In the last few years, we have offered several standalone services (e.g. telemedicine, home care services, proprietary diagnostic centres, …). At the end of 2020, leveraging the global strategic partnership signed with Microsoft, we have developed the AXA “Health Portal” as a unique digital touchpoint, designed mobile first, where customers and prospects can access the complete portfolio of health services, in an integrated “end to end” experience from prevention to care. With the ambition to offer a reference and coordination asset in the health sector, the portal is continuously evolving and today users can already access to a rich portfolio of services:
- Symptom checker: any web user, even who is not an AXA client, can get a free 24/7 preliminary diagnosis and guidance on how to deal with symptoms. Simply answering the chatbot’s questions the user receives a report containing the following information:
- List of possible pathologies related to the symptomatology, sorted according to the level of confidence reached with the available information;
- Level of urgency related to the assessed condition;
- Recommendations on the most appropriate action address his/her health condition, declined according to the specific condition assessed;
- Direct access to other AXA health services (e.g. health facilities research), selected and proposed according to the urgency and severity of the diagnosed pathology;
- Summary of the answers given during the assessment.
The service, based on artificial intelligence (900+ pathologies, 35,000+ symptoms, 5M+ assessments performed) and developed with the collaboration of prestigious international clinical institutions, including Hospital Clinico San Carlos Madrid and Yale New Heaven Health System, is the result of an important optimization work to adapt it to the Italian market and to the needs of AXA clients, with the collaboration of the AXA medical team.
- Health facilities research: any web user, even if not an AXA client, can search for the best health facility according to his/her health needs (e.g. pathology, health service – also suggested by the symptoms checker tool). The user is provided with a list of facilities sorted by medical performance. This performance index (i.e. quality of healthcare services) offered by AXA Italy, is based on data from the National Outcomes Programme (PNE), developed by AGENAS on behalf of the Ministry of Health. Users can also refine their search by having the possibility to modify the sorting of facilities (e.g. by distance, network affiliation, …) or apply specific filters (e.g. medical performance, search radius, facility certifications, facility services, …).
- AXA Health Talk webinars: free to access monthly webinars on prevention and health topics with the most reputable national and international professionals. During the live webinars, web users have the possibility to ask questions to the doctors via chat. At the end of the live webinar, a recording of the webinar is provided in a dedicated library.
AXA customers can then access a detailed summary for each healthcare facility where they can check the entire set of information related to the facility and, in relation to the 4,500+ facilities of the AXA Caring network and the 4 proprietary prevention centres, directly access the related premium services for the use of healthcare services (see medical concierge and Card Salute AXA described below)
- Teleconsultation with direct doctor callback: the customer can book a consultation with a general practitioner or specialist 24/7 by selecting:
- Contact method: phone call or video call;
- Contact time;
- Option to share the symptom checker assessment, to allow the doctor greater diagnostic effectiveness and efficiency during the consultation;
In addition, related to the teleconsultation, at home assistance services can be requested by the customer, including sending the prescription to a pharmacy, home drugs delivery, physiotherapist or nurse at home. The same services are also available via a dedicated phone line provided to the customer.
- Pharmacist Chat: AXA customers can get in touch via web chat with professional pharmacists to obtain information on medicines and minor health issues;
- Medical Concierge: by contacting AXA’s dedicated number or filling out a specific online form, AXA customers can delegate the management of their medical appointment in the AXA network facilities, expressing any preferences in terms of date and facility. At the same time, if foreseen in the policy, customers can ask AXA to directly take charge of the health service;
- Card Salute AXA: a digital card to access discounted rates at the 4,000+ facilities of the AXA network. This service will be available also to non-health customers until January 2022;
- Reimbursement/Allowance request: through an online form customers can request the reimbursement of healthcare expenses incurred or the payment of allowances (e.g. following hospitalization) and can, at the same time, check the history of requests submitted, the status of open requests, the residual and maximum coverage for each guarantee in the policy.
All these services are available for our health clients but inclusion is very important for us so, we give the possibility to Not AXA Client to access at first to free services already mentioned (symptom checker, Health facilities research and AXA Health Talks webinars) and then to the entire portfolio of services with less than 7€ per month purchasing “Assistenza 360”. Guarantees that can be activated through “Assistenza 360” include: emergency management; Information and orientation on healthcare; abroad emergencies management; teleconsultation (generalist and specialist) and drugs delivery; doctor, pediatrician, nurse, physiotherapist at home; family support (e.g. domestic helper, babysitter, dog sitter, home grocery delivery, accompaniment for care cycles). Through a specific platform and tailor-made programmes, particular emphasis is reserved to psychological support as a continuously growing need, although not sufficiently managed, especially during this period of pandemic. (In Italy, 16.9% IHME 2018 of the population suffered from mental disorders, more than 50% not adequately managed).
However, AXA’s services do not end with prevention and assistance but, as mentioned, with a focus on supporting our customers along the entire health customer journey, AXA is able to support its customers also with regard to treatment and post treatment needs. This is possible both through the health insurance offer represented by the “Protezione Salute” and “Formula Benessere” policies, respectively available in agencies and banks, but also through our 4 proprietary diagnostic centres, acquired starting from the end of 2019, through a deal that represents the first vertical integration by an insurance company in the Italian health industry.
Coming back to the health portal as we said before it is developed leveraging the strategic partnership signed with Microsoft, the technological skills and the acknowledged experience of the partner on cloud computing and artificial intelligence, exploits the technologies related to Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, including Azure’s Api for Fhir (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources), for the development and delivery of a globally exportable health data platform, open to all, which aims to integrate partners to create value for people. This platform, thank to a full protection of user privacy, aims to support the evolution of the entire health sector through the analysis of big data collected for the enhancement of research, health treatments and prevention.
In the first 11 months from the launch of the portal (Dic. 2020-Nov. 2021) we have been monitoring several KPIs that show how people are interested and satisfied in the services:
- 750K+ unique users on the portal
- 18K+ Symptom checker assessment completed
- 35K+ research on health structures (services launched at end of May 2021)
- A customer satisfaction of 4,3/5 on the usage of the portal (1.250+ surveys)
Moreover, the combination between the Health Portal services and the Vertical integration strategy above explained is having a positive impact for our customers, always at the center of our strategic initiatives. In fact, we are:
- Fostering prevention and empowering customers to stay healthy
- Taking control of the whole customer experience making AXA a Partner and not only a Payer of claims
