Plan MEDIPARTNER. Motivation program for the insured (lecture 8/8)

1. Peter Pažitný’s feedback – how did I contribute to my better health status in the past 8 months?

At the beginning of our lectures, I committed myself to do something for my health in order to improve my BMI index:

• I attended cross fit classes, three times a week, however, this was not always possible, and so on average I attended these classes twice a week
• I began to eat healthier, that means more vegetables, healthy food, such as tofu :)
• However, as my colleagues keep telling me, I still add lots of sugar to my everyday tea …

My weight decreased from 94 kg to 93 kg. However, I have to admit that before Easter I reached 92 kg, but Easter is Easter :)

If I was the client of the Plan MEDIPARTNER, I would get for these activities and a slight decrease of weight some points as well …

2. How many clients are members of the Plan MEDIPARTNER currently?

While full risk capitation as a payment mechanism for general practitioners in Košice and the region was in place since 1. July 2012, the motivation program of the Plan MEDIPARTENR was launched in October 2012.

Nowadays, the Plan has more than 7000 clients. All clients have to fulfill two basic requirements:

• They have to be insured in the Dôvera health insurance company
• Their general practitioner participates in the Plan MEDIPARTNER

Table 1. I live in Košice and its region, how can I become the client of the Plan MEDIPARTNER?

3. What kind of advantages did clients receive at the registration for the Plan MEDIPARTNER?

Entering the Plan, the insured got the opportunity to make use of the advantages offered by the Plan:

• Possibility to utilize the online registration system for examinations
• Points and rewards for taking care for the health status
• Partnership network of doctors and hospitals of the Plan

4. How to register to the Plan MEDIPARTNER?

Registration is possible directly at the general practitioner, who belongs to the Plan or at the branches of the Dôvera health insurance company in Košice and the region.

5. How does the ordering system work?

It is common that you spend several hours at the doctors‘ waiting rooms. However, clients of the Plan can utilize this time in a more efficient way.

They can, in fact, register themselves for free for exact times of examinations to all doctors, who are members in the Plan MEDIPARTNER network. We try to guarantee the clients waiting times of a maximum length of 15 minutes.

There are 53 general practitioners in Košice and the region and chosen specialists in the Hospital with polyclinic Košice – Šaca and the Železničná Hospital with polyclinic in Košiciach.

6. How to sign up for a specific date?

• Either directly at the general practitioner’s practice
• Or through the MEDIPARTNER info line, an assistance service that is at the disposal for all clients and for all those, who want to be informed about the Plan
• Or through the website portal www.medipartner.sk, which each client receives at the registration for the Plan

Clients may also change or cancel their online registration for examinations if needed on this portal.

7. What is the amount of points and rewards for taking care for health status?

Nobody gives rewards for taking care of your own health. In the Plan MEDIPARTNER this is different. We reward clients for taking care of their own health status. They obtain 1200 points already by entering the Plan.

They obtain more points for:

• Obligatory vaccination
• Preventive examinations
• Utilizing the online registration system for examinations
• Recommending the Plan to other clients
• Fulfilling the agreement with the doctor, for instance by losing weight or cholesterol level or by complying with the prescribed treatment

8. Is it possible to lose points?

It is possible to lose points when not complying with the agreements in the Plan, i.e. for:

• Visiting specialists without letting the general practitioner know about it
• Visiting a specialist, who is not part the Plan’s network
• Hospitalization without letting the general practitioner know about it

In case of acute hospitalization, this is not considered as not complying with the Rules of the Plan. The same rule applies when visiting a gynecologist, ophthalmologist, dentist, mental doctor or your personal doctor. He/she is a specialist visited by the client on a regular basis.

9. What is the exchange rate points/EUR?

The exchange rate of the Plan MEDIPARTNER points is: 100 points = 1 EUR.

These points and rewards are accumulated on the clients‘ personal bank account. They can be regularly monitored in the personal account at the www.medipartner.sk portal or by obtaining information on the info line.

10. How can MEDIPARTNER points be utilized?

Points can be exchanged for shopping vouchers used for partial financial cover of services and products at our partners‘ stores. Vouchers can be generated through the personal website or by assistants at the info line (02/ 2051 0810).

Clients can utilize vouchers in specific:

• Pharmacies
• Optics
• Fitness a wellness centers
• Or in hospitals and doctors’ practices, who are members in the Plan

11. What is the advantage of the doctors‘ and hospitals‘ network of the Plan?

Doctors, who are members of the Plan, communicate, and so they can coordinate the treatments of their patients. In this way, they prevent double examinations and duplicated treatment.

This saves the clients’:

• Time
• Money  
• Health

12. What does the Plan MEDIPARTNER prepare for their clients in the future?

We are preparing more activities in the near future – Programs of Health. They serve to help those, who intend to decrease their cholesterol level, stop smoking, lose weight or get rid of back pain.

Participating in such programs, clients do something for their health and at the same time they become rewarded.

Furthermore, we prepare higher standard of membership in the Plan – Club MEDIPARTNER. This will already be a charged membership and it will provide its clients even more advantages.

Summary

How does the Plan MEDIPARTNER contribute to the clients?

1. Saves time at doctors‘ visits.
2. Rewards them for taking care for their own health and motivates them to take better care for their health.
3. Provides them the possibility to utilize the network of doctors, who communicate with each other.
4. You can find more information on www.medipartner.sk

Farewell and thanks

Thank you very much for your attention during the 8 lectures running under the title „Innovation for better healthcare“.

I would also like to thank my colleagues Angelika Szalayová, Tomáš Szalay a Katarína Skybová for their active part in the lectures No. 6, 7 and 8. At the same time I would like to thank to Tomáš Szalay for the directing, excellent camera and final cut of all lectures. Without his help these lectures would not exist. And one more important thanks – I thank to Peter Balík, senior analyst at the HPI for perfect translation of all lectures from Slovak to English.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on pazitny@hpi.sk. If you are interested in health policy and the happening in Slovak healthcare, please follow us on www.hpi.sk or on facebook.

Good-bye from Peter Pažitný and be healthy!