Klaus Bartosch (credit: Kat Rollings Photography)

After taking the Australasian optometry market by storm, 1st Group, the parent company of online booking and patient referral software platform MyHealth1st, is branching into ophthalmology.

Just a week after announcing it had signed 25% of New Zealand’s optometry practices in a few months, the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX)-listed company issued another ASX announcement to say it had signed Vision Eye Institute (VEI) to its online patient engagement platform. With 16 sites across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, VEI is one of the biggest ophthalmology service providers in Australia.

“This is an important strategic extension of our dominant market presence in the optometry market, where MyHealth1st will become increasingly involved in assisting the referral process to the ophthalmology sector by simplifying the experience for patients,” said Klaus Bartosch, 1st Group’s managing director in the ASX announcement.

“Our collaboration with 1st Group will streamline the appointment making process and give us the opportunity to obtain real time feedback from our patients,” said James Thiedeman, VEI managing director.

Promoting its role as patient booking and contact facilitator between optometry and ophthalmology, 1st Group can also operate with Oculo, the cloud-based secure messaging and clinical communication software company formed specifically to improve communication between optometry and ophthalmology, Bartosch told NZ Optics.

“Ophthalmology patient referral processes are changing. Oculo now enables the clinical referral to be seamlessly transferred electronically, but the patient who had conveniently and easily booked their appointment online with their optometrist through MyHealth1st, is now back to the dark ages, having to pick up the telephone to make their appointment to see the ophthalmologist. Over 65% of consumers find that process frustrating and inconvenient and many simply don’t bother at all or worse, wait until their condition worsens.”

With 65% of the Australian independent optometry market along with 25% of the New Zealand market now using the MyHealth1st platform, Bartosch said it made sense to add ophthalmology to the mix, bringing the ophthalmic industry in-line with just about every other industry globally.

“Patients increasingly prefer digital channels when accessing their healthcare services. I predict it won’t be long before all referrals between optometrists, GP’s and other referrers to specialists are conveniently handled through MyHealth1st, improving the connection between patient and their chosen healthcare service providers and complementing clinical referral systems like Oculo.”