An interview with Entreprendre magazine, the monthly for leaders, conducted by Patrice Taisson, President of Softway Medical Group, and Jean-Baptiste Franceschini, Director of Marketing, Communication and International Development, is available in full.
For several years, the Aix-based group has shown double-digit growth. As the leader in health information systems in France, it now claims international ambitions.
Softway Medical has over 25 years of experience in health IT. Who are your clients?
From university hospitals to radiology centres, we work with 1,400 healthcare establishments and 1,300 radiology practices. We have made a notable breakthrough in the public hospital sector by winning 27 GHTs (Groupements Hospitaliers de Territoires) out of the last 35 tenders. We also equip biology laboratories, health centres, and medical practices, including private practices.
What are the missions embedded in your DNA?
We aim to contribute to the improvement of our healthcare system by providing healthcare professionals with the most suitable IT solutions for the effective practice of their profession. We strive to offer them digital tools that truly make sense for them and their patients. This is why we are committed to being present at every stage of care: from primary care to hospitals, including laboratories and radiology centres. This motivation has driven our recent external growth operations. Healthcare professionals equipped with our solutions can now share all patient information and interact throughout the various stages of the care pathway. Our ambition is to be the strategic partner for all actors in this pathway.
You announced double-digit growth, what is the status?
The past six years have seen a significant acceleration of our growth, exceeding 20% per year. We now achieve an annual turnover of 100 million euros and lead the market in our sector in France. We are rightly considered a French gem, with entirely French capital.
This hyper-growth is supported by numerous recruitments in a tight market. Is this a challenge from an HR perspective?
All our developments are carried out in France. Our market share gains have been accompanied by many hires: in three and a half years, we have grown from 440 to nearly 900 employees; this represents between 100 and 150 hires per year. In our sector, where resources are competitive, this is a challenge!
You have announced 130 open positions for 2023, in which areas specifically?
These are primarily developer positions in the latest technologies; we are also looking for infrastructure profiles, project managers, and consultants to deploy our solutions with clients. We are also recruiting for cross-functional roles as our structure is undergoing significant transformation.
You outperform the market, what are the keys to your success?
We constantly challenge our technological choices to stay at the forefront of innovation. Our methodology is also crucial. We place our clients’ business needs at the heart of our software design. This UX design approach is differentiating: by working closely with our clients, we achieve their goals faster because we are not guided by our own convictions alone. This speed is crucial for the adoption of a new system by users and, more broadly, for the success of a project.
Among all the services you offer, can you introduce the Hopital Manager solution?
It is a comprehensive offer: an ERP that integrates over 30 business modules within a single database. It allows a hospital or clinic to equip almost all of its services – medication prescription, operating theatres, emergency, maternity, etc. – with a single solution. A boon for IT directors! The whole system is designed to operate in the cloud, under our complete control, in a data sovereignty approach. This is another factor in Hopital Manager’s success.
Do you have other projects?
We are now engaged in a population health approach. The data collected by various healthcare professionals at different stages of the patient journey will allow for better evaluation of certain chronic conditions on a territorial scale. Ultimately, data analysis will lead to significant advances in the prevention and treatment of at-risk patients.
And what about exports?
We are currently modelling our success. Our expertise is real, and we now wish to showcase it in other geographic areas. We have already achieved some successes in Quebec and Belgium. The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Luxembourg also offer great opportunities!
