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In September 2024 AXA Health launched its digital digestive health service for members. The service is delivered by HBSUK, with a focus on speed of diagnosis to give either peace of mind or to engage in treatment quickly.
AXA Health chief medical officer Dr John Burke (pictured right) and HBSUK gastroenterology clinical lead Dr Ash Bassi (pictured left) explain why the service was created, how members can access it and the benefits for patients and employers.
Why has AXA Health developed online access for digestive health? What are some of the benefits to members?
Dr John Burke: The pandemic really showed us the art of the possible and taught us to be brave about reimagining healthcare, putting patients first and not having to stick to old models of what healthcare delivery looks like.
This online service connects patients and a gastroenterology specialist at the right time, in the right place so they can swiftly access the right care swiftly. It eliminates geographical inequalities and enables patients to talk about sensitive issues from the comfort and privacy of a setting of their choosing.
The service also allows for a rapid response; it would be extremely difficult to replicate a face-to-face national service at the incredible speed that this online service delivers.
It’s also a patient-friendly way for people to interact with their consultant at their own pace without having to attend a potentially daunting face-to-face consultation.
How do patients access AXA Health’s online outpatient services?
Dr John Burke: It’s not a digital-only service, this is a choice that some of our members want.
They access the service via a GP referral in the first instance and then, when they contact us to make a claim, they’re offered information about the online service, which offers speed, ease and quality care.
At the moment around 22% of patients who are offered the online service are currently choosing it.
How does it work for members using the service?
Dr Ash Bassi: Members log on to the online platform which has some pre-assessment questions to complete.
As a group of specialists, we decided which were the most appropriate questions for each of the symptoms that patients can present with under the gastrointestinal system.
Online is a better way of way of collecting the information because we know that more than 50% of patients feel uncomfortable or embarrassed to talk about these symptoms. They do however feel comfortable giving that information online.
There’s also an opportunity to upload any investigations, GP letters or any prior letters they may have had, either related to this condition, or provide information about any other conditions.
Once the questionnaire is completed and we’ve got all the information, it is reviewed by one of our specialists and within 72 hours we will have assessed it and taken decisions.
There will be a small group of patients who may need tests, so we will redirect them for a face-to-face appointment.
For other patients, we assess whether they require investigations, we may speak to them if required, but for the majority we would arrange simple investigations and make recommendations of how to manage their symptoms.
The specialist will then share a detailed letter with the patient with those recommendations and any investigations which have been arranged. Once that is done there will be a follow up appointment if required, to go through investigations and the management plan.
What differences have you seen for patients?
Dr Ash Bassi: We absolutely find we are getting better quality information from people by using the online service.
I’ve had patients upload pictures and images and show us things so they can give us as much information as they can. This means the quality of diagnosis for patients is higher.
The three-day turnaround to hear back from a specialist is very good and the speed and access to services is something which our patients love.
It can be really worrying for a patient when they have concerning symptoms and so we want to take the patient through that journey as quickly as possible. We have seen how that makes a big difference in patient care.
Use of the online platform gives patients access to their results, investigations and the letters that we have written. The detailed letters can prove useful for insurance purposes, for travel or return to work after illness.
We know not all patients are able to use digital, but this is definitely a significant step in digital online management of patients.
How have the online services been received by the medical community?
Dr Ash Bassi: By and large whoever has seen it has universally supported this initiative.
We’ve got a fairly big community using this in gastroenterology and other specialists are coming on board as well.
We’ve been trying for a very long time to get something like this which is workable and not just a yes and no system, something which allows us to take forward the patient management and not just be a triage service. This platform has allowed us to do that.
The feedback we’ve got from the specialists we’ve used has been very positive, and we’ve gone through various iterations because we can tweak the questions if we think some are perhaps not understood fully.
What is the benefit to businesses offering private medical cover for their employees?
Dr John Burke: This is a powerful way to attract and retain talent for an organisation; employees will hopefully feel well looked after.
Employees will spend less time feeling uncertain about their health and get the reassurance or care that they need quickly.
From that should flow increased productivity, less time off and all those good, positive, beneficial effects of having an employee benefits scheme.
Also, the way HBSUK manages these care pathways means members are less likely to receive inappropriate investigations or treatment; all these unnecessary events that can happen if care starts to suffer unexplained variability and reduced quality.
So, it’s about efficiently using healthcare resources and that plays a very key role in keeping private health insurance costs sustainable.
Finally, standardising the journey and collecting all this data gives much greater insight to companies about the health of their employee population.
