NFC, the radio frequency technology
considered by experts worldwide as “the next best thing” in mobile transaction,
continues its integration in the Philippines – this time providing much needed
upgrade in the way healthcare is delivered to thousands of Filipinos.
This after leading health care provider
PhilCare came up and put in operation NFC-capable membership cards designed to
make availment of health services from hospitals faster, more efficient, and
close to paperless.
PhilCare is the first health care provider
in the Philippines to adopt and actually put into use cards with near field
communication NFC technologies.
“We are proud to introduce this new
technology to the HMO industry. We’ve been looking for the best technology to
make medical services smoother and more convenient for our clients and
providers and NFC seems to be the perfect fit for this goal,” said Noemi G.
Azura, PhilCare’s President and CEO.
The NFC-capable card means to do away with
the usual tedious process of availing health services from health maintenance
organizations (HMO). With a single tap, hospitals and clinics can now determine
coverage and benefits of a member, as well as other details of the member’s
account.
Basic consultations and procedures will
also be processed faster with just a single tap, since it will no longer
require long waiting times just to confirm coverage. Thanks to this new innovation, members only
need to hand over their NFC-enabled health cards to any of the 200 service
providers of PhilCare with NFC-capable phones from Samsung.
Making this transaction possible is NFC, a
form of wireless, radio-wave technology that allows two objects – a reader
device and a storage device – to send and receive information via brief
contact.
The NFC technology is used by banks,
retail, transport, and service providers worldwide and has been deployed to
accommodate wireless payments.
This new technology is the first of its
kind in the Philippine health care industry and allows patient information to
be updated in real-time, ensuring quick, efficient, and accurate service.
“We are very excited with this technology
and in the future we hope to set up a rewards program for members with the NFC
cards,” Azura said.
“All these innovations are geared towards
providing best-in-class customer service to our members. This is just the start
of our foray into NFC technology, which will be part of an ecosystem all
intended to bring a new brand of bridging access to health care for our
members,” Azura added.
The launch of its new membership cards is
only one of the many innovations PhilCare has set up to affirm its position as
a pioneer in the health care industry.
In 2013, PhilCare launched its mobile
application GO! Mobile, becoming the first HMO provider to bring the service to
its members.
PhilCare’s Go! Mobile app is designed as a
quick reference guide for members on their coverage and benefits while also
giving access to complete lists of PhilCare-affiliated hospitals, clinics, and
doctors.
Just last year, the mobile app introduced
various updates in addition to being made compatible with iOS devices alongside
Android devices. With GO! Mobile, PhilCare members no longer need to call any
hotline for provider information since it is made available right at their
fingertips.
In addition to its mobile app, PhilCare
also recently launched its eCommerce website, becoming the first HMO provider
to offer online purchases for its health care packages.
About PhilCare: Established in 1982,
PhilCare is one of the country’s pioneering Health Maintenance Organization
(HMO) companies. The company is built on a vision to allow Filipinos enjoy a
better quality of life by providing them access to world-class health services.
Three decades after it was founded, PhilCare remains a pioneer and a recognized
leader in Philippine HMO. Today, PhilCare sets the pace for the industry not
only with the reliable in-patient and out-patient health care it provides, but
also with the total wellness and healthy living it actively promotes.
Thank you for always being here amazing peeps! Hope it wouldn't take much of your time if I'd ask you to
