Media Release: Medibank grows primary care support with acquisition of Better Medical

Amplar Health is part of the Medibank group. This media release was originally posted on the Medibank website. This is an excerpt only and the full release can be viewed here.

Medibank today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Better Medical, a network of 61 GP and medical clinics in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.

Better Medical has operated in the community since 2015, with around 800 doctors, nurses and allied health practitioners delivering care to patients.

Medibank will acquire Better Medical from private equity firm Livingbridge (and other minority shareholders) for consideration of approximately $159 million subject to certain closing adjustments.

The investment builds on Medibank’s support for primary care through its Amplar Health network, with a focus on improving access, choice and control for both patients and clinicians.

Amplar Health Chief Executive Robert Read said the investment is part of Medibank’s focus on supporting the long-term health and wellbeing of the community, which starts in Australia’s primary care system.

“Primary care is the cornerstone of the health system, with GPs, nurses and other health professionals vital to early intervention and prevention in their communities,” Mr Read said.

“Investing in GPs and their teams to enable them to deliver more proactive and preventative care is good for patients, good for doctors and good for the health system.

“The need for more investment in prevention is clear. The rate of Australians living with chronic conditions continues to grow even though around one third of these conditions are preventable. Recent data from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners shows that more than 4 in 5 practising GPs want to provide more preventive care to their patients, with time being one of the biggest barriers.

“As a health company, we see the impact of an under-investment in prevention every day. It’s why we are taking steps to address this through our investments in wellbeing, primary care and community and acute care.

“We know GPs are under pressure and that we can help to remove some of the barriers. Part of this will be investing in Better Medical’s digital capabilities to free up clinicians’ time and improve patient access and experience. Another is giving GPs the tools they need to provide more proactive, comprehensive and connected care to their patients.”

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