News

NHA PROVIDES SEAMLESS SYSTEM TRANSFER FOR TELEMED

Telemed is a Medical Scheme Fund registered since 1922, and caters for members from all walks of life. Telemed have decided to opt for NHA's sytems (a complete ICT solutions provider) to increase efficiency and enhance their service offerings in a highly volatile industry.

After joining the Healthcare Industry in 1975, Neil Harvey founded NHA in 1986 specifically to address the ICT requirements of this highly-specialised and dynamic industry. NHA (Pty) Ltd is an independently owned South African company, with offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. With over 100 staff nationwide, and over 20 funds running on its systems, NHA offers a well-established link to a broad scope of skills and technologies.

NHA's flagship software products, Medware Healthcare Administration System and Careware, a New Generation Managed Healthcare System, are fully integrated with modern ICT architectures, including Internet, Web, E-mail, SMS, Mobile, Business Intelligence Tools and Document Imaging.

"It's about making our clients' jobs easier, refining processes, and constantly enhancing the way they interface with their members, brokers and service providers," says Neil Harvey, Managing Director of NHA.

"Although Telemed had an existing administration system, we decided to switch over to NHA's Medware, because of it's reputation for productivity enhancement and cost efficiency in the industry," says Andre de Lange, IT Manager at Telemed. "Service delivery is very important to us. Our aim is to enhance the member's experience when dealing with Telemed, and by using Medware we are confident that we can offer service excellence and enhanced self help to members, service providers and brokers. Telemed not only values, but recognises the important role brokers are playing in its business. The new NHA system will enhance and facilitate these communication channels. Brokers will in future have password protected access to the Telemed website, be able to submit electronic applications, enquire about application status, assist their member clients with enquiries, and reconcile broker finances."

The comprehensive data warehouse and retrieval facilities built into Medware ensure that all financial and clinical data can be easily retrieved, and used to effectively manage claims and benefit usage, identify fraud and monitor finances.

Compliance with REF reporting and other statutory returns will be greatly facilitated.

Medware supports interactive SMS technology, which will be implemented by Telemed. This feature aims to allow members, providers and brokers easy and convenient access via cell phones to benefits, savings, claims and other relevant information.

"The SMS service will give members, providers and brokers the freedom to access information as and when they need it," says Andre de Lange. SMS is also used to send reminders and transaction movement notices. In the case of pharmacy claims, a member can be notified via SMS immediately after the transaction is completed, since the pharmacies are connected directly to Telemed's systems. This will aid in the fight against fraud.

In addition Telemed will be implementing NHA's Webmail service, whereby members with email, but restricted access to the web, can send email and will receive by return of email a complete package containing their latest information, including claims, benefits, contributions and their last statement.

The comprehensive Website, SMS and Webmail services operate 24 hours per day, and are continually being enhanced to client's specifications.

The switch-over process is underway and will be completed by April 2006.

The partnership will help ensure that Telemed can concentrate it's skills and resources on maintaining and improving it's excellent service to members, providers, brokers and other role players, while the goals of NHA and Telemed, membership retention and growth through service, will be exactly aligned in a notoriously volatile industry.