AXA PPP healthcare unveils COVID-19 measures

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Suite of services across four areas announced to support UK members during the coronavirus crisis

AXA PPP healthcare has added a new ‘Clinical Support Centre' to provide its customers access to specialist consultations during COVID-19.

It has also made a commitment to "assess and adjust" for the impact of delayed treatment due to the pandemic.

Complementary new services and value enhancements for members and additional wellbeing have also been added for members.

"We fully support the partnership between the NHS and private hospitals and the need to support the most vulnerable," said Tracy Garrad, AXA PPP healthcare CEO. "These are extraordinary times and they require extraordinary solutions. Today, we are announcing a series of new commitments and services to enable us to continue to support our members through these challenging times."

Clinical Support Centre

Using a panel of practitioners available by phone, video or online, AXA PPP healthcare's triage team will help signpost members to appropriate specialists without the need for an NHS GP referral letter.

The bespoke panel includes cancer, cardiology, ENT, gastroenterology, gynaecology, orthopaedic and paediatric specialists.

Members confirmed with a diagnosis already, and waiting for non-urgent, elective surgery can use the service to access care ‘while they wait', including support managing symptoms such as pain relief or online physiotherapy.

The centre will also support members in need of urgent treatment with onwards referral to newly established care pathways created by the public and private health systems.

"This bespoke service will enable our members to access highly qualified, senior experts from their living rooms," said Garrad. "We're bringing together the finest specialists to support members through this challenging time. If private hospitals are unavailable, we'll bring the experts from the hospitals directly and virtually to our members."

Customer promise

AXA PPP healthcare has committed to appointing an independent auditor to review data in order to transparently deliver on its promise: to assess and adjust in light of treatment delays.

"As we won't immediately have a clear view of any impacts of the delays in treatment, we will review the data at the end of 2021, and have that data independently audited," Garrad added.

"This timing enables us to ensure we take a longer term approach to the crisis, knowing that there will be a significant surge in claims as and when private hospitals re-open. We don't know for how long treatment will be delayed but we do know that, when the services resume, we need to be in a position to settle the claims that will have built up," Garrad continued.

"We want to reassure our members that they will be funded for treatment when normal private services resume. We are committing to pre-authorising treatments now so that our members have the confidence of knowing they will receive their treatment providing they maintain their cover. It is necessary to look at claims and funding over the longer term to ensure that what we are offering is fully sustainable financially."

Additional value and support

AXA PPP healthcare has boosted NHS cash payment benefits by £100 per night for UK individual and SME members for NHS in-patient treatment or NHS cancer radiotherapy or chemotherapy that would have been covered on policies - from 01 April 2020 for 12 months. This will also apply to members who are hospitalised as a result of COVID-19.

It is offering unlimited virtual GP service free of charge to UK individual and SME members through [email protected], provided by Doctor Care Anywhere.

Individual and SME members using the Clinical Support Centre will have policy excesses, and benefit limits or restrictions on outpatient services waived during the crisis period for consultations and diagnostics arranged by the service.

To support mental health and wellbeing, the health insure is offering free access (up to six months for individual and SME members) to the Thrive app, free online workouts and yoga and online access to ‘Health Unlocked', as well as discounts to services from AXA Active Plus.