Health IT supplier buys NZ media titles

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

A health IT supplier with solutions used across Australasia has bought the publishers of media titles New Zealand Dr and Pharmacy Today.

Group Healthcare, which owns health software companies ReScript and Conporto Health, has bought The Health Media from its owners Anna Mickell and Barbara Fountain.

The solutions provided by these companies, ReCare and Early Care, are used by 90 percent of New Zealand’s pharmacies and 70 percent of medical centres, for medicine workflow and electronic patient records, a press release says.

Fountain announced earlier this year that The Health Media would cease trading later in 2024 and new owners were being sought.

This sale will ensure a future for The Health Media’s news, education and data products, which include New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa, Pharmacy Today, and its 50 per cent share of medicine analytics company Matui.

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Group Healthcare Ltd is managed by former Green Cross Health chief executive Grant Bai and founder of Dr Info, Sam Jacobs.

Bai says their interest in The Health Media, “stems from a desire to improve the quality of clinical education we are providing to our software users and to introduce a news service to our dashboard”.

It is expected the publication of Matui’s He Ako Hiringa’s EPiC dashboard, which had been due to shutdown on June 30, will continue under the new ownership.

“The health sector needs the type of scrutiny that comes from a well-resourced, independent newsroom,” says Bai.

Fountain is continuing as managing editor, overseeing the development of new delivery channels for news and education and most staff are expected to be retained under the new ownership.

She says retaining editorial independence is central to the success of the news service.

“It is crucial for our credibility and because we also provide education to the sector, we always maintain a clear delineation between advertising and editorial and that will continue,” Fountain tells eHealthNews.

Chief executive of the General Practice Owners Association Mark Liddle says the organisation is delighted to see a way forward for NZ Doctor.

"NZ Doctor is the only media platform that consistently puts the spotlight on the enormous challenges facing general practice, and that understands the political and financial landscape," he says.

"The coming year is likely to be the most challenging yet and with the demise of many other parts of the fourth estate, the role of NZ Doctor is all the more important.

"Hopefully the change in ownership will not mean a change in style or approach, and the news that most of the team will be retained is welcomed."

The Health Media is not the only media organisation to be acquired by a health IT supplier. PulseIT became part of the global healthcare technology group Clanwilliam Group in 2019. Clanwilliam owns software solutions Toniq, HealthLink, Konnect Net and MBS

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