Ok @ValueSearch I will try and give you my understanding.GP...

Ok @ValueSearch I will try and give you my understanding.

GP markets and allied health fields are very different beasts. HE tried to grab the market of both and tried to force them
into the same platform which didn't really work for either.

GP practices like HE because it's a stand alone platform which can search for all GP's in the area based on availability. So it works if they have new GP's trying to build a caseload where the determining factor is availability. HOWEVER a good GP never has availability and is usually booked weeks in advance. HE started wanting to charge people on a per new patient basis but it created the issue of "first patient for whom?" was it to be paid for every patient who booked for the first time with HE but maybe a long term patient of the clinic or was it when the clinic agreed that yes this was a new patient for them?

Then HE added in a monthly fee per practitioner/GP, which I don't mind as a business model (as a business owner) but they never repealed the charge per new patient. This takes up valuable admin time in verifying every new patient to ensure the correct amount is paid at the end of the month.

With all the issues HE faced a year or so ago with breaches and selling data, that's when HotDoc moved in. They started to take market share of GP's away from them charging only a monthly fee per practitioner/GP. They still have their own website etc where you can search for your closest practice. HotDoc in the US only do doctors, they don't do allied health.

As for allied health (physio/OT/podiatry/psych/optician) the needs are different. Most can't afford to pay "a per new patient fee" because it would leave them no margin. There are way too many individualised practices (small and big) in allied health for there to be 1x provider where you search (for example) a physio in a select suburb. Most people already have a clinic in mind and go straight to that website or they google "physio in perth" and go off google rankings. What allied health want is the pay per practitioner model but just being able to integrate it into their own practice management system. So that when a patients books online it automatically adds the booking into what ever system they track and bill with.

All of the available add ons (analytics + advertising etc) that 1ST can/is offering is most likely not going to be taken up initially by the practice, however they will be added over time which will add to profit margin and revenue for 1ST.

Specialists are different again, as most referrals are done by Medicare (if public hospital) or by the health fund (if private). That's why the Medibank Private deal interests me the most as the potential for them to say "search all of our preferred providers here" may mean potential patients will go to that website to search for their closest friends physio instead of google.

I hope that makes sense! Sorry for the length!