Cigna Virtual Health
Cigna has launched Virtual Health as an add-on app for employers. It offers a range of healthcare benefits to Cigna’s PMI covered employees. The app includes a number of elements:
My Virtual GP. Members can check their symptoms using the app’s Symptom Checker. If that identifies a need to see a GP, instead of making a physical appointment with their NHS GP, the member can instead make a virtual video appointment with a private GP through Dr Now (part of the Now Healthcare Group). Dr Now offers virtual GP and pharmacy services via the member’s smartphone. Video virtual appointments are available from 7am to 9pm, seven days a week, and appointments last a maximum of eight minutes. Dr Now already provides such a service to around a million people. Family members can also use the service and the employer pays for a fixed maximum number of appointments each year. Any further appointments can be added on a pay-as-you-go basis.
My Pharmacist. Here, an e-prescription (cost £5) can be sent to the member’s local pharmacy or delivered (at extra cost) by post.
My Health Librarian. This offers access to a wide range of health and wellbeing topics.
My Health Mate. This service offers personalised coaching. It also includes a biometric section to input and save key health numbers such as blood pressure, cholesterol and BMI. Members also have access to Mindfulness Practice and Pep Talk and Love Yourself programmes.
My Nutritionist. This service enables members to evaluate their nutrition habits and to access helpful tips and recipes.
My Health Techie. This enables members to sync an activity tracker and to run a virtual marathon.
Comment: Apps are a relatively new venture for health insurers. Cigna’s app takes advantage of recent developments so offers, for example, tele GP appointments that can then be followed up by an e-prescription where necessary. That all falls outside the NHS, so costs can be higher, but that has to be weighed against the time and hassle that can be involved in arranging and getting to and from a conventional GP surgery appointment.
Over time we’d expect Cigna to change and tweak the app as new services become available and feasible (and affordable). Apps such as this are adding up to an exciting time – seeing ideas first mooted a few years ago actually coming to fruition. Where Cigna has done a particularly good job on first sight is making all this happen in an easy to follow way – it would have been so easy to over-complicate the app and, let’s face it, some of us in the insurance industry are very good at that!
Plus points: A simple and logical app that includes a range of useful services; Low cost-add-on to PMI; Can cover wider family too; Easy to understand and access; Practical benefits that save time too.
Not so plus points: Available to Cigna members only; The technology is in its infancy – but as it develops, so this app can be changed and expanded accordingly; Increases the cost of PMI.
Website: http://www.cigna.co.uk.
Rating (max 10): Innovation: 9. Overall: 9. Platinum
Tags: PMI, Cigna