Launch Of Major New Health Care Service

Today’s launch of an innovative program between industry leader’s Peoplecare Health Insurance and INS Health Care could revolutionise health care services throughout the Illawarra and beyond.

This unique program will allow Peoplecare members the choice to recover from illness in the comfort of their homes using hospital substitute services, or even eliminate the need to go to hospital at all.

With their doctor’s consent, patients will be cared for with the best medical supervision, using groundbreaking diagnostic and monitoring technology.

A major focus of the service is to promote the early discharge of patients from an already stressed hospital system, and to provide holistic patient-centred strategies towards preventing the recurrence or sudden onset of major illnesses.

While Peoplecare’s standard health insurance cover offers members a number of choices of hospital type and which doctor they will see, members may now choose where they recover – at home or in hospital. In some circumstances patients may not even have to go to hospital and instead could be treated at home.

Participation in the new service is up to the patient and their doctor; they can choose the recovery option that best suits their personal needs. It is important to note that the program does not take the place of the member’s doctor. In fact, doctors are at the centre of determining whether it is appropriate for the patient
to leave hospital early and what care they will need.

The procedure for undertaking the program is quite straightforward:

• A patient care plan, outlining services required for at-home care is developed by the doctor and patient.
• A Registered Nurse (RN), provided by INS Health Care, conducts a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s health and any additional needs or services they require while at home. This might include the provision of meals, house cleaning, and/or personal care.
• Equipment such as walking frames and shower chairs may also be required. These are also provided as part of the program.
• The patient’s health is monitored at each visit by the RN, who inputs the data into an innovative workflow management system, developed by INS Health Care.
• Reports on patient recovery can be transmitted electronically to the doctor during the recovery period.
• The member will also be provided with an emergency button using the INS LifeGuard system. They can use the button any time, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, to access nursing staff at the INS call centre.

The Peoplecare/INS partnership will use a ‘whole person’ holistic approach, combining new technologies with coordinated care services to meet the objectives of the project whilst maintaining cost effectiveness.

A major point of difference in this program is the ground-breaking technology INS has developed. Details of this unique mobile telemedicine system, which enables the nurse to track and record patient progress and transmit that information to doctors and others involved in the member’s care, will be released to the public shortly.

As one of the oldest community care providers of its type in Australia with well over 20 years experience in the field, INS Health Care has pioneered many community based service provisions in Australia; its emphasis always on achieving quality outcomes for its clients.

The INS Group, which comprises a community health services division and a specialised health call centre operation employs the services of approximately 150 specialist professionals from Registered Nurses to providers of transport and meals.

INS Group’s Managing Director, Claude Rafin believes the program has the potential to change the way we consider serious illness, putting quality control back in the hands of patients and doctors.

“This hospital substitute service is not just about discharging people from hospital; it also provides appropriate care plans so that patients may not have to be in hospital in the first place”, Claude said.

“Through our extensive research into patient experiences we know that the less time a person spends in a hospital setting there is a lessened chance of contracting further illness”, Claude added. “Additionally, a service such as this saves patients and their families considerable stress, time spent travelling to hospitals – and considerably less financial cost”.

In a startling example of just how much can be saved financially, INS staff highlighted a very recent case.

A Peoplecare member, ‘Mrs S’ (name withheld for privacy reasons) was hospitalised for extensive wound care treatment for a total of 37 weeks.

Mrs S requested a coordinated home service care plan be developed to allow her to leave hospital early and recover in her own home in time for Christmas. INS Registered Nurses consulted Mrs S’s doctors and a discharge plan was agreed upon. Mrs S was discharged from hospital and a registered nurse successfully treated her at home with wound care and compression bandaging. Peoplecare paid for the full cost of these services on Mrs S’s behalf.

This program allowed Mrs S to be cared for at home instead of an estimated 40 more days in hospital. The total cost of her home treatment was $16,275 in lieu of the hospital fee which is estimated at well over $20,000.

Whilst cost is important, providing quality and appropriate care is the primary objective of the program and overrides all other considerations. In this case, Mrs S was delighted with the care
provided and her quality of life was improved by receiving her treatment in the comfort of her own
home rather than at hospital.

“After experiencing a very painful and trying time during my long stay in hospital, I was greatly relieved to be allowed to recover at home” said Mrs S. “My family and I are extremely grateful to Peoplecare Health Insurance, and INS Group for their professional, reliable and very friendly treatment – I want to thank them with all of my heart.”

The development of this new partnership between Peoplecare and INS will allow patients to receive quality and effective health care treatment in the care setting that suits them best, thus improving the recovery for the patient and providing an even better value hospital health cover product for Peoplecare members.

Peoplecare Health Insurance, recently awarded the Illawarra Business Chamber’s prestigious ‘Illawarra Business of the Year’, are proud to be associated with a quality service provider such as INS.

For CEO, Michael Bassingthwaighte this significant service Peoplecare is able to provide to members such as Mrs S, delivers immense satisfaction to many.

He commented that “the introduction of this innovative program is a fantastic opportunity for two local Illawarra based companies to partner together to provide improved health care support for local residents”.

“This new program will assist Peoplecare in achieving its company purpose to help people live healthier lives. This is an exciting time in the development of the Peoplecare business and the provision of better health care options for our members”, Michael added.

Visit us at: http://www.peoplecare.com.au

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