Canuvo - A medical cannabis platform for patients in need.

What was the challenge?

Germany's legalization of medical cannabis opened up new therapeutic avenues but also created significant logistical challenges for patients, doctors, and pharmacies. The process for obtaining a prescription was often fragmented, involving manual paperwork and disconnected communication channels. This created high administrative overhead and a poor user experience for patients dealing with sensitive health issues. The core challenge was to build a secure, unified, and GDPR-compliant platform that would digitize the entire workflow from prescription request to final delivery.

What was our solution?

As the founding engineer and technical lead, I architected and built a comprehensive web platform from the ground up. The solution provides a secure, role-based environment that connects patients, doctors, and pharmacies, enabling a seamless digital workflow. The platform was designed with a privacy-first approach to handle sensitive medical data and implemented robust features to automate and streamline every step of the process. The project successfully launched as a production-ready MVP before operations were concluded due to a strategic business decision based on market conditions.

Steps that the patient will be guided through include:

1. Patient requests a prescription for medical cannabis
2. Doctor reviews the request and prescribes the medical cannabis if medically necessary
3. Pharmacy receives the prescription and prepares the medical cannabis for the patient
4. Patient receives the medical cannabis

Provided Value & Core Features

For Patients

• Guided Onboarding: A streamlined, multi-step patient flow including secure identity verification and submission of medical questionnaires.
• Secure Document Handling: A dedicated portal for patients to securely access their prescriptions, track order status, and manage documents.
• Simplified Payments: Easy and secure payment processing for services and prescriptions.

For Doctors

• Efficient Workflow Management: A role-based dashboard for reviewing patient requests and medical histories in a secure environment.
• Digital Signatures: Integrated e-signature functionality (Yousign) to issue legally valid prescriptions digitally, eliminating the need for paper.
• Data Privacy & Compliance: Architected with strict, role-based access control and data separation to ensure GDPR compliance when handling sensitive patient data.

For Pharmacies

• Centralized Order Handling: A dedicated dashboard to receive digital prescriptions, manage orders, and handle fulfillment logistics.
• Integrated Shipping: Integrated DHL shipping functionality for efficient and trackable delivery of medication to patients.
• Automated Revenue Splitting: Integrated the Mollie payment system to handle complex, real-time revenue splitting between all stakeholders.

Technologies & Stack

Frontend

• TypeScript, React (v18), Next.js
• TailwindCSS for styling
• Advanced state management, memoization, and debouncing techniques for optimal performance and UX

Backend

• Node.js with the NestJS framework for a scalable REST API
• Prisma ORM for database interactions

Database

• PostgreSQL

DevOps & Hosting

• Docker for containerization
• Vercel & Google Cloud Platform for hosting
• Amazon S3 for secure, GDPR-compliant file storage

APIs & Integrations

• Builder.io: For flexible content management by non-technical staff
• Mollie: For secure payment processing and automated revenue splitting
• Yousign: For legally binding digital signatures