Waitaha Primary Health is a Canterbury-based PHO with a long-standing history of supporting rural general practices and patient populations. In 2022, Waitaha Primary Health partnered with Ōtautahi Christchurch health tech company, Webtools, to trial their Centrik platform and Well consumer health app at member practices.
One of the general practices taking part in the trial was Hanmer Springs Health Centre. The clinic provides health care services to the Hanmer Springs community and wider Hurunui District, including many patients in rural areas.
Using the Well app, patients at Hanmer Springs HC can connect with their general practice, access their health records, book and manage appointments, attend video consults, request repeat prescriptions, and message their primary care team. The Well patient portal is accessible as an app on a mobile device and via a computer and web browser, with complete feature parity on both platforms.
Throughout the trial, Hanmer Springs HC have been an active participant in Webtools’ co-design process. This has allowed Practice Manager, Paul Walmsley, to be involved in the scoping and design of Centrik features, proving feedback to Webtools’ product and design team. This co-design approach is integral to how Webtools design and build software solutions, ensuring that Centrik meets the needs of administrative teams, practitioners, and patients.
Paul comments, “From our initial meeting with Al Duncan, through to the support from Implementation Specialist, Georgia McLean, during go live, it has been an outstanding experience with a real smooth transition for our staff and patients. I have come from a career in technology and it is so refreshing to see such a great co-design process led by Blake Quartly at Webtools, together with their responsiveness to our different needs in Rural Primary Health Care.”
The recent launch of the Well app has had a positive impact with patients at Hanmer Springs HC, providing a modern and easy to use platform to connect with theirg eneral practice team and access health care services. The use of modern technology that provides a familiar experience for patients also breaks down barriers to accessing care, particularly with many based in remote rural areas.
“Consistent feedback from patients has been on how easy it is to get set-up and use the Well app,” says Paul.
Webtools Chief Growth Officer, Al Duncan, says, “It has been great working with Paul and the team at Hanmer Springs Health Centre to trial and launch Well. Paul’s feedback during our co-design process has provided our team with valuable insight and has helped to ensure we're building technology that meets the needs of patients and providers across Aotearoa, in both rural areas and larger urban centres. We’re excited to see Well live at Hanmer Springs and their patients benefiting from frictionless digital tools to connect with their GP.”
Along with the Well app, Centrik is also currently powering the white label The Doctors and Better Health Outcomes apps. The Doctors app is currently rolling out to Green Cross Health’s national network of medical centres as part of an innovation partnership between Webtools and Green Cross. Two other Waitaha Primary Health practices are already on the Centrik platform, using the Better Health Outcomes app under an agreement with Better Health Group.
Centrik has been built from the ground up using FHIR integrations and standards and connects to primary care facilities via Medtech’s ALEX® platform, meaning it can be quickly turned on and deployed for practices throughout Aotearoa. Taking a standards-based approach means Centrik is agnostic of the source system it integrates with, allowing for connection with other PMS platforms as well as with health care service providers across pharmacy, allied health, and secondary care.