Great Eastern and health tech company Doctor Anywhere have partnered to spearhead and launch a spectrum of integrated health and wellness tech services to bolster healthcare coverage and provide greater convenience for Great Eastern's customers. The first of these will be an on-demand video consultation service with Singapore-registered doctors.
Great Eastern and Doctor Anywhere signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 19 July, solidifying the basis of a strategic agreement focused on health tech innovation. This partnership will see both companies leverage on platform, content and product resources, as well as tech and industry expertise to meet the digital wellness needs of customers across key markets in Asia.
Effective 1 August, the first phase will provide about 40,000 insured members covered under Great Eastern's Live Great group insurance programmes access to on-demand video consultations through Great Eastern's Live Great Corporate mobile app. The service will be progressively rolled out to more corporate clients over the next 6 months.
After registering through the app, customers can opt to consult a doctor within minutes or schedule an appointment at a later time or date. Patients requiring medication have the option to self-collect from any of the Doctor Anywhere clinics or have their medication delivered to them within three hours of their consultation. They will also have easy access to their prescription details and electronic medical certificates (e-MCs) within the app.
This on-demand remote-based consultation service enables 24/7 connectivity and is well suited for acute and common conditions such as fever, cough and flu. For conditions that would require a more thorough diagnosis, patients will be referred to a clinic for a physical consultation, or a specialist as required.
Launched in 2017, Doctor Anywhere's team of doctors are Singapore Medical Council (SMC) licensed. It is part of the Licensing Experimentation and Adaptation Programme (Leap) for telemedicine, a regulatory "sandbox" initiative run by the Ministry of Health.
Dr Leow Yung Khee, Head of Group Insurance of Great Eastern, commented, "Customers today are becoming increasingly digitally-savvy, and are looking for solutions that are quick and effective. Through our partnership with Doctor Anywhere, we have broadened our group insurance programme to provide cost-effective telemedicine services that will suit our busy corporate customers. They can cut down on their travelling and waiting times at the clinic and schedule appointments to suit their convenience."
"Besides common ailments, this service will also benefit clients who have chronic but stabilised diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, as they can continue to receive medical treatment via video consult."
Mr Lim Wai Mun, Founder and CEO of Doctor Anywhere said, "We are thrilled to form this strategic partnership with Great Eastern, a trusted insurer in the region, to strengthen healthcare coverage for their customers. This milestone agreement is a pre-cursor to further investment into technological solutions that improve the patient experience and quality of healthcare, and we look forward to a strong and meaningful collaboration."
As part of the MOU, both companies will leverage on each other's platforms to provide more concrete wellness coverage to customers. These include GETGREAT and UPGREAT – Great Eastern's health and wellness and rewards digital platforms – and Doctor Anywhere's wellness Marketplace, its in-app e-commerce platform.
A recent cross-promotional initiative included Doctor Anywhere's Marketplace promoting Great Eastern's GREAT MozzieSafe, a medical plan that provides daily cash benefits should one be hospitalised due to a covered disease such as Dengue fever, Zika or Malaria.
Other initiatives will include providing medical screening services packaged with each maid insurance renewal for domestic helpers, where employers can arrange for the mandatory health screening to be conducted at the convenience of their homes. Travel insurance customers can also schedule for vaccination appointments to be done at the convenience of their home or workplace.
Mr Ryan Cheong, Managing Director for Digital for Business, Great Eastern said, "Our partnership with Doctor Anywhere demonstrates how we are continually looking for digital partners to deliver differentiated customer experiences and insurance solutions. This is in line with our vision to make insurance an enjoyable, everyday experience."
