The COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the digitalisation of healthcare services with the demand for remote consultation and advice growing significantly. Allianz Partners’ Life after COVID-19 report predicts that digital health technology will become the norm, as the digital delivery of medical services and information allows for convenience, safety, reassurance and cost efficiency. 

Allianz Partners has expanded its range of digitally-accessible healthcare solutions during this critical period to ensure access to healthcare while providing peace of mind to customers. These solutions also include HelloBetter digital mental health support, recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of 15 initiatives globally which are helping address COVID-19 issues and their aftermath.

Allianz Partners’ dedicated telehealth subsidiary, Medi24, established a helpline for coronavirus-related queries for its customers. Each caller is directed to a qualified nurse who determines whether the case should be handled by a doctor online or if a physical intervention is required. Offering telehealth services for over 20 years, Medi24 employs 25 doctors and 80 nurses who provide 24/7 medical services in English, German, Italian and French.

Medi24 also launched a digital symptom checker on its website for the lockdown period between March and June to help customers gauge if they could indeed be infected with the virus. This AI-based “self-service” tool guided patients through their symptoms and provided fast suggestions.

Since March, over 65,000 calls related to coronavirus, and nearly 45,000 digital COVID-19 assessments have been handled. About 60 percent of all cases (calls and digital symptom assessments) were resolved through the medical triage and self-treatment recommended to patients, leading to a reduction in visits to the doctor where this could be avoided.
 

Dr. Chat is a virtual assistant that enables users to get in touch with real, accredited doctors and get answers to their medical questions and problems within minutes. The service is GDPR compliant and users can connect to medical professionals in a variety of ways such as SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber.

 Already launched in Switzerland and Austria, this medical consultation service is offered in partnership with ABI Global Health and is available in several languages including German, English, Italian, French, Slovenian and Croatian. Dr. Chat will also be rolled out in Germany in the fall.

“We are simplifying access to care and scaling our telehealth solutions worldwide for our partners. More than 7 million Allianz Partners customers can contact doctors 24/7 via on-demand video, chat or a simple phone call.” said Ida Luka-Lognoné, Chief Officer Health, Allianz Partners. “The digital delivery of medical services and information help ease some of the stress on both patients and doctors, meeting customers’ needs in the moments that matter. At Allianz Partners, we bring convenient, direct access to quality medical care to our customers, thanks to our innovations, technological capacity and medical network. We will further unleash the potential of telehealth, as wider adoption could go a long way in opening new pathways to healthcare.”