Bupa is considering introducing pathway management for musculoskeletal (MSK), cardiology and skin cancer treatments as part of its latest deal with hospital network Circle Health.
The agreement between Bupa and Circle means they will continue working together for another three-years through to January 2024.
Circle owns one of Britain’s largest hospital networks after its purchase of the BMI group last year, operating 53 independent hospitals and offering over 500 different treatments across more than 60 specialities.
Announcing the renewal, Bupa said the partners had agreed upon a number of areas to explore the development, innovation and improvement of services for customers.
“This includes enhancing the customer journey through streamlined consultant booking processes, rolling out key Bupa specialist care centres for oncology, and exploring pathway management for MSK, cardiology and skin cancer,” it said.
The statement added that Circle was committed to a faster, digital-first booking experience through deep integration with Bupa systems and to innovation through digital technologies and experiences to help patients.
£100m technology investment
Alex Perry, CEO of Bupa UK Insurance, said the firm was delighted to extend the contract with Circle. “Our priority is ensuring our customers have convenient access to quality, affordable healthcare services and that they have a great experience when using their health insurance,” he said.
Circle Health Group CEO Paolo Pieri added: “We are proud to be extending our valued partnership with Bupa.
“After our recent purchase of BMI Healthcare, we’re committed to becoming the most technology-enabled healthcare provider in the country.
“This year alone we are investing £100m in the latest equipment, technology and infrastructure and to ensure we continue to give patients the best possible hospital experience, with the highest quality and best technology at the core of our offerings.”
Last month the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced it was reviewing the measures that Circle and BMI had undertaken to allow the merger to take place.
This largely centred on market dominance in Bath and Birmingham so in June 2020 the group agreed to sell the Circle Bath Hospital and Circle Birmingham Hospital, which the CMA provisionally accepted.
