HealthLink Becomes Part of Global Healthcare Technology Company Clanwilliam Group
A GROUND-BREAKING NEW ZEALAND COMPANY HELPING HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS WORLDWIDE TO SHARE PATIENT INFORMATION HAS BEEN
ACQUIRED BY A GLOBAL MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AND SERVICE COMPANY.
Auckland, New Zealand: Global healthcare technology specialist, Clanwilliam Group, has taken a majority shareholding in HealthLink,
Australasia’s leading Health-system Integrator. The Dublin-based Clanwilliam Group consists of a number of healthcare
technology and services businesses in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Australasia.
The purchase brings Clanwilliam Group’s investment in Australasia to nearly $NZ70 million so far this year, including
another New Zealand company, pharmacy software provider Toniq.
The investment in HealthLink will help to unlock further growth for the company, with the potential of market expansion
and product development support from Clanwilliam’s global network.
Graeme Stretch CEO and Tom Bowden (founder, former CEO and now Director of Industry Relationships) will continue in
their current roles and remain as directors and shareholders of the company.
Graeme Stretch, CEO of HealthLink says: “Clanwilliam Group’s investment is clear recognition of the importance of the Health-system Integrator’s role in
integrating information flows within the modern health system. We have a common belief that information technology can
be of great benefit to the delivery of healthcare and can best be achieved by connecting information systems, allowing
healthcare providers to automate and streamline their existing processes.
“We are very grateful to Waterman Capital for partnering with us to grow the business over the past five years, their
support has been invaluable.
“One of the opportunities this will provide us with is giving us access to new markets for technology we have developed
and implemented in Australia and New Zealand. Involvement with Clanwilliam and parent company Eli Global gives
HealthLink truly limitless marketing and sales opportunities.”
HealthLink provides a secure system for medical practices to communicate electronically with the rest of the health
system. Nearly all the clinical communications used in New Zealand are shared through HealthLink and it is the largest
provider of clinical messaging services in Australia.
More than 13,500 healthcare organisations and professionals exchange 100 million plus electronic messages a year via
HealthLink.
“We are proud to have an innovative company like HealthLink as part of our team,” Howard Beggs, CEO of Clanwilliam Group says. “HealthLink is a perfect example of a healthcare technology company that continues to innovate to help improve
efficiencies, productivity and reduce cost in healthcare. The seamless flow of patient information is a critical
component of healthcare improvement, putting the most relevant information in the clinicians’ hands when they need it
most.
“Clanwilliam Group can add value to the New Zealand healthcare system by drawing on our 30 years’ experience,” he says. “We are building a global group of healthcare technology and services businesses who can work together to improve
healthcare services and the experience for patients. We hope to continue to grow our presence in New Zealand and
Australia.
“In the United Kingdom Clanwilliam Group companies are helping to reduce the deficits of National Health Service trusts
by about $NZ26 million annually,” Mr Beggs says.
“The major cost drivers affecting the New Zealand and Irish healthcare systems are the same – the impact of an ageing
population and increased chronic diseases,” he says.
“Technology is a key enabler for increased productivity, efficiencies and cost-savings across all healthcare systems.
All Clanwilliam Group companies are focused on driving further efficiencies within the healthcare systems they operate
in.”
Under the leadership and guidance of Mr Beggs, the Clanwilliam Group supports entrepreneurial spirit.
Businesses within the group have access to a wealth of experience, technical expertise and resources as well as the
opportunity to work alongside other health technology providers in the group around the world.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
HealthLink
HealthLink was founded in 1993, initially as a joint venture between Telecom New Zealand subsidiary Netway
Communications and Clearfield Systems, the predecessor of Orion Systems Ltd. In 1994, Tom Bowden left Netway
Communications, purchasing its shareholding and set the company up as an independent business. In 2013, Orion Systems
sold its shareholding in advance of an impending sharemarket debut. The Orion shareholding was purchased by private
company investor Waterman Capital.
Today HealthLink’s services are used to connect 13,500 medical organisations across New Zealand, Australia, throughout
the Pacific Islands, Western Canada and even in Antarctica. The company has more than 100 staff based in offices in
Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane and Townsville (Northern Queensland). The company offers a suite of services that are used
every day by medical professionals to deliver better healthcare. In New Zealand, HealthLink provides a national
messaging backbone and its SmartForms based eReferral service is used for approximately 70% of all hospital referrals.
In Australia HealthLink is the major provider of clinical messaging services with a network of 11,500 medical
organisations using its services. HealthLink is working closely with the Australian Digital Healthcare Agency and
government and private healthcare organisations in every state and territory.
About Clanwilliam Group
Clanwilliam Group, headquartered in Dublin, is an expanding healthcare, technology and services business.
While Clanwillliam Group is still a young company – existing in its current form since 2014 – many of its subsidiaries
date back over three decades.
The group was founded in late 2014 when Eli Global, a US Group, acquired Helix Health and Socrates Healthcare (now
Clanwilliam Health), two leading healthcare technology companies in Ireland. Backed by the funding of Eli Global, Howard
Beggs, then CEO of Helix Health, set about creating Clanwilliam Group with a vision to bring together a number of
like-minded healthcare businesses across the world.
Clanwilliam Group products and services are trusted by tens of thousands of users every day in private and public
clinical settings across the UK and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand as well as other worldwide locations. And, its
people – healthcare professionals, patients and their families – benefit from the work of Clanwilliam Group teams.
Clanwilliam Group's growth strategy is to actively develop a global group of highly synergistic healthcare technology
and services businesses. This strategy is designed to build a stronger, globally integrated business that delivers
sustainable value to our customers.
Current businesses and brands within Clanwilliam Group include: Clanwilliam Health | Medical Managements Services |
Claimsure Sláinte (Ireland) | Analytical Medical Insight Bluespier | Epic Solutions | Maxwell Stanley Consulting | Toniq
| Medical Business Systems | Medisec Software.
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