MAXICARE’S new logo in time for its 30th anniversary

be conducted remotely. “You can be in your corporate clinic in a BPO at 2 a. m., when all the clinics are closed, but you can have a consultation with a cardiologist,” Mr. Argos further explained. “We are rolling it out slowly. It is not widely deployed yet.”

In addition to maintaining good working relationships with more than 56,000 accredited doctors and specialists and more than 1,000 hospitals and clinics so that Maxicare members can access the medical services they need without a hitch, the HMO is also looking to make its products widely available using non-traditional accounts.

“Non- traditional in the sense that we are not limiting the distribution of our products through drugstores or through our agents, but we are also forging partnerships with department stores and mall chains,” Ms. Banocnoc said. “Now you can buy our prepaid cards such as EReady and My Maxicare LITE from Robinsons Business Centers.”

Having been in the business for 30 years, Maxicare wants a fundamental change — a transition from an HMO model that is very transactional, in which the answer can either be a “Yes” or a “No,” to one that will help address a client’s health concerns without having to say “No.”

“It requires the cooperation of the entire health care community: doctors, providers — and they are very traditional,” Mr. Argos said, adding that it also involves the reengineering of its processes and rethinking of its policies and procedures. The industry may not be ready for such a transformation, the HMO said. “But that is what we want to accomplish.” —