News

STRONG GROWTH, HISTORICAL ADAPTABILITY AND NEW BRANDING

"There's good reason why a medical scheme is still around after 84 years and poised to double its membership in the next three years," says TeleMed Chief Executive Officer, Carel Stadler.

With an annual growth curve rising to 20% in a sector that averages 3%, arguably the lowest administration costs in the country and a scheme having the second longest track record in the industry, his confidence appears well placed.

Recent TWIG research endorses his optimism by ranking TeleMed among those to watch when it comes to service.

Appropriately the scheme has launched a rebranding campaign and it is against this backdrop that Stadler says, "In a challenging industry like ours, TeleMed's longevity reflects an ability to adapt to the needs of members, while conforming to huge changes in legislation.

This has called for paradigm shifts and, significantly, we now do more than simply offer quality care at affordable prices. Although our administrative costs are the lowest in the industry, we also generate added value by rewarding wellness."

He points out that at least half the scheme's new membership has been won from existing competitors, while the other half are newcomers to private healthcare funding.

This is particularly noteworthy because the ability to attract new members into the private sector healthcare net has proved far more difficult than anticipated by the Government.

Stadler emphasises, however, that while the TeleMed of 2007 is vastly different from how the scheme that operated back in 1923, the scheme is still driven by the same basic principle - "the member always comes first and this is underpinned by a deep commitment to offering the best value for money."

Within the dynamics of today's market the key to survival is growth. The first strategic step was taken in 2002, when TeleMed - formerly a closed scheme - took the dramatic step of opening its doors to the wider community.

Moreover, while many open schemes and their administrators tend to regard healthcare brokers as "a necessary evil", TeleMed's business plan focuses developing synergies with the brokers, who are viewed as integral stakeholders.

He elaborates, "They are our window to the wider community and we value them.

"Through extensive training, administrative support, clear communication and greatly improved product brochures and documentation, we are providing the tools for brokers to offer informed advice to a growing community of entry level members.

We also want to ensure that they have the necessary support to inform the many hard pressed medical aid members looking for less expensive options that nonetheless offer peace of mind."

Over the past 84 years the scheme has served 61 500 lives. As it seeks to maximise synergies through other strategic partnerships, it has in the past year selected ONECARE Health as network provider on its Gold and Silver options.

ONECARE belongs to the CareCross Group and consists of two doctor networks and a specialist network.

Prime Cure, part of the international Netcare Group, is the designated service provider on the popular Bronze option. Notably, with a premium of only R370 for the principal member, the Bronze option gained more than 2 200 members this year and Stadler expects the momentum to increase.

TeleMed undertook an intensive review process before choosing its network providers.

"We'd gone to great lengths to improve our internal systems and our levels of communication and we needed to know that these would be enhanced by our external partners," Stadler adds.

The new partnerships increase the range of member choices by 75%.

As part of the rebranding campaign TeleMed's reward programme, TeleVita, has placed far more emphasis on remaining fit and healthy.

While there is special emphasis on older members, HealthGENIUS, a specialised multimedia sports training programme, is proving popular across the board.

Devised by Jannie Brooks and partner Dr Peet du Toit, the programme can be tailored to accommodate individual or packaged sessions depending on the requirements of the participants of a team.

It is also designed to enable sports people to perform and achieve their maximum potential.

Stadler concludes, "We've broken ranks with those who view a medical scheme's role as solely to meet medical expenses.

"Of course that's a key factor but we believe it is as important to keep people healthy and the TeleMed brand has been redeveloped to reflect this holistic approach."