Digital first GP service expands into South Island

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Kiwi digital health company Tend Health has become a 50 percent shareholder in the South Island-based general practice company, Better Health Limited.

Tend is a digital-first general practice provider that allows patients to book appointments online (including in evenings and weekends), see a doctor using telehealth and access their clinical notes and prescriptions, via an app.

The partnership between Tend and Better Health Limited will cover 14 medical centres with more than 90,000 patients across Christchurch, North Canterbury and the lower South Island.

Tend integration will occur as a managed process at select South Island clinics over time. The company already operates three medical centres across Auckland.

“As part of this integration, Tend will introduce its innovative model of care, technology and consumer facing brand to build an operational model to better serve the needs of patients and clinicians to enhance the best of primary healthcare,” a press release says.

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Tend co-founder Mataroria Lyndon (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whatua, Waikato) previously told eHealthNews that around 70 percent of patient issues are treated via telehealth. After being triaged online, 30 percent of people are then seen at a clinic.

Tend chief executive, Cecilia Robinson says Tend is experiencing a surge of interest from GPs throughout New Zealand looking for opportunities to partner.

The latest survey from The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners found that nearly one-third of GP respondents rated themselves high on the burnout scale with increasing patient need and complexity as well as administrative burden being key contributing factors.

“Our health workforce is stretched. Tend is bringing a new way of thinking and building technology alongside clinicians to help reduce the administrative burden and better support our doctors and nurses to spend more time interacting with patients, working from home or in the clinic,” says Robinson.

David Jones, co-founder and chief executive of Better Health Limited says the two companies share similar values, to sustain and grow the best of independent general practice.

“Tend’s digital capabilities will open a lot of doors, enabling our clinicians and patients access to technology and the ability to connect virtually, changing the way they think about healthcare,” he says.

“A key goal of ours is helping our GPs manage their succession planning. With the backing of Tend, we’re ensuring the GPs who work with us can successfully plan for the future of their practices.”

Picture: Tend founders



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