Induction Healthcare, parent company of the Induction and MicroGlide apps, bought Zesty Limited in a $12.7 million acquisition. The combination of these two healthtech companies should help clinicians and patients alike experience more interoperability, a concept that moved to the forefront of healthcare providers’ minds since the onset of COVID-19 and the safer-at-home orders.
Implementing digital health platforms and streamlining care are vital as communities work to minimize the spread of the virus. With hospital resources and mental health being pushed to their limits, it’s time for improvements in remote monitoring and data sharing.
Over 119,000 consumers in the UK utilize Induction, an app that connects healthcare providers to each other to facilitate the sharing of secure patient information in a clinical setting. Zesty’s platform lets patients access their medical records, schedule and manage appointments, communicate with their clinicians, and even participate in virtual office visits with their provider.
With their powers combined, Induction and Zesty will be able to bring together healthcare providers, patients, and cloud-based records across multiple EPRs. This integration should pave the way for faster product development, in terms of novel methods of digital healthcare.
James Balmain, CEO of Zesty, said: “Induction and Zesty coming together can help improve the way healthcare is delivered. … The COVID-19 pandemic has focused minds within healthcare on the benefits of using digital technology in all sorts of ways – I think we can and should be doing more.”
Induction has seen a 500% increase in use during the pandemic, as clinicians look to new resources to help them manage a massively increasing workflow and boost productivity through unprecedented times. With Zesty brought into the fold, Induction Healthcare will become one of the first healthtech platforms that so thoroughly connects patients, providers, and information.
In a time when every industry is learning how to adapt to online alternatives, this acquisition could signal a restructuring of the doctor-patient dynamic and change healthcare communication forever. Now that encryption and cloud-based technologies have vastly improved, consumers are less worried about private information being stolen and abused. Improving the patient experience while saving the hospital systems time and money is a win-win situation for all parties involved.
