Pinnacle has always responded to the needs of the practice network to offer true wrap around support. Creating xcrania in 2012 is an important part of that history.
“Before xcrania information technology frustrations occurred all too commonly in general practices,” says Ventures chief executive Christine Hall. “Vulnerable on-premise servers, server failure, corrupted patient data and troubled back up processes were just a few of the challenges being faced every day. Practice managers and owners were frustrated at the amount of time investigating problems and trying to find solutions without any industry-specific support, and there were no economies of scale as each practice worked individually to address the issues they faced.”
Eight years on and the landscape for health IT has changed vastly. It’s become increasingly complex as the health sector has come to expect more, and patient expectations have grown to include having their personal health records more accessible, safe and secure.
As a smaller player xcrania have done a remarkable job by their customers. But with market pressures increasing it has become clear xcrania now lacks the scale needed to be truly competitive and take their service offering to the next level.
“It’s undeniable xcrania reduced the fragility, improved performance, and provided customers with enhanced support over and above that offered by the major health software providers. xcrania have made a valuable contribution to the Pinnacle group and we’re proud of what they achieved,” emphasises Christine.
xcrania and PlatformPlus both grew out of responding to the needs of their wider organisations. As such the two businesses have strong alignment in focus, working to deliver hassle free IT experiences to their customers.
PlatformPlus became a part of xcrania’s story last year when they became xcrania’s infrastructure service provider. But PlatformPlus also operate in the general practice market, and as such are a direct competitor.
“After much consideration on the future direction for Ventures, and in speaking to PlatformPlus about their recent strategic re-alignment to focus on sustainability and growth, it become clear PlatformPlus are positioned for ongoing success. We are excited to announce the sale of xcrania to PlatformPlus,” says Christine.
Established in 2013, PlatformPlus Limited (PPL) is a New Zealand-based social enterprise owned outright by Community Living Trust (CLT). CLT supports some of the most vulnerable, high-needs members of the community through a variety of residential and home-based support services.
PlatformPlus enable people to live their best lives within the community by partnering with health and disability organisations to be the best they can be through intelligent solutions. They provide a raft of professional and ICT related services to more than 115 businesses and service providers within the health and disability sector and are proudly associated with key stakeholders and strategic partners in the provision of these services.
“PlatformPlus is very excited at the opportunity of supporting the health sector develop a strong digital framework for the future, and have invested in a growth strategy that includes the acquisition of xcrania”, said PlatformPlus board chair Flemming Rasmussen.
Platform Plus have recently appointed a new general manager, Peter Gregory, who together with the senior management team, lead delivery.
“We have learnt reliable technology platforms at the forefront is critical not just for the general practice to deliver care, but also for patients to have more information on their own health that help them achieve better outcomes,” Flemming said.