Medibank Group’s Amplar Health is teaming up with global healthcare technology specialist Amwell to enhance the delivery of its preventative health initiatives across the country.
Amplar Health group lead Robert Read shed light on the critical situation facing the Australian healthcare system due to the increasing prevalence of preventable chronic diseases.
“The top 10 chronic conditions in Australia contributed to 89% of deaths in 2021, and 66% of the total burden of disease,” he said. “We need a range of solutions to improve the health of Australians. Tools that provide information in a digestible and timely way can improve health literacy and health outcomes.
“Virtual solutions that allow individuals to set personal health goals, make positive lifestyle changes, and sustain those changes over time are crucial to the sustainability of the broader health system. Hospital admissions arising from preventable disease continue to climb, putting hospitals under pressure and risking poor outcomes for patients. We need to be smarter about healthcare delivery and embrace technology to enable widespread access to preventative programs across our communities.”
The collaboration is set to address the ongoing challenges in the healthcare system, including the surge in hospital admissions due to preventable conditions.
Medibank’s clientele will be the initial beneficiaries of a lifestyle management program, utilising Amwell’s technology, aimed at fostering wellness and deterring the onset of chronic diseases.
After undergoing a health assessment by an Amplar Health registered nurse, Medibank customers meeting certain criteria will be recommended for the program. These criteria include:
Participants in the program will receive guidance from a digital assistant and, when necessary, a health coach to maximize the program’s benefits. Amplar Health and Amwell’s clinical teams are collaborating closely to ensure the initiatives are both safe and tailored to meet the needs of Australians.
The initiative supports Medibank’s strategic objective to increase its preventative program enrolments to 50,000 by the fiscal year 2025.
Read encourages other healthcare financiers to consider the value of investing in preventative health measures, highlighting the shift towards prevention as a means to optimise healthcare spending.
“Funding of health care in this country has necessarily been focused on delivering care for the sick, but there is a great opportunity to invest in preventing illness in the first place. Virtual healthcare will be an essential component of the future Australian health system. Our work with Amwell is a reflection of our commitment to improve access to care and deliver support to patients when and how they need it,” he said.
Amwell chief strategy officer Murray Brozinsky added: “We have seen significant adoption of Amwell’s automated and digital care technologies by healthcare organisations in the US and UK. These technologies are flipping the sick care paradigm on its head through the use of patient-generated health information to become more proactive in caring for patients and private health insurance customers.”
Amplar Health will act as a reseller in Australia for Amwell’s SilverCloud and Automated Care platforms, which have garnered high satisfaction rates among users in mental health programs internationally.
In other news, Medibank recently introduced a new initiative to promote dental care and ease the burden of rising living costs.
