Axa Health has added cardiology, neurology and urology to its online outpatient services, offering members access to specialist assessments and guidance without an initial face-to-face appointment.
The insurer said the three new pathways are designed to provide advice and recommendations within three working days and have been introduced in response to growing demand for support across the three specialties.
These new services will be available to policyholders covered on Axa Health’s SME, large corporate and individual PMI policies.
The services add to Axa Health’s existing online outpatient provision covering digestive health, dermatology and muscles, bones and joints, alongside its digital mental health support.
Members aged 18 and over with a GP referral can access the new services from home or work. They complete an online assessment designed by specialist consultants, which is then reviewed by a qualified consultant in the relevant specialty.
Axa Health added that all these assessments will be reviewed by clinicians rather than artificial intelligence.
Following the review, members may receive self-help advice, recommendations for prescribed medication, or referrals for a face-to-face appointment or further in-person tests when deemed necessary.
Axa Health said its existing digital pathways have delivered rapid turnaround times. All users of its digestive health service and 99 per cent of dermatology users had their case reviewed within three days. Users rated their overall experience 4.3 out of five for digestive health and four out of five for dermatology.
All the insurer’s online outpatient pathways are delivered by HBSUK, an online outpatient provider that forms part of the wider Axa Group.
Axa Health chief executive Heather Smith says:“By expanding our online outpatient services, we are expanding access to high-demand specialties and making coordinated, specialist support available to our members when they need it most.
“The introduction of our digestive and dermatology online outpatient services has been really successful and, recognising the growing need for support across neurology, cardiology and urology, we’ve strengthened that offering.”
Smith added that Axa Health was seeking to combine faster access to healthcare with “empathy, kindness and real human connection”.