Two separate health insurance firms have launched new online initiatives to help both advisers and clients with access to their policies.
Health cash plan provider Health Shield has introduced a new online claiming service, in response to member and intermediary needs.
The paperless system allows all valid receipt-based claims to be paid within 24 hours and is available to all Health Shield members.
Chief executive Jonathan Burton said: “We have made a considerable investment in our IT infrastructure and this will help us to continue to deliver exceptional levels of service year after year.”
Meanwhile, VitalityHealth have launched an app that gives access to a medical professional via telephone, as well as video appointments within 48 hours.
‘Vitality GP’ will co-ordinate treatment that includes, on the clinical side, home-based services such as blood samples taken by medical professionals and delivery of prescriptions through the LloydsPharmacy network.
The ability to confidentially and securely access a member’s Vitality wellness data will also allow the service to consult with patients broadly around their lifestyle choices and the effect that these choices could have on their long-term health.
Neville Koopowitz, chief executive of VitalityHealth, said: “Private healthcare has often fallen down by its reliance of needing an NHS referral; Vitality GP represents the launch a new category of insurance where our network of private GPs can co-ordinate members’ care when and where they want or need it.”
Doniert Macfarlane, one of the participating doctors in the Vitality GP service, added: “If applied in the correct way, health insurance, private healthcare and telemedicine can assist in the general wellbeing of the members they cover, especially when they also encourage healthy lifestyle changes.”
peter.walker@ft.com
