The platform, which is currently in testing and development, provides a world-class patient and practitioner experience by digitally connecting patients to practitioners and to health funds while also leveraging the current HICAPS system (NAB-owned payment/claiming solution).

NAB Executive General Manager NAB Labs Jonathan Davey said: “NAB and Medipass Solutions are redefining the healthcare experience, delivering an ‘Uber-like’ approach to the way patients, practitioners and health funds integrate. Our solution makes it easy for patients to find a practitioner, see their availability, make an appointment, receive an upfront estimate on the costs and make a payment after consultation.

“The solution delivers a seamless and transparent experience for patients, practitioners and health insurers, through a digitally integrated platform; the first of its kind globally with such breadth and capability.”

To bring the concept to life, NAB has combined with Melbourne-based tech start-up Localz. With a capital investment from NAB Ventures, NAB and Localz have created a start-up business, to drive development of the new customer solution.

This real-time connection across the healthcare ecosystem delivers value for all stakeholders:
• Patients: a simplified and transparent experience including ease of locating, booking and managing a health practitioner appointment, estimating out-of-pocket costs for a consultation ahead of time and on the spot claiming.
• Health funds/payers: reduced claim processing overheads, simple pay and claim functionality and improved fraud controls.
• Health practitioners: electronic booking, claiming and payments, reducing administrative needs and simplifying the payment process.

“We’ve been working closely with Medibank and a small number of practitioners since late last year to test the platform, with a full market launch planned towards the end of the first half of this year.

“We will shortly broaden testing to further practitioners and we will work with more health insurers to bring to fruition the full benefits this service can offer,” Mr Davey said.

Medipass Solutions Co-Founder Pete Williams said: “There are currently no products in market the same as the one we are creating; providing customers with a better experience, more transparency, added flexibility and improved trust.

“We’re really re-imagining the healthcare customer experience, for patients, practitioners and health funds, creating one that is entirely digital, simpler to navigate and instantly accessible.”

- The facts on Medipass Solutions and the platform -
How the new platform will work:
• HICAPS Mobile (the platform) provides a virtual real-time connection between the interface and the practitioner’s practice management system, meaning patients can find and book an appointment with their preferred practitioner.
o The platform will also facilitate reminder notices, updates on bookings and other useful functions for patients ahead of their appointment once they’ve booked to see a practitioner.
• The platform connects to the patient’s health fund via the HICAPS system (the NAB-owned payment and claiming system) and enables patients to get an estimate 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 their mobile.
• 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.
- Background behind the initiative and creation of Medipass Solutions -
• The idea was born out of NAB’s in-house innovation hub, NAB Labs.
• The creation of Medipass Solutions evolved from formative work with Localz (who won NAB Labs’ inaugural Hackathon in December 2014, providing the opportunity to work with NAB on innovations)
• NAB Ventures has made an investment in the new entity Medipass Solutions.
• The platform is being developed initially for Allied Health Practitioners who provide Healthcare services to patients with private health insurance cover.
• HICAPS (the original payment and claiming system) helps make administration easier to manage for practitioners. HICAPS Mobile will be a digital extension of this for consumers, creating the seamless end-to-end experience through the new technology.