Media release from Southern Cross Healthcare Group

Two more leading general practices are poised to join the Southern Cross Primary Care (SCPC) network as Foundation Partners.

The two practices have signed letters of intent that will see SCPC take a 20% interest in partnerships with local doctors at Hawke's Bay's Taradale Medical Centre and Taranaki's CareFirst, subject to shareholder agreements and due diligence.

Taradale and CareFirst will join Silverdale Medical and Queenstown Medical Centre in the SCPC network, doubling the fledgling network's size to around 40,000 enrolled patients and around 40 GPs.

SCPC Chief Executive Officer, Victor Klap, says he is very excited by the way the network is taking shape.
"These are four really good practices. They distinguish themselves not only because they deliver a broad range of services but because they want to drive a further broadening of the scope of care provided in general practice to their local communities.

"These are progressive GPs with exciting ideas about new revenue streams and system efficiencies that will benefit patients. Those ideas will define our development priorities for the network over coming months. We're really looking forward to working with them."

Taradale Medical Centre is one of Hawke's Bay's largest GP practices with nine GPs and 11,000 enrolled patients, and incorporates an Accident & Medical (A&M) clinic. Its shareholding GPs include Mark Peterson, Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Medical Association and former Chair of the GP Leaders Forum.

CareFirst is one of Taranaki's largest GP practices with 10 GPs and 12,500 enrolled patients. Its business includes Taranaki's only dedicated private Skin Cancer unit offering screening and skin surgery, as well as A&M services.

Mr Klap says SCPC is now well advanced in its initial goal to develop a core group of Foundation Partners that will form the basis of a nationwide network, and collaborate in the development of new business and clinical models. "We are in discussion with a number of other excellent and sizeable practices whom we hope will also join the network in the not-too-distant future."

SCPC's approach is to take a 20% interest in a partnership set up to run the local GP business, with the other 80% held by the existing local GP owners.

Footnote: Southern Cross Primary Care was established in 2011 within the not-for-profit Southern Cross Healthcare Group to partner with progressive general practices to create a national general practice network. It is operationally independent from the Southern Cross Hospitals, Southern Cross Travel Insurance and Southern Cross Health Society (health insurance) businesses.

Southern Cross Primary Care is owned by the Southern Cross Health Trust, a charitable trust.