Tech-Driven Transformation: Tend Health’s Acquisition of Better Health is set to improve Primary Care in Aotearoa
Published on 29 February 2024
Tend Health, has become one of the largest primary healthcare providers in Aotearoa through the full acquisition of Better Health group, focusing on how technology can play a crucial role in addressing the challenges facing primary care.
“The group encompasses 17 medical centres with over 90,000 patients, positioning it as a leading healthcare provider in New Zealand with over 130,000 patients across the group of practices” says Cecilia Robinson, Founder & Co-CEO of Tend Health. She further adds,” Tend is committed to providing better access to primary care and improving the health and wellbeing for people across Aotearoa.”
Dr Graham Denyer, Chief Medical Officer at Tend Health, described Tend’s progressive care model as addressing the systemic challenges faced by both clinicians and patients, whilst maintaining the core values of primary care. “Our innovative approach to care is yielding promising results, as seen in our recent clinic integrations.”
Following integration to Tend, enrolments at one Tend medical centre saw a significant ethnic shift, indicating improved accessibility to healthcare. Pacifica enrolments rose from 2% to 13%, and similarly, Māori enrolments saw a significant increase, from 8% to 18% all of new enrolments post Tend integration. This underscores Tend’s commitment to addressing healthcare disparities and ensuring easier access for underrepresented communities.
Ms. Robinson stated, “Tend Health is committed to using our technology to foster health equity and enhance healthcare accessibility, particularly in underserved communities and rural areas. Our proactive approach has resulted in notable achievements, such as a 20% higher immunisation rate among tamariki Māori in Auckland compared to the district average.”
In Aotearoa, where patients may wait up to three weeks for a GP appointment, Tend is proving that shorter wait times are achievable, both in-person and online. Dr. Denyer highlights the efficiency of Tend’s digital healthcare services, which constitute 35% of all consultations. The “Online Now” urgent care service by Tend has revolutionised how consultations are accessed, providing virtual appointments with an average waiting time of merely 2.4 hours.
Dr Denyer elaborates, “This initiative is aimed at ensuring prompt access to healthcare, avoiding extensive waiting times, and lessening the burden on urgent care centres and A&E departments for conditions that can be competently handled online. Our prompt access approach allows patients to receive care swiftly, avoiding unnecessary visits to urgent care with 95% of patients stating that their needs were met through this channel.”
Moreover, “Our technology aims to alleviate the administrative burden on healthcare professionals, enabling them to devote more time to patient care,” Dr Denyer adds. “Following the launch of our app’s test results feature, we’ve seen a significant 59% reduction in clinicians’ time spent informing patients of their results.”
Dr. Denyer highlighted the role of telehealth in Tend’s healthcare framework, describing it as a clinical tool that improves patient access without supplanting face-to-face consultations.” Telehealth is an additional mode of care delivery, suitable for certain situations, offering considerable access advantages for patients” Denyer elaborated. “Our aim is to create a comprehensive primary healthcare network that utilises intelligent technology, ensuring a full range of services where telehealth complements traditional in-person care.”
The integration of Better Health’s clinics into the Tend model will commence with Linwood Medical Centre in May 2024. This strategic expansion builds upon the successful integration of Pakuranga Medical Centre into Tend Pakuranga in May 2023 and the recent acquisition of Chadwick Healthcare Group in the Bay of Plenty, which is poised for integration in March 2024.
“Our commitment to delivering the best healthcare experiences is at the very heart of what we do. We believe healthcare should be equitable, accessible and designed for you and your whānau” concluded Cecilia Robinson. “We’re building a 100-year, Kiwi owned healthcare company for our future generations.”
