Aviva is adding a new guided hospital option, mental health pathway and cancer care enhancements to its Solutions private medical insurance cover for SME businesses.
The enhancements will be effective on new and renewing business from 1 March 2021, from when Solutions core cover will offer employees a new Expert Select hospital option that provides a nationwide choice of hospitals selected based on Aviva’s clinical governance framework and external clinical ratings from the Care Quality Commission and Health Improvement Scotland.
Under the Expert Select’s claims process claims consultants will provide a choice of hospital and specialists, with an average of three or four hospitals expected to be offered dependent on the location. Information is provided to help employees choose which facility to go to and Aviva can also book appointments directly into a consultant’s diary where available, or transfer the caller to book an appointment.
After treatment, Aviva will settle eligible bills with the treatment provider, guaranteeing no shortfalls on any eligible hospital or specialist charges for consultations, tests or treatment.
Aviva is also beefing up its mental health support, in response to demand reflected by figures showing mental health costs UK businesses between £33 billion and £42 billion per year, equivalent to £1,205 – £1,560 for every employee in the UK workforce, according to the Farmer/Stevenson review. Aviva’s new mental health pathway sees a call to the claims team route an employee directly through to a clinical provider for assessment and required treatment. Aviva says the new pathway mens quick access to treatment with no need for a GP referral, direct escalation to a practitioner assessment if required and support for adolescents: dependents from the age of 12 can also access the service.
The service includes a range of treatment options including online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), phone, video or face-to-face talking therapies, and psychiatrist assessment. There is no impact on reduced out-patient limits.
Cancer cover enhancements include the removal of the 10-year limit on follow-up monitoring consultations, so that there is no longer a time limit on such consultations that may be recommended by a specialist and extending cover to include preventative bisphosphonates, which studies have shown can help prevent certain cancers from re-occuring. Cover remains for bisphosphonates for use in treating bone disease.
Other enhancements include the exempting of out-patient surgical procedures from any out-patient limit. The policy excess will no longer impact selected out-patient limits and/or other financial benefit limits, and will no longer impact routine dental and optical benefit limits claimed against.
Solutions cover for SME clients is now available to companies covering 1-249 employees to enable sole traders and start-ups to benefit from cover.
Aviva UK Health managing director Steve Bridger: “We are focused on delivering private medical insurance solutions that meet our clients’ needs for simplicity, quality and affordability and these values are at the heart of the attractive changes we are making to our Solutions cover for SME businesses.
“Expert Select extends our quality guiding approach to our SME clients following its successful introduction to our corporate clients last year. Alongside our diagnostic pathways and provider networks, it’s designed to give employees quality clinical expertise and individual choice, whilst making private healthcare more inclusive and sustainable for employers.”
