News

COMPUTING SA EXCLUSIVE
22 September 2003

Cape Town-based ICT solutions provider to the healthcare funding industry, NHA, says that it has successfully created interactive SMS technology for the healthcare scheme, Medicover.

Committed to outstanding customer service, Medicover needed an alternative medium for members to access important medical aid information quickly and easily. Traditionally, members would use the Medicover Call Centre or Web site to extract information. This proved time-consuming for both members and call agents alike.

Drawing on existing SMS technology, NHA says it has worked to take it that much further, and designed an interactive SMS feature into its Medware system. This new feature aims to allow members easier and more effective access to information regarding their benefits, claims and other important medical aid details.

"The new SMS service has given members the freedom to access information as and when they need it," says Sandi Banks, membership and marketing manager at Medicover.

How it works
The first component works to confirm the receipt of a claim or prompts an event, be it birthday, compliance or reminder regarding medical tests. This is all done from the administrator to the member via SMS.

The second component is the Interactive SMS. It is a process that allows the member to access personal information pertaining to their benefits, contact details and claims - all accessed at the press of a cellphone button. Once Medicover has received the SMS, the relevant information is then automatically sent back to the member via SMS.