INTERVIEW NOVI Health is enhancing its digital health offerings and leveraging data analytics to better predict risk patterns and profiles.
Inside NOVI Health’s clinic
with industry partners. For example, NOVI Health has partnered with Thomson Medical Centre to launch the HOPE Program. This program supports pregnant women with gestational diabetes in nutrition and lifestyle management, as well as glucose monitoring. It uniquely combines both in-person teaching and digital health coaching, so that pregnant moms can receive holistic care for their condition, whilst obviating the need for frequent trips to the clinic. What are the key business milestones for NOVI Health? We have grown quickly since launching in March 2019. We have served over 300 clients so far, with over 98% retention rate. These clients in the early phase of our operations are largely from word-of-mouth referrals. On top of walk-in clients, we now also have corporate partnerships with organisations, insurers, insurance brokers, employers, other healthcare providers, wellness providers, and medical concierges, all of which will help scale our reach. We will serve more than a thousand clients by the end of this year. Take, for example, our recent collaboration with Great Eastern Life Insurance. Users of Great Eastern’s GREAT SupremeHealth have access to NOVI Health’s full suite of health and wellness solutions at preferred rates. Separately, we are looking to expand beyond Singapore to the Southeast Asia market, including Malaysia and Indonesia, over the next two or three years. How do you overcome the myriad of challenges as the executives and decision makers of Novi Health? As a small and nimble company, we are able to continually evolve our products and service model in response to the changing needs of the market. Take COVID-19 for example. The implementation of measures to contain the spread of infection, such as social distancing, has created an even stronger demand for telemedicine services. Our solution already includes a digital health component, wherein we provide remote health coaching and advice to clients through our app. 12
HEALTHCARE ASIA
In light of the current situation, we have ramped up our offerings to ensure that our clients continue to be able to seamlessly access our services and obtain their medications, without having to physically visit the clinic. This means having the option of teleconsultations via video/phone calls, remote prescriptions and delivery of medications to their residence. The health and safety of our clients is always our top priority, and we leverage technology to that end. Flash glucose sensors, for example, enable us to continue monitoring clients’ conditions remotely, and the messaging feature of the app provides our clients with continuous access to our advice and support when needed. What is Singapore’s status in the global healthcare industry for metabolic diseases? In Singapore, chronic lifestyle-related diseases, including metabolic diseases such as diabetes, pose a serious health and societal challenge. Factors such as modern lifestyles, an increasingly urbanised environment and greater calorie consumption have given rise to increased obesity, and attendant metabolic dysfunctions in children and adults. As a result, the prevalence of diabetes has increased; one in nine Singaporeans has diabetes, and the prevalence of pre-diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is even higher. For those in the age group 60 to 69 years, almost one in three adults have diabetes. These have a costly impact on society. Both medical expenses and productivity losses are expected to cost about US$1.8b by 2050. The shift from healthcare to health— from symptomatic treatment to an integrated and holistic approach—is more efficient in the long run, which can lead to positive outcomes. There is thus an urgent need to identify and implement effective strategies to detect, treat, manage, and prevent metabolic diseases. Can you share with us any new initiatives that other healthcare providers can emulate? Healthcare challenges in Asia and globally, such as an ageing population and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, provide a burning platform for innovations that can improve outcomes for all patients in a cost-efficient and sustainable manner. Technologies that can empower people to better understand their health, widen access to care, and optimise outcomes could have a significant impact on changing the course of disease. As scalable tools, digital health interventions have enormous potential to improve health and healthcare delivery for those living with chronic diseases, by improving effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility, and personalisation. Over time, we are working towards enhancing our digital health offerings and leveraging data analytics and AI to better predict risk patterns and profiles, so that interventions can be even more efficiently and optimally targeted to each individual’s unique genetic make-up and lifestyle. In this context, NOVI Health is well-positioned to be a trusted partner by offering holistic care that integrates clinical, behavioural and digital care.