Healthy new direction for Simpl Group

November 18th, 2013

Healthy new direction for Simpl Group

One of New Zealand’s most successful home-grown IT companies, The Simpl Group, has announced a new brand, Simplhealth, to focus entirely on developing healthcare information technology solutions.

The new brand and positioning comes as the demand for health sector information grows, driven by the need for governments to find cost efficiencies as life expectancy increases, along with rising costs in healthcare. The new brand identity will be revealed in coming weeks.

The launch of Simplhealth is recognition of years of success for The Simpl Group in developing healthcare IT solutions. The company has been behind national programmes such as the disability management system Socrates and the Before 4 School Check programme to support child health.

The company was also pivotal in the implementation of the eRx Script Exchange national ePrescription service in Australia. It also works in other business sectors and will continue to work with non-healthcare related clients under The Simpl Group.

CEO of SimplHealth, Jodi Mitchell, highlights the importance of the company’s new direction:

“An ageing population and more expensive healthcare is a huge issue for many countries, with respect to a sustainable public health system. Life expectancy for both men and women is increasing and by 2031 the numbers of people over 85 years in New Zealand is expected to double and then double again by 2061. On top of this, healthcare costs are growing currently by around 2-3% per annum. People are also becoming more demanding as more innovative healthcare options become available,” she says.

“It has become very clear that maintaining affordable and effective healthcare for those who also fund the system through taxes is becoming an urgent issue for governments to address. It is here where information technology solutions can play an important role by achieving realistic cost savings, through automation, while also enhancing standards and efficiencies.

“Simpl has always been very strong in health IT and these strengths have evolved into our strongest business sector in recent years. This new direction is a natural step for us and will focus our team on providing heightened value for healthcare clients and better health for patients,” she says.

Simplhealth’s specific area of expertise is in the development of information technology platforms that help healthcare professionals collaborate, communicate and work better together to achieve the best results for patients. The platforms it develops also support the implementation of health policy.

There are still many examples where traditional methods of healthcare professionals working together, some of which remain paper based or even hand-written, can be updated to online, instant and secure systems through better use of information technology.

“It takes an entire industry and many different healthcare professionals and services to manage one person’s health during a lifetime,” continues Jodi Mitchell, “so it makes sense to make collaboration, and the safe and secure sharing of information between these people and organisations, a key component to the success of eHealth.”

“This is where Simplhealth already has a lot of respected experience and where we will provide an essential service. Information technology is already a central part of the medical system – our commitment is to make all collaboration in healthcare work far more effectively,” she says.

Simpl was established in 1989 and has offices in Auckland and Wellington. It started as a systems integration business and has worked in a number of business sectors while always having a particular strength in healthcare both here and overseas, including Australia and the US. Its successful projects have involved collaboration with a number of other technology companies, government departments and district health boards. Its senior leaders are involved in the wider industry through leadership roles in the NZ Technology Industry Association and the NZ Health IT Cluster.

ENDS

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