepts in healthcare" that lies outside its core competency of running hospitals and clinics, Prondzinski said.

Many insurance companies already leverage the web to connect their customers with physicians in and out of their network. Plus, there are similar companies, such as ZocDoc, in other geographic locations.

Also, Wellclicks is one of at least three Minnesota-area companies trying to bring more consumer convenience to healthcare. Zipnosis aims to connect patients online with a provider for prescriptions when the diagnosis is clear. BloomHealth, meanwhile, wants to streamline the insurance-choice process for employers and employees.