How the digital revolution is transforming PMI

With demand for digital healthcare and online servicing still rising, health insurance is evolving. Here’s how.

As we’ve previously explored, the impact of the pandemic on healthcare cannot be ignored. Years of change took place in the space of a month, with the majority of NHS primary care interactions going remote almost overnight¹. Even with Covid-19 restrictions being removed, care access is still limited in the UK²  as the healthcare sector undergoes a digital revolution³, suggesting that client demand for innovative primary care solutions is only going to continue.

We’re witnessing this first-hand. Our members are increasingly utilising our online Care Hub to see a Vitality GP, book virtual or in-person consultations and start claims online. And that’s only scratching the surface. With 35,000 Vitality members visiting it each month, we’ve seen over 100,000 virtual consultations including everything from GP to physiotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and specialist appointments so far in 2022⁴.

All this suggests that fast, seamless access to healthcare all in one place is the new direction of travel for the market. Here are five ways that health insurance is evolving.

1. One-stop shop

Your clients can now access everything they need to know about their healthcare plan within our Care Hub. From GPs to physio and mental health referrals, to instant treatment decisions and the opportunity to manage bills and payments, private medical insurance (PMI) can be a one-stop shop.

2. Online access to care

The idea of talking to a GP online is no longer a strange one, and this newfound familiarity with digital primary care is also being seen for mental health support, such as talking therapies, and self-referral for physiotherapy. Booking a virtual or in-person appointment online is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have.

3. Instant digital authorisation

When clients need to access onward diagnostics and treatment, they can now request it and get instant authorisations via our Care Hub. Once accepted they can use Consultant Finder to find and choose the right consultant for them – putting them in full control of their digital healthcare pathway.

4. Superior consultant outcomes

When choosing the right consultant via Care Hub, some will be flagged as Premier Consultants, which are part of a specially designated panel that demonstrates superior performance outcomes. On average these consultants see 20% shorter length of hospital stay, 35% lower admissions and 23% fewer changes of consultant than those who are not categorised as Premier⁵. Because they on average generate less healthcare spend than other private consultants, we reward your clients with cashback for choosing them. Find out more.

5. A fully integrated preventative approach

Preventing claims is good for everyone involved, especially your client. By incentivising healthy behaviour through rewards and benefits, a PMI plan can help improve client outcomes⁶ and bring down claim costs⁷ when they do occur. In addition to this, we can deliver fully integrated healthcare pathways through access to digital diagnostics and at-home screening alongside management of chronic conditions through the availability of self-care health tools via our Care Hub. The future of health insurance is already upon us.

Watch the video below to see how Care Hub is evolving.

Find out how Care Hub gives your clients fast, seamless access to care and healthcare professionals, all in one place.

Sources:
1. https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/how-are-total-triage-and-remote-consultation-changing-the-us.
2. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10588089/NHS-patients-benefit-improved-personalised-care-Sajid-Javid.html
3. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/how-digital-revolution-can-make-healthcare-more-inclusive
4. Vitality data 2022
5. NHS England, Reducing length of stay: https://www.england.nhs.uk/urgent-emergency-care/reducing-length-of-stay/ NCQA, Plan all-cause readmissions (PCR): https://www.ncqa.org/hedis/measures/plan-all-cause-readmissions/ ACTS, Supports the Quadruple Aim: https://digital.ahrq.gov/acts/quadruple-aim
6. Vitality data shows that members engaged with the Vitality Programme are at least 10% more likely to improve their health across seven key lifestyle factors - smoking, healthy eating, physical activity, alcohol intake, sleep, BMI and mental health.
7. Average cancer claims costs for highly active Vitality members are as much as 37% lower than for inactive members.