VIR e-care Solutions (VIR), a developer of software applications for the Dutch rehabilitation care sector, has chosen Gilde Equity Management Benelux (Gilde) as a partner to achieve further sustainable growth. In 2016, Impulse Info Systems (Impulse) and Nedercare also chose Gilde. VIR, Nedercare, and Impulse are market leaders in specialized medical rehabilitation, youth care, and mental health care, and they share the ambition to become market leaders in related segments where they operate, such as geriatric rehabilitation and care for people with disabilities. Gilde will leverage its capital and experience in the healthcare IT sector to further expand the group.
VIR, founded in 1984 and based in Arnhem, provides a specialized rehabilitation EPD and the Ecaris healthcare information system. The VIR product suite enables healthcare institutions to fully automate the primary care and support process and to take as much of the burden off their financial administration and billing as possible. VIR is the market leader in specialized medical rehabilitation care. The company is also making significant strides in geriatric rehabilitation care.
A key element of the vision and strategy is recognizing the added value of retaining true specialists for each end market. This is achieved by maintaining and strengthening existing expertise, personnel, and consultation structures with clients through mutual collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the development of new specialized capabilities. As of today, it is an IT group of approximately 200 employees with a strong drive to leverage its market position and revenue to build a solid and scalable back-end system and innovative front-end applications for its customers.
Impulse, NederCare, and VIR aim to substantially reduce the administrative burden on healthcare institutions and strengthen built-in controls. Practitioners and caregivers must be able to easily record and report data without having to deal with the complexities of funding arrangements. Many institutions are unable to submit their annual financial statements on time and are burdened by a multitude of contracts, tenders, and self-audits. This is caused, in part, by the significant increase in the number of funders, such as municipalities. Auditing costs have risen dramatically in recent years due to these complex funding arrangements. Impulse, NederCare, and VIR offer certified software that makes horizontal supervision easy to implement. This reduces the administrative burden on both healthcare institutions and funders.
Bonne Datema, CEO of VIR, on VIR joining the group: “Our companies are at the forefront of modern technology in a market where many players struggle to keep up with developments. By joining forces with one another and with Gilde as a partner, we can build on our lead and strengthen our identity and culture. To provide our clients with optimal support in addressing their societal challenges, in-depth industry knowledge and specialization are essential. This is what sets us apart, and it is central to the group. We share the same DNA.”
Gilde Equity Management was founded in 1982 and is one of the oldest and most prominent private equity firms in the Netherlands. Since its founding in 1982, Gilde has gained extensive experience with successful and innovative companies in the software industry and has previously been involved in the IT healthcare sector with companies such as Conclusion, Famed, BlueCielo, and Ultimo.
