Since launching in New Zealand in January this year, an estimated 25% of New Zealand’s independent optometry market has signed up to MyHealth1st’s online appointment booking system.

In an Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) announcement in June, MyHealth1st’s parent company, 1st Group, said 25% of New Zealand’s independent optometry market were onboard and would be using the new booking system by the end of June. Most had also subscribed to more than one product, combining MyHealth1st’s booking service with its EasyRecall and/or its EasyFeedback services, designed to remind patients about appointments and allow them to engage more easily with practices.

The New Zealand optometry launch was so successful, said the company, 1st Group also pushed ahead with the New Zealand launch of its new PetYeti service, which offers similar digital patient-engagement support for vets, to support the imminent launch of MyHealth1st’s portal in New Zealand. The portal (which is already active in Australia where it now has 60% of the optometry market) acts as a local, online health providers’ directory for patients and their families, showing complementary healthcare service providers, such as dentists, GPs and vets, together with the MyHealth1st optometry practice the patient has already booked with. The aim of the portal is to allow patients to build up a group of local health providers and then provide that patient with a one-stop, online booking service for all their family’s health requirements, whatever time of day or night they want to book.

“This achievement validates the company’s low-cost growth strategy to build a complementary business in selected verticals in New Zealand leveraging off 1st Group’s digital expertise and deep customer understanding,” said the company in the ASX statement, adding there is scope for additional growth in New Zealand as it continues to target the rest of the independent optometry market.

“We are pleased to have reached this market share milestone within four months of commercial launch.” said Klaus Bartosch, 1st Group’s managing director. “We have been able to successfully leverage off our Australian base and quickly demonstrate the value add of our products and solutions to customers whose needs and opportunities we understand very well.”

Whangarei-based Visualeyez’s owner Craig Robertson, who supported the 1st Group roadshow in Auckland, said since introducing MyHealth1st’s Optomate and Sunnix-compatible booking platform, he’d found about 70% of all of his online bookings were made during practice hours, demonstrating a preference for online bookings over calling for patients. In other statistics, 1st Group said the average return on investment for MyHealth1st’s booking and patient recall service is A$5,000 to A$20,000 a month per practice, with an average 41% of bookings being new patients.

Papamoa Optometrists^, owner Scott Dumbleton said he attended a roadshow event in Tauranga, went live with the new system the following night and had his first online booking the next night. “It is 2018 and every practice should have a website and the option to book online. We do live busy lives and not everyone can contact the practice within traditional hours.’’

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