National Australia Bank : HICAPS Go set to improve cost transparency for patients

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Patients can now locate a practitioner, get a quote, pay for their consultation and claim their private health insurance benefit using a new one-stop healthcare app.

HICAPS Go, which has launched in Melbourne, provides patients with a simple and transparent experience which gives them more visibility on their out of pocket expenses before they see their healthcare practitioner and facilitates a completely digital process to pay their bill.

The app also and makes it easy for patients to locate, book and manage a health practitioner appointment.

'We have re-imagined the user experience for a digital age and built an Uber equivalent for Australia's healthcare ecosystem,' NAB Chief Operating Officer Antony Cahill said.

'Through HICAPS Go, consumers get a better experience, more transparency in the cost process, added flexibility which helps improve the trust between them, their practitioner and their health fund.

'There is no other product in the Australian market at the moment like this, which provides such a smooth end-to-end experience from booking, to cost transparency and payment capability.'

HICAPS Go has been developed in partnership with Medipass, an Australian tech start-up who specialises in connecting patients to their providers and health funders.

Shelley Lampard, a 28-year-old customer experience manager in the leisure industry, said she had used HICAPS Go a number of times as part of the pilot program and found it to be simple and easy.

'I like the convenience of being able to do the whole process, from booking to payment, all through an app,' Ms Lampard said.

'I really like the transparency of being able to see what my healthcare rebate is going to be and how much I'll be out-of-pocket.

'Then when it's all done there's no awkward wait time when checking out to process the rebate and any payment, it's all done in the app with the click of a button.'

Cameron Hare, Practice Manager at Transform Physio, one of the platform's early adopters, said the new digital extension of HICAPS would vastly improve transparency for customers.

'The transparency with the gap payment is really fantastic; with this new solution the gap payment is right in front of the customer and they can check before they pay,' Mr Hare said.

'With the old method I'd need to set aside five or so minutes at the end of each session to make sure I get through the billing process. But doing it with the new method means I don't even have to leave the room.'

HICAPS Go currently has more than 400 practitioners on board the platform - with a focus on physiotherapists, chiropractors, myotherapists and osteopaths across the greater Melbourne area - and is compatible for customers who have private health cover with Medibank and AHM.

More practitioners and health funds will be added to the platform as it rolls out across the country over the next 12 months.

HICAPS Go leverages the current NAB-owned HICAPS payment/claiming terminal system.

As Australia's largest business bank, NAB has a dedicated Specialised Banking segment which includes NAB Health; a team of health specialist bankers work exclusively with businesses and professionals in the healthcare industry across the country.

Find out more about the HICAPS Go experience here: https://www.hicaps.com.au/go

- How HICAPS Go works -

• The HICAPS Go app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and via the Google Play store.
• Patients simply download the app, enter their private health membership details and credit card payment details.
• This creates the connection to patient's health fund via the HICAPS system (the NAB-owned payment and claiming system) and enables patients to get visibility from their fund for any applicable contribution towards their consultation (and any out-of-pocket expense).
• Post consultation, patients can instantly claim health insurance benefits and pay only the gap portion using the app.
• For practitioners and health funds, digital bookings and electronic claiming and payments reduce administration burden and manual processing, freeing up time for value-adding activities and more time with patients.

- About NAB Health -

NAB Health is a group of specialised brands (NAB Health, Medfin and HICAPS), financial solutions and dedicated health bankers who partner with healthcare providers to manage challenges and opportunities in the healthcare sector. The NAB Health Digital Hub offers advice and service to practitioners, from buying a practice, running a business, investing, insurance, super and tax requirements to selling a business: www.nab.com.au/health

- About Medipass -

Medipass is an Australian fintech, based in Melbourne. The company was established on the belief that a better health system demands better ways to connect and pay. We build digital health-grade payment solutions, connecting patients, practitioners and payers in ways that drive system efficiency and better experiences of care. For more information on Medipass, visit www.medipass.com.au.