A one-stop shop for HMO patients
Health maintenance organization (HMO) patients availing of medical services at VRP Medical Center in Mandaluyong City no longer have to go through difficult, complex, and confusing processes to get the necessary paperwork done and the immediate healthcare services they need. VRP recently partnered with 1818 Medical Concierge to specifically address the delays and complexities that HMO patients have to go through whenever they avail of medical services using their HMO cards.
The two organizations have joined forces to create a modern, responsive, and patientcentric medical concierge that will cater to HMO patients and their families. The concierge is conveniently located at the lobby of VRP Medical Center and is open to the public Mondays to Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“We have joined hands to give the best care possible to our patients and their loved ones. The two companies complement each other. 1818 specializes in medical concierge operations and our hospital takes care of the medical needs of the patients. In effect, this is a one-stop shop for HMO patients who, more often than not, are not familiar with the steps and procedures in availing medical services through their HMO cards,” Virma Vergel de Dios, VRP president said.
Vergel De Dios said that HMO patients usually feel lost and have a hard time in processing their papers. The experience is like going through a maze or a labyrinth. She narrated that people have to wait for a long time before seeing their HMO coordinators. Once they get to the clinic of the doctor they were endorsed to, they have to wait again, especially when the doctor has several private patients. “It’s bad enough that you are sick. It’s made much worse if you have to go through a painful administrative process - and, a lot of waiting,” she said.
“With the HMO concierge, everything becomes convenient to patients - and to those taking care of them. They won’t waste time since all they have to do is to visit the concierge and everything will be done for them. Their appointments with doctors will be conveniently arranged, they don’t have to go back and forth to the hospital. Hopefully, this service will be eventually expanded to cover private paying patients as well,” she said.
Furthermore, Vergel De Dios explained that the concierge doubles as a waiting area for visitors. She said that people can sit in the area and everyone is welcome there.
“Our team is experienced in providing medical concierge service to the various market segments. We began offering this service because we observed that a lot of hospitals and clinics nowadays can not focus on providing effective customer-service. Yes, they may be good in medical services. They may have good doctors and excellent facilities. But customer service and patient experience is not their expertise. That’s where we come in. The HMO concierge will help the hospital take care of their customers - both the patients and the persons taking care of the patients - when it comes to the non-medical aspects of their hospital visit,” said lawyer Rodrigo Nepomuceno, executive director and head of business development of 1818.