Clients who have individual private medical insurance (PMI) with Norwich Union Healthcare (NUH) wi...
Clients who have individual private medical insurance (PMI) with Norwich Union Healthcare (NUH) will have access to a groundbreaking website aimed at helping policyholders take better control of their health.
The new tool, Personal Health Manager, allows customers to build a database of their own medical history, which in turn allows them to assess their own symptoms should they have any health queries.
The website also helps customers create personalised health plans aimed at improving their overall health and wellbeing.
According to NUH, the new benefit, which is free to all policyholders, is a UK first and aims to help customers get more value out of their PMI plan, even when they are not ill.
Tim Baker, commercial director of NUH, said advisers as well as policyholders could benefit from the new site. 'We are confident Personal Health Manager will be warmly welcomed by our customers as a way to get every-day value from their medical insurance. It could also prove a valuable service to IFAs in the selling of health cover.'
Although symptom assessing tools and medical information are already available through sites such as NHS Direct, Personal Health Manager is unique because it allows customers to create an individual health assessment as medical history is built up on the site.
NUH insists the site is secure and underwriters will not access personal medical information of policyholders for claims purposes.
More than 20 doctors review the content of the site, which includes a medical encyclopedia, symptom assessment and health-planning tool, for accuracy. When assessing symptoms, customers are advised how urgently they should seek further advice or medical attention.
Dr John Henry, chairman of the review panel and professor of emergency medicine at St Mary's Hospital and Imperial College Medical School, said the site should be welcomed.
'People are clamouring for this kind of service. I am pleased to see Norwich Union Healthcare respond-ing to this with Personal Health Manager. Anything which empowers patients to take more responsibility for their own wellbeing is to be applauded,' he said.
n NUH has set up a free 30-day trial of Personal Health Manager for advisers. To access it, phone 0800 142 142, quoting reference AEQ PHP.
