Digital tools make healthcare more preventative
The future of healthcare? It's digital! Thanks to the latest technological developments, an important shift is now taking place from curative care to prevention, with GPs preferring to keep their patients healthy rather than cure diseases later.
From care to prevention, coaching and advice
New technologies have turned the traditional role of general practitioners on its head – today they are also health coaches and advisers. A role that they can fulfil perfectly through virtual consultations, apps and 'wearables', 'smart watches', 'smart bracelets' and 'patches' that continuously monitor our health and automatically send the data to the doctor in question. He or she can monitor patients remotely even better and more efficiently, and refer them if necessary. And that certainly pays off for people with a chronic illness who regularly have to make and keep appointments for check-ups, or people who are temporarily abroad.
Online teleconsultation
A virtual doctor's appointment is the ideal solution for follow-up of chronic diseases, as well as for regular consultations. Did you know that only 20% of the patients in a packed waiting room are really sick? The other 80% are not there for anything urgent. They only had to come for a consultation to monitor their health status. And that could be done perfectly well through teleconsultation. Read: via a video call on a smartphone, tablet or laptop.
Belgians are open to the idea of having a digital GP
In Belgium too, an increasing number of people are open to having a digital GP. These figures from a survey by AXA Partners prove it:
- Research shows that 66% of Belgians are interested in digital health applications.
- And 64% of Belgians are open to an online appointment with the doctor.
- Families, young adults and people who travel a lot are particularly won over.
In France, the digital GP has been around for four years - thanks to the Teleconsultation service that AXA Partners developed for its B2B customers. It is available to five million French citizens. The results don't lie:
- There are 20,000 teleconsultations per year.
- An impressive 95% of the patients are satisfied with the reception and the diagnosis.
- A full 90% of them want a consultation with the digital GP again.
- And 60% of video calls are made outside of doctor's office hours.
Innovative solution for less absenteeism
Teleconsultation is an innovative service with which your customers can easily access frontline healthcare. It does not make your customers' GP superfluous, but supplements the service when patients need urgent medical help or advice. These digital consultations reassure people quickly. An employee who feels unwell during the working day can conduct a virtual consultation from a meeting room. This saves time and allows him or her to assess whether it is necessary to go home. And that makes this a quick and easy solution that allows your customers to reduce absenteeism in their businesses.
Online appointment with an accredited doctor
But how exactly does a Teleconsultation actually work? It is easy – your customer calls in, answers a few questions from a nurse and receives a consultation appointment with a doctor within 30 minutes. Day and night, including weekends. Then, at the time the patient has chosen, he or she uses a unique access code and has the video consultation. The doctor gives them practical advice or a diagnosis, or refers them to a specialist, general practitioner or the emergency services. What if the patient needs medication? The doctor will then issue the prescription online. The doctor's report is automatically added to your customer's medical file afterwards.
Pioneer in teleconsultation
The digital general practitioner is an ideal addition to your hospitalization and other insurance policies. AXA Partners is the first company in Belgium to offer the digital GP. You can easily add a teleconsultation service to your offer to your customers, or offer it to your employees through the hospitalization insurance. We provide the technology and operational services. This is how you distinguish yourself as a pioneer with a truly unique service. And you gain customer loyalty to your brand. After all, your customers save time, get peace of mind, and do not need to travel for care, or at least much less, and they have help available 24/7 from anywhere in the world.
Do you want to offer Teleconsultation to your customers? Please feel free to ask us for more information.
