PhilCare Launches NFC Card for Easy Health Care Availment
PhilCare is bringing the first NFC-Enabled HMO Card in the Philippines
For the last two decades, HMO has been a part of many Filipinos health care. Next to educational expenses, Filipino families reserved a large amount of their salary for health care maintenance. But what good is having an HMO if delays in processing is a problem?
NFC, the radio frequency
technology considered by experts worldwide as “the next best thing” in mobile
transaction, continues its integration in the Philippines – this time providing
much needed upgrade in the way healthcare is delivered to thousands of Filipinos.
This after
leading health care provider PhilCare came up and put in operation NFC-capable
membership cards designed to make availment of health services from hospitals
faster, more efficient, and close to paperless.
PhilCare is the first
health care provider in the Philippines to adopt and actually put into use
cards with near field communication NFC technologies.
“We are
proud to introduce this new technology to the HMO industry. We’ve been looking
for the best technology to make medical services smoother and more convenient
for our clients and providers and NFC seems to be the perfect fit for this
goal,” said Noemi G. Azura, PhilCare’s President and CEO.
The NFC-capable card means
to do away with the usual tedious process of availing health services from
health maintenance organizations (HMO). With a single tap, hospitals and
clinics can now determine coverage and benefits of a member, as well as other
details of the member’s account.
Basic
consultations and procedures will also be processed faster with just a single
tap, since it will no longer require long waiting times just to confirm
coverage. Thanks to this new innovation, members only need to hand over
their NFC-enabled health cards to any of the 200 service providers of PhilCare
with NFC-capable phones from Samsung.
Making
this transaction possible is NFC, a form of wireless, radio-wave technology
that allows two objects – a reader device and a storage device – to send and
receive information via brief contact.
The NFC
technology is used by banks, retail, transport, and service providers worldwide
and has been deployed to accommodate wireless payments.
This new
technology is the first of its kind in the Philippine health care industry and
allows patient information to be updated in real-time, ensuring quick,
efficient, and accurate service.
“We are
very excited with this technology and in the future we hope to set up a rewards
program for members with the NFC cards,” Azura said.
“All these
innovations are geared towards providing best-in-class customer service to our
members. This is just the start of our foray into NFC technology, which will be
part of an ecosystem all intended to bring a new brand of bridging access to
health care for our members,” Azura added.
The launch
of its new membership cards is only one of the many innovations PhilCare has
set up to affirm its position as a pioneer in the health care industry.
In 2013,
PhilCare launched its mobile application GO! Mobile, becoming the first HMO
provider to bring the service to its members.
PhilCare’s
Go! Mobile app is designed as a quick reference guide for members on their
coverage and benefits while also giving access to complete lists of PhilCare-affiliated
hospitals, clinics, and doctors.
Just last
year, the mobile app introduced various updates in addition to being made
compatible with iOS devices alongside Android devices. With GO! Mobile,
PhilCare members no longer need to call any hotline for provider information
since it is made available right at their fingertips.
In
addition to its mobile app, PhilCare also recently launched its eCommerce
website, becoming the first HMO provider to offer online purchases for its
health care packages.
Benefits of the Membership Card:
· Convenient and Efficient – Be assured of
quick, efficient and accurate service with just one tap of your card on the NFC
terminal.
· Easy viewing of membership benefits – Your
eligibility status and membership benefits are immediately confirmed,
· Real Time update of member records – Patient
information updated in real time – the first of its kind in the Philippines
healthcare industry.
· Quick approval of letter of Authorization
(LOA) request for consultations and selected outpatient procedures.
With a single tap, hospitals and clinics can now determine
coverage and benefits of a member’s account.
About PhilCare:
Established in 1982,
PhilCare is one of the country’s pioneering Health Maintenance Organization
(HMO) companies. The company is built on a vision to allow Filipinos enjoy a
better quality of life by providing them access to world-class health services.
Three decades after it was founded, PhilCare remains a pioneer and a recognized
leader in Philippine HMO. Today, PhilCare sets the pace for the industry not
only with the reliable in-patient and out-patient health care it provides, but
also with the total wellness and healthy living it actively promotes.
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