ITIJ Issue 208 May 2018

FEATURE:

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Building better TRM policies

The evolution of travel risk management programmes for business travellers

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PROFILE:

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Innovation challenges Juliane Kause The ins and outs of introducing new products

ESSENTIAL READING FOR TRAVEL & HEALTH INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS

Re-thinking travel insurance

ITIJ talks to Anvil Group’s Chief Medical Officer about her career and frontline experience

MAY 2018 • ISSUE 208

Thailand unsafe for Australians Thailand is officially the most dangerous holiday destination for Australian travellers, with 203 Aussie holidaymakers having died there in 2017 This is according to the latest Consular State of Play report released by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT); Thailand was also found to be the highest scoring destination for consular cases (893), hospitalisations (195) and missing persons cases (74) during the financial year 2016/17.

The Philippines was the next most dangerous country, according to the report, with 126 deaths in 2017 (a rise of two per cent compared with the previous year), followed by Indonesia (107 deaths, a two-per-cent rise), the US (99 deaths, a 25-per-cent rise) and Vietnam (87 deaths, a 13-per-cent rise).

“Sorting out comprehensive travel insurance should be one of the first tasks on a traveller’s pre-departure checklist,” advised the DFAT. But while figures it cited from the recent Survey of Australian Travel Insurance Behaviour suggest that take-up of travel insurance among Aussie holidaymakers is high at over 90 per cent, there remain ‘significant misunderstandings’ related to coverage. Eighty-seven per cent of travellers were not certain of which countries were covered by their policies, eighty-seven per cent were unsure if they would be covered if they rode a motorcycle overseas,

In the wake of worrying data, British travellers have been urged to reconsider the importance of travel cover According to the results of a recent YouGov poll, 79 per cent of respondents do not have an annual travel insurance policy and only 11 per cent make use of single-trip policies when travelling. Mark Colonnese, Director of Aquarium Software, which commissioned the poll, has suggested that while travellers need to think hard about getting coverage, the industry also needs to step up in terms of its use of technology, which could be utilised to get a more effective message across to ‘time poor consumers’.

“The rise of the packaged back account has seen annual cover come more to the fore, but with only one-fifth of us with this type of cover and just over one-tenth with single trip insurance, far too many travellers out there have no cover at all,” said Colonnese. “Our YouGov figures show that less than half of us are covered by any travel insurance; clearly the industry has to do more to demonstrate to consumers the value of comprehensive cover. Furthermore, smart apps need to make it much easier for consumers to purchase the right cover for specific trips and activities.”

While there is always a danger with online surveys that the nature of the participants

can lead to sample bias, the point about the travel insurance industry’s PR problem is a valid one. Brands are still struggling to communicate the importance of their product, and to dispel the negative perceptions around it, and shrewd use of technology certainly has the potential to turn this around.

“Given that 56 per cent [of our respondents] think use of technology should be improved by insurance companies, the industry is pushing at an open door,” added Colonnese. “There is an opportunity here to develop market share, while at the same time ensuring that people’s holiday

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Editorial comment @ITIJonline Stefan Mohamed - deputy editor @itijonline

Editor-in-Chief:

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Editor: Greetings loyal readers! No doubt many of you will be reading this latest issue at ITIC UK in Bristol – we look forward to seeing you there, and hope that you enjoy the fascinating sessions that have been organised for your delectation. These include travel security risks, medical screening and a whole afternoon on the power of data, very much the word on everybody’s lips right now. How best to use data, not just practically and efficiently but ethically, will be an ongoing debate for the foreseeable future, and we’ll be bringing you plenty of analysis on the subject at ITIC and in the pages of ITIJ. Speaking of ITIJ, what’s in store for you in our hallowed pages this month?

We have a veritable plethora of Industry Insight op-eds this issue, covering everything from maintaining your sanity when dealing with the bizarre ins and outs of the US healthcare system, to mental health in the workplace and the opportunities presented by regional airport hubs versus centralisation.

Plus, we get the inside scoop about working with travel insurance

insurtech startups, straight from the mouth of one of those startups.

Features-wise, we have a pair of corkers for you this month. First, on p.24, you’ll find an exploration of travel risk management programmes for business travellers.

How have these evolved over the years, and how can they better suit the needs of today’s globally mobile employees? Then on p.30, we analyse the development and delivery of new travel insurance products. What does it take to bring a new policy to market? Our feature looks at the various challenges involved, including geographical specificities and the need for constant innovation.

Oh, and if that’s not enough, we profile Juliane Kause, Chief Medical Officer at Anvil Group.

As ever, we love to hear from our readers, so if there are any issues currently affecting your industry on which you’d like to expound, please drop us a line at editorial@itij.com.

We hope you enjoy this issue of ITIJ. See you next month!

The US healthcare system

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An insurer’s guide to the five stages of loss

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Re-thinking travel insurance dreams don’t turn into avoidable nightmares.”

Troubling attitudes Further data backs up the idea that a rethink is necessary. For example, a recent survey undertaken by fundraising website Give As You Live, which took in responses from 2,000 Brits, found that 15 per cent of these travellers never purchase travel insurance when taking a trip. The most likely demographic to travel uninsured was those aged between 16 and 24 years old, with 20 per cent of these admitting that they never take out insurance for their holidays, while those aged 35 to 44 were the most likely group to ensure they had sufficient coverage.

Residents of the cities of Belfast and Edinburgh were the most carefree travellers, with one-fifth of respondents from each of these cities saying they never insure themselves on holiday.

“It’s easy to assume you don’t need travel insurance on holiday if you aren’t going too far or it’s not a sporting holiday like skiing, but you never know when disaster might strike – whether it’s a broken leg, petty theft, or something far more serious,” said Greg Hallett, Managing Director of Give As You Live. “Travel insurance doesn’t need to be costly … and in fact, it should be considered an investment in your peace of mind. It’s always better to be safe than sorry and to be able to enjoy our holidays without the worry of forking out extra costs if something goes wrong.”

Data from GoCompare, meanwhile, has found even UK holidaymakers who buy travel insurance are leaving it until the very last minute, leaving themselves without

the cushion of cancellation cover. Eightyfive per cent of travel insurance policies purchased via GoCompare in 2017 were for trips starting within one month, while 58 per cent were bought within a week of the departure date, and 28 per cent on the day of departure. This means that travellers are potentially risking being left significantly out of pocket if for some reason they need to unexpectedly cancel a trip; only 15 per cent made sure they purchased insurance more than a month before setting off.

GoCompare also undertook research which found that, of 880 single-trip policies, only 25 did not offer cancellation cover as a standard option, suggesting that missing out on this element of coverage is false economy.

“Insurers will only consider claims due to events travellers could not have known about before buying their insurance,” said Georgie Frost, Consumer Advocate at GoCompare.

“Therefore, the sooner the policy is bought, the more likely it is they’ll be covered if something happens between booking

their holiday and their departure date. This could include a serious illness or injury affecting someone in the travelling party or a close relative who isn’t travelling with you but who you’d like to stay at home with. A major incident such as a serious fire or flood at home may be another reason why you might want to cancel or postpone. However, if these events happen after you paid for

Travel insurance doesn’t need to be costly … and in fact, it should be considered an investment in your peace of mind your holiday but before you arranged your travel cover, you couldn’t then buy insurance retrospectively with a view to making a claim on the cancellation cover if the condition worsened. Insurers would argue that there was already an increased risk you’d cancel the holiday when you took out the insurance.”

Editorial Blog Recent legislation, and a much harsher attitude by the courts in the UK, has started to slow the proliferation of very questionable claims for sickness – supposedly caused by suppliers (hotels and so on) – to tour operators in various holiday resorts. But as one door closes another one opens, or so they say.

Now the latest trend in fraud (see page 11) is selling bogus holiday bookings online to travellers. This apparently accounts for around £7 million (US$9 million) in the UK alone. Multiply that by the world, and you’re probably running into a little industry worth a billion dollars-plus.

And can I hear the sighs of relief from underwriters around the world, as that’s not something your average insurance policy is going to cover.

Well, yes and no. To use yet another saying, ‘what you gain on the swings, you lose on the roundabouts’.

To wit, apparently the discovery of said fraud impacted some holidaymakers ‘so severely that they required medical treatment’. ... is that sobbing I hear?

Ian Cameron Editor-in-chief ian@itij.com

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NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Thailand unsafe Insurance considerations for Alaskan cruises for Australians 82 per cent were uncertain about the specifics of mental illness coverage, while 70 per cent were uncertain about claims related to alcohol or drug use.

“Although we are proud of the level of assistance we can offer,” said the DFAT, “there is no legal right to consular assistance and no-one should assume that assistance will be provided.” It urged travellers to ensure that they fully cover all destinations, activities, pre-existing medical conditions and current medical treatments, and advised that ‘travellers without insurance, or with insurance that does

According to US-based travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth, there are four things travellers should check before getting insurance for an Alaskan cruise.

Squaremouth said that Alaskan cruises are among the most popular vacations in the US and that many travellers obtain travel insurance for their trips. It advised that airline delays and cancellations can be unpredictable and may cause travellers to miss their cruise. They should therefore consider missed connection coverage, which can help them to catch up to their cruise if they miss its departure.

Another factor to consider is the expense of medical treatment and evacuation, which Squaremouth says can be expensive on a

cruise ship. “With Alaska’s rural and smaller destinations, the need to be evacuated to a larger medical facility is also an expensive possibility,” it said. It recommends a minimum of US$250,000 of emergency evacuation coverage and at least $100,000 of emergency medical coverage.

Squaremouth also advises travellers to ensure they are protected for the activities they are planning during their trip as most policies will exclude coverage for heli-skiing, mountain biking, snowmobiling and water rafting, for example. “If you plan to take part in these adventure activities, consider getting the upgraded hazardous sports coverage,” it said.

Last but not least, Squaremouth said that

Thailand was found to be the highest scoring destination for consular cases, hospitalisations and missing persons cases not cover them for their activities or preexisting conditions, could pay potentially very expensive costs for emergency treatment and medical evacuation’. “We cannot pay for a traveller’s medical or psychiatric services or medications,” it warned, although it did say that it might be able to issue an emergency passport in the event that an Australian tourist loses theirs.

Credit card travel policies unused in US According to new research by US-based credit and debit card comparison site CompareCards, nearly half of US travellers are not using the travel insurance policies that accompany their credit cards.

CompareCard surveyed 1,050 US travellers, finding that 47 per cent did not use the travel insurance plan that came with their credit card. It also found that of those that did use the policy and also filed a claim, 76 per cent were fully compensated afterwards.

Purchase protection is the most commonly utilised add-on that US travellers use, with 46 per cent of those that have used their card’s policy using it for that purpose, followed by car rental collision (37 per cent) and price protection (35 per cent).

Only six per cent have used the card policy for medical evacuation purposes, while lost/delayed baggage and trip delay also ranked low at 18 per cent and 12 per cent respectively. Furthermore, two-thirds of cardholders said that they would feel confident relying on card cover in the future.

“Many people simply aren’t aware of the deep level of benefits that are attached to credit cards. These are, in essence, free insurance policies that are often neglected,” said Thomas Donaldson, Senior Credit Card Specialist at CompareCards.

However, as previously covered in ITIJ, credit card cover has come under attack recently, specifically by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents, which called products offered by several banks in the country as ‘Mickey Mouse products’.

7

using a comparison site will enable travellers to sort through policies’ coverages and compare them side by side to get the best value. “Travel insurance purchased through a third party can cover travellers’ pre-existing conditions and will cover them from the time they leave home to their return, including delayed or cancelled flights,” it said.

INDUSTRY VOICE

The US healthcare system – an insurer’s guide to the five stages of loss UK-based industry expert Andrew Isherwood serves up his reservations about writing retail travel business successfully for the US They say that when you experience a bereavement you react by going through five different stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and, finally, acceptance. However, this process can be triggered by other situations and I have observed that this is prevalent among those who are exposed to the US healthcare system for the first time, particularly those writing travel insurance.

Insurers deal with loss on a daily basis, but the cost of healthcare in the US can be so difficult to accept that it can easily cause feelings of bereavement. It ruins loss ratios, puts fear into the hearts of reinsurers and still has the power to shock even those who are used to it. So here is your guide to achieving acceptance – or to identifying where you are stuck in the process.

Denial How, you ask yourself, can such a system have evolved in what is supposedly the most developed country in the world, rewarding excess and vested interests? Why are there so many uninsured people? Why do US citizens have to pay for their treatment?

Surely healthcare is more than a business?

President Obama thought so, or so we are led to believe, but many of his reforms have been widely criticised, even by those who want change. His successor in the White House is committed to repealing much of his legislation, perhaps to remind everyone that healthcare is primarily a commercial concern.

Long live market forces. Long live America.

You might believe that the overall quality of care is reasonable compensation for all the above. But there is little to suggest that healthcare is necessarily better in the US than in other first world countries; the World Health Organization (WHO), for instance, ranks the US in 37th position, between Costa Rica and Slovenia. Where the US is definitely superior, however, is in the availability of healthcare. In this regard, they knock everyone else into a cocked hat. In the same way that most people in the US seem to be lawyers, there is always a hospital

just round the corner ready to remove your gall bladder or perform open-heart surgery on you – albeit at staggering cost.

At the end of the day, you only need to look at things like cars, buildings, the size of a portion of food and who knows what else – there is excess everywhere, so why not in healthcare? So use that dose of reality to progress from denial to anger.

Anger There is so much to get angry about that you can remain stuck in the anger phase forever. Overall, it is probably better if you can move on (just ask a psychotherapist), but that is easier said than done – just have a look at the following.

Some US hospital administrators are on an annual salary exceeding $500,000.

The cost of heart bypass surgery in Europe is about £25,000. In the US it can be 10 times this amount. That cholecystectomy?

Don’t expect any change out of $100,000.

The same thing in the UK? About £6,000.

It has been known for people to be charged $70 for one paracetamol tablet, conveniently buried in a 100-page invoice.

The hospitals that charge the highest prices are often in states favoured by holidaymakers.

Not-for-profit hospitals? Yeah, right.

Despite the costs, US domestic healthcare insurers still make healthy profits. There is no concept of what constitutes a reasonable charge for a service.

There’s more, much more, but we won’t go there.

advances are made, costs have to keep going up. Can the cycle ever be broken?

It is easy to get stuck in denial or anger – indeed some insurers have made a conscious decision to remain there and try to conduct their business accordingly. If you want to move to the next phase, then you need to resolve to join the conspiracy.

Insurers deal with loss on a daily basis, but the cost of healthcare in the US can be so difficult to accept that it can easily cause feelings of bereavement It is something of a self-perpetuating cycle.

And it’s all legal. Despite what WHO thinks, the US assumes it has the best healthcare in the world and, with no regulation to worry about, hospitals feel entitled to charge sky-high rates. This means they can buy the most up-to-date medical equipment and the best facilities, but to sustain themselves in this cycle, as more and more technological

Bargaining In other words, accepting the need for all the various parties involved, including those in intermediary roles in what is known as the cost containment industry. These organisations offer their services as gobetweens and use their dollar volumes and/or expertise to lessen the load and make their own profits. Through their negotiations and deals they allow foreign insurers to access some of the savings that US domestic insurers obtain. There are a variety of approaches, some perpetuating the old ways, others more enlightened.

To move on, you should prepare for depression. So try thinking about

the following.

Go in to an ER with a simple headache, and you will be tested for everything ranging from migraine to a full-blown brain tumour. Protocols seem to require every test imaginable should be done for even the simplest of symptoms, to cover every eventuality and, by extension, to avoid the danger of a lawsuit. Imagine that – as an insurer, you have the pleasure of paying thousands of unnecessary dollars for a hospital to protect itself against the risk of litigation.

If you dwell on this fact alone, you will either revert to the anger phase (and probably stay there for ever) or be catapulted into depression.

Depression If you have joined the conspiracy you will likely experience depression. Becoming inured to the way things are done, the stakeholders, the self-interest, the cost, the litigation, reinsurance, debt collectors, hospital administrators, markups … oh dear, time for a lie down.

To get out of this, you’ll need to forget the questions that you posed while in denial or anger (or at least stop worrying about the answers). We are where we are and it is what it is. Deal with it – rise above your depression. Embrace it. Bad stuff happens all the time, throughout the world. There are worse healthcare systems in the world (153 of them, according to WHO), and even if nothing beats the US system for sheer bare-faced outrageousness, assuming you still want to write travel insurance, with foreign patients accounting for such a tiny proportion of this multi-trillion-dollar industry, you can’t do anything about it anyway. So wake up already, smell the coffee – and maybe hike your premiums.

Acceptance Congratulations if you made it this far! If you have any sense, you will now move to the US and get yourself a job in hospital administration, cost containment or medical insurance. But if you don’t and you remain in travel insurance – well done, you are now part of it all. Put on the dark glasses and away you go.

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NEWS

Prioritising mental health According to new research, almost one-third of UK businesses say that mental health issues among employees are a bigger concern than physical illness The Censuswide research, which was conducted this year among 200 large corporates and 200 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), found that 41 per cent of businesses have seen ‘episodes’ of poor mental health rise over the past five years, and the subject has become a board-level priority for 65 per cent of businesses (rising to 72 per cent among larger corporates).

An encouraging 96 per cent of businesses say that they want to help their employees to manage their poor mental health, but 57 per cent also say that they’re unsure of how best to offer support, and 39 per cent say that understanding and awareness of mental health issues remains low throughout their organisations.

According to international healthcare group Bupa, the number of UK employees covered by its health insurance who have claimed for mental health treatment has doubled over the past 10 years.

in the next 12 months and 26 per cent say they aim to do the same by 2020.

Spending on employee wellbeing rose in 2017, according to the report, and it is expected to rise again this year, but levels still remain comparatively low – even when taking into account workplaces that already have a defined wellbeing strategy in place. Forty-five per cent of corporates in the UK now have a wellbeing strategy in place, up from 30 per cent in 2016, but these programmes are generally not being driven at board level.

“Whereas in previous years, few talked openly about mental health, it is now the top concern of UK employers,” said Debi

O’Donovan, Director at REBA. “There is also a clear recognition that high pressured working environments put employees’ physical and mental health at risk. While there is a positive increase in companies adopting wellbeing programmes year on year, few strategies are being driven by the board and this is concerning. For wellbeing programmes to succeed, it is essential they are integrated into the business strategy and prioritised by the board.”

For more on the issue of mental health in the workplace, see our Industry Voice on p.10

A major concern It has also been revealed that 60 per cent of UK CEOs have listed employee mental health as a key area of concern, according to a report from Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA). But despite this, only 16 per cent of employers have a defined mental health strategy in place – although an encouraging 37 per cent say they plan to introduce one

IPMI inflation rate drops

The average inflation rate for the global international private medical insurance (IPMI) market fell in 2017, according to new research by global insurance broker Pacific Prime.

The report, entitled International Private Medical Insurance Inflation – 2018, analysed the IPMI products offered by eight global insurers to expats in 10 locations.

It found that global average IPMI inflation for 2017 was seven per cent – a drop of 2.2 percentage points when compared to 2016’s figure. The report aims to find out why the rate dropped, and predict whether it will continue to do so in the future.

The report found that there were two emerging trends that would affect the IPMI market in 2018: increased compliance and regulations, and a more favourable economy. These trends join other core IPMI inflation drivers such as new medical technology, an imbalance of health resources and increased compensation.

The report also examines average IPMI inflation by each insurer. One key finding was that Cigna Global had the lowest average premium increase worldwide – an overall figure of minus two per cent in 2017.

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INDUSTRY VOICE

Mental health in the workplace Stuart Leatherby, Chief Commercial Officer at Generali Global Health, discusses mental health in the global workplace and how IPMI providers are geared up to provide support The discussion around mental health in the workplace has gathered momentum.

In the UK, an independent review, Thriving at Work, published last year, demonstrated the extent of the problem. It argued that all employers should commit to six core standards to tackle mental health. This included having a plan in place to deal with the issue, increasing awareness among the workforce, stipulating line management responsibilities and routinely monitoring employees’ mental health and wellbeing.

In effect, the report called for more mental health funding and outlined the need for corporates to take more responsibility.

A major problem According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is a leading cause of disability, with 350 million people suffering globally. A 2016 WHO-led study, Out of The Shadows: Making Mental Health A Global Development Priority, also estimates that a massive US$1 trillion each year is lost in productivity due to factors associated with mental health.

Like many other organisations, WHO is keen to ensure employers understand that addressing mental health disorders and taking a positive stance when it comes to health and wellbeing at work will help to increase productivity.

The WHO data is backed up by researchers

The counsellor highlights several social events and recommends an intensive language course along with a local social group for expats. Three weeks later, the executive’s social life has improved, and they become more confident as they begin to be able to converse in the local language. As demonstrated by this example, EAP services can offer practical solutions as well as a supportive listening service, helping to avoid situations that can easily escalate to cause depression and stress.

from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) which analysed data from a survey of 8,000 employees across eight countries around the world.

While IPMI providers currently offer a degree of support via EAP counselling or access to medical care through virtual doctors, the industry could be more proactive It showed that depression is collectively costing the nations of Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South Africa and the US more than $246 billion a year.

Employers are recognising the need to

support employees, and the insurance industry is taking steps to include benefits that provide support for mental health and employee wellbeing. Services such as Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) and telemedicine providing remote access to medical care are two ways that insurers can help. EAPs certainly provide the independent advice and counselling service 24/7 that can be useful for a mobile workforce. But is this enough, especially for globally mobile employees at high risk of suffering stress and anxieties because of the added pressures of moving abroad to work? From getting to grips with new cultures, or settling into a different office environment, each step can be stressful and made worse if family is involved.

Case study A typical scenario that our EAP provider has dealt with is in supporting a single globally mobile executive who moves to Zurich into a small temporary apartment.

Although excited by the opportunity, the executive must deal with the move away from family and exposure to a different language. Finding that building a network of friends isn’t easy, loneliness quickly becomes an issue. To avoid being alone, the executive stays longer in the office, adding to their tiredness and irritability.

Unhappiness and depression soon sets in.

The executive’s employer, being mindful of changes in character, recommends that the executive speaks to the EAP counsellor.

Recognising the issue Like employers, international health insurers understand that overseas workers need emotional as well as physical support. And this can be as relevant to those based in urban centres as workers in remote areas.

While IPMI providers currently offer a degree of support via EAP counselling or access to medical care through virtual doctors, the industry could be more proactive.

Awareness is a good starting point with mental health in the workplace, largely ignored compared to physical health issues. Insurers can do more by providing best practice information in easily digestible formats to share with employees; helping them to recognise symptoms they, or their colleagues, may have.

The industry can also be more active in helping their corporate customers to establish and monitor programmes that identify early signs of mental health issues and support those affected. Such programmes could be structured to address working environments, preventative care where an early onset of symptoms is identified, and support procedures for those with established mental health issues.

Even the introduction of simple tests has the potential to make a tangible difference.

Health risk assessments, for example, could be re-engineered to more actively identify mental problems as well as physical issues.

Both domestic and international health insurers have an important part to play in helping prevent mental health from affecting productivity at work and costing billions globally. EAPs and similar services are a start, but the more the industry can work with employers, encourage the debate globally and provide innovative services, the more likely we are to reduce what is effectively a world epidemic.

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NEWS

Fraud costing holidaymakers According to a study carried out by the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, holiday booking fraud hit holidaymakers hard last year

printadd.pdf

Consumers reminded to cover gadgets Comparison website Protect Your Gadget is trying to help customers to understand the differences between travel insurance and gadget cover in a bid to educate them on how best to cover their gadgets.

The company says that despite the numerous gadgets many now take on holiday as standard, most insurers only cover one product, and usually only up to £500 – around half the price of most gadgets, the company asserted.

Steve Jones, CEO at Protect Your Gadget, said: “Our research shows that coverage is generally limited to one gadget per trip by most travel insurers, even where specific gadget protection is requested during the sign-up process. At a time of year when thousands of us will be looking to embark on a host of seasonal sightseeing expeditions, it’s important to make sure C M the insurance you do have in place is comprehensive enough to cover every Y eventuality, and every device, therefore.”

CM Protect Your Gadget’s research found that ‘add on’ options to cover more than one MY gadget were available from most insurers, CY but were not always viable or only offered CMY limited value financially, with specifics K around each and every item required in order for the cover to be effective.

Policies available via travel insurers ranged from £6 to more than £40, with coverage for a single gadget offered in each case of no more than £750 as a general maximum. Laptops were also specified as not being covered in some cases – especially important for those travelling abroad with work.

The majority of specialist gadget policies, meanwhile, were found to provide for foreign cover as standard for 90 days or more in most cases, with some offering protection for multiple devices for as long as 120 days of being abroad.

Jones added: “With mobile phone usage abroad becoming ever more affordable, the majority of those looking to protect their digital gadgetry while they are abroad via travel insurance alone will have theoretically used up most of their allowance on their handheld device.”

Protect Your Cover is not the only company to have investigated the gadget cover on offer for consumers recently, and with the gadget market ever-increasing, the market is ready for more fitting gadget cover policies.

As many as 4,700 hopeful travellers had £6.7 million stolen from them, with an average per-person loss of £1,500 – a rise of one-quarter compared to the previous year.

Fake airline tickets were the most common form of fraud, accounting for 47 per cent of the overall figures, followed by fake accommodation bookings, at 38 per cent.

According to the study, 1 26.09.2016 18:07575 of the affected holidaymakers were impacted so severely

that they required medical treatment, or were put at risk of bankruptcy.

Fraud levels reportedly spiked in the summer and in December, suggesting that fraudsters focus on peak booking periods so as to take full advantage of people planning trips and looking for attractive deals. The City of London Police, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and Get Safe Online are joining forces to spread awareness of holiday booking fraud among consumers.

“ABTA sees at first hand the damage caused by travel fraudsters with the many devastated customers who contact us for advice after they find out their much anticipated holiday or trip to visit loved

ones may not actually exist,” commented ABTA Chief Executive Mark Tanzer. “The cost to them is not just financial; this crime causes very real disappointment and emotional distress. However, this does not need to happen. Check and follow [our] tips and advice … and you will not fall victim to these unscrupulous individuals.

But if you are unlucky enough to do so, always report it to Action Fraud so that they can put these crooks out of business.”

Of the holidaymakers who reported the destinations to which they had been attempting to book travel, 54 per cent said they had been intending to go to Africa, and 24 per cent reported Asia.

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COMPANY BRIEF

First on-demand travel insurance app for Canada Travel Guard Group Canada, an AIG company, has announced the launch of a new on-demand travel insurance app, the first of its kind in Canada. It allows Canadian customers – although residents of Quebec are excluded – to buy hourly blocks of coverage through their smartphone, optimising cost effectiveness. The app utilises GPS technology so can activate coverage as soon as customers leave their home province, tracking the number of hours used and stopping when they return.

It is hoped that by giving customers more control and flexibility over their coverage, the app will set itself apart from more traditional single and annual trip offerings. Up to 90 days’ worth of cover can be purchased, and the insurance must be used within 365 days

of sale. The app is powered by Canadian insurance technology company JAUNTIN’.

“We’re always looking for new ways to keep pace with our travellers and by offering this innovative, fast and easy way to purchase travel insurance, our travellers can get more convenient coverage for when and how they want to use it,” said Marc Lipman, Chief Operating Officer at AIG Canada. “The app enables consumers to gain protection in only 90 seconds after filling out the four fields required.

To add further convenience, consumers can activate the purchased insurance by swiping the app button ‘on’ at the start of their trip and ‘off’ at the end of it, or use the app to pre-set the desired departure and return dates for an upcoming trip.”

New plan for travellers in Europe Silicon Valley-based insurtech company VisitorsCoverage Inc., in partnership with global insurance benefits and assistance provider International Medical Group (IMG), has launched a new travel medical insurance policy for tourists heading to Europe. EuropeTravel – Plus has been specifically designed for non-US citizens travelling to Europe; it both meets and exceeds the EU’s insurance requirements for a Schengen visa, according to the companies, offering coverage for up to 90 days. Visa letters can be sent directly to customers post-purchase via email, to expedite the process.

The policy has been designed in response to the steady increase in European tourism over the past decade, according to Rajeev Shrivastava, CEO of VisitorsCoverage.

“We are constantly working toward our

mission to simplify international travel medical insurance products and customer experience,” he said. “The creation of the EuropeTravel – Plus plan is another step toward that goal. There was a demand for a Europe-specific travel plan that not only meets visa requirements for European countries, but also provides necessary coverage in one single insurance plan. The EuropeTravel – Plus plan does exactly that.”

Cover-More announces new agency benefits Australia-based travel insurance and medical assistance provider Cover-More has announced the addition of a number of new benefits for its agency travel insurance policies. These include cancel-for-anyreason coverage, which up until now has not been made available to travellers in Australia.

Among the other benefits added by CoverMore are coverage for tours that have been cancelled due to a lack of numbers; coverage for delays to travel caused by acts of terrorism; add-on cover for motorcycles and mopeds of a certain engine capacity; add-on cover for heli-skiing, off-piste skiing and other adventure activities; cover for the insolvency of a travel service provider; and increased cover for the plans’ existing new-for-old luggage benefit.

According to Mike Stein, General Manager

Collinson partners with Saga

Geo creates product for elite clients Geo Underwriting in the UK has announced a new annual travel insurance product aimed at its high-net-worth clients.

This high-end product is being provided

by Geo and Millstream Underwriting (part of the Nexus Group), and will be offered as either a standalone policy or as part of Geo’s household insurance offering.

The product will include a range of coverage, available for both business trips and personal holidays. A high holiday cancellation limit and kidnap and ransom cover are both included, and customers are also provided with access to more than 800 airport

of Cover-More, these new benefits take the travel insurance provided by his company to ‘another level’: “We’ve launched two new umbrella policies, Comprehensive Care and Essentials Care, at different price points, and within both, travellers have the opportunity to tailor their exact cover to themselves, where they are heading and what they want to do on their trip. We’re continually listening to the feedback from Australian travellers, and we know they are looking for ways to personalise their insurance cover so it fits with how they travel. And by giving travel consultants a product that reflects the evolving needs of travellers we anticipate they will find it easier to convert their customers so that more Australian travellers travel with the protection insurance provides.”

lounges around the world, Geo said.

“Our clients demand the best and travel cover is an integral part of their insurance portfolio,” said Scott Leonard, Managing Director of Geo Private Clients. “That is why we created this product in association with our partners at Millstream.”

“We’re delighted that Geo chose to work with us,” added Simon McVey, Managing Director of Millstream. “We share Geo’s passion and enthusiasm for being the best we can be in our chosen markets so I’m very confident this will be a long and successful partnership that delivers for our shared customers and brokers.”

Insurance and assistance provider Collinson Group in the UK has announced that it has been appointed by Saga, a specialist over-50s insurance and travel group, as its travel insurance partner.

Collinson will be providing travel insurance for Saga’s standalone and Saga Holidays optional included travel insurance, and will also manage insurance for Saga’s luxury travel specialist company Titan Travel.

One of the products Collinson will offer is its Standard Traveller product, which will be rebranded as Delayed

Flight Assistance for Saga. The product allows customers access to over 950 airport lounges across 100 countries in the event of a flight delay for the policyholder and four travel companions.

Richard Coleman, Collinson Group’s European Director, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Saga and this partnership is a significant addition to our travel insurance portfolio. There are considerable similarities between our two businesses, especially around our approaches to customer satisfaction and reinforcing brand loyalty.”

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COMPANY BRIEF

Ventiv offers robotic process automation Ventiv Technology, an independent provider of risk and insurance and claims administration software, has announced the launch of Ventiv robotic process automation (RPA) solutions for claims organisations and risk and insurance customers.

RPA, says Ventiv, automates manual processes and integrates disparate applications and systems. It has been created specifically to meet the needs of the risk and insurance, claims administration, and safety management industries, and will be able to complete tasks such as gathering external data, pointing-and-clicking, typing and double entry of information more efficiently.

The system integrates other Ventiv solutions, such as RiskConsole, iVOS and Capture, with applications such as websites and email systems. In the claims adjudication process, Ventiv RPA will

reportedly streamline processes such as claim assignment and coding and the integration of claim information from disparate sources and systems. For risk and insurance teams, Ventiv RPA can help to improve renewals and submissions processes, as well as automate the process of managing insurance certificates.

“With the introduction of Ventiv RPA solutions, claim organisations and risk and insurance clients can now relieve their staff of the need to perform repetitive manual tasks; this makes employees more productive and allows them to better handle bigger workloads and growing amounts of information,” said Bill Diaz, CEO of Ventiv Technology. “Ventiv RPA is a remarkable new technology, a game changer for any organisation that seeks to build a responsive, high-growth, and competitive business.”

New healthcare deal for Aetna and Humanis

Global health insurance provider Aetna International (Aetna) has entered a new strategic partnership with French insurance group Humanis. The deal is intended to provide large corporations and French expatriates with more efficient and accessible global healthcare solutions.

Existing Humanis members will now have access to Aetna’s global medical network and its range of health insurance packages. Members will benefit from better controlled healthcare costs in the US, and solutions that meet the regulatory requirements of regions such as the UAE; a single sign-up process and point of contact will provide a streamlined customer journey.

Aetna will also benefit from the partnership

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as it will expand its footprint in continental Europe, with Humanis as a guide.

The deal, said Aetna CEO Richard di Benedetto, ‘comes at the right time’: “[It] is part of our strategy to provide local services to our members worldwide, while adapting to national and regional disparities. We look forward to working together with Humanis on improving quality and access to healthcare for our members around the world.”

Sylvaine Emery, Director of International Activities at Humanis Group, said that the agreement is part of her company’s ‘open-architecture approach’ to such partnerships, and reinforces its ambitions in the development of its international mobility business.

INSURANCE MATTERS

New report examines dark side of AI A new report from Allianz Global Corporate and Speciality (AGCS) has concluded that while AI-based technologies will bring in benefits for insurers, they will also create new loss and liability scenarios Technologies such as chatbots, autonomous vehicles and connected machines are becoming more common in everyday life for many people. Allianz’s report The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: Future Outlook and Emerging Risks points out that while AI brings many advantages for businesses – increased efficiency, fewer repetitive tasks, better customer experience – it could leave companies open to cyberattacks or technical failures that would cause large disruptions, leading to ‘extraordinary financial losses’. Michael Bruch, Head of Emerging Trends at AGCS, advised: “Active risk management strategies will be needed to maximise the net benefits of a full introduction of advanced AI applications into society.”

The report points out the two-sided nature of AI – with the technology possibly better at detecting oncoming cyberattacks, while at the same time leaving a company more open to them. It is already estimated that a major global cyberattack has the potential to trigger losses in excess of $50 billion but even a half-day outage at a cloud service provider has the potential to generate losses of around $850 million, AGCS said.

In the report, AGCS identified five areas of concern: software accessibility, safety,

accountability, liability and ethics. Insurers will have a crucial role to play in helping to minimise, manage and transfer emerging risks from AI applications, it suggests.

Insurance will need to develop to better address the damage that AI could cause, while AGCS predicts that new liability insurance models are likely to be adopted.

The positives for the adoption of AI

Active risk management strategies will be needed to maximise the net benefits of a full introduction of advanced AI applications into society within the insurance industry are still obvious, however. Bruch stated: “There is huge potential for AI to improve the insurance value chain. Initially, it will help automate insurance processes to enable better delivery to our customers.

Policies can be issued, and claims processed, faster and more efficiently.”

Cyclone Debbie, which struck the coast of Queensland, Australia on 28 March 2017, is officially the second most damaging cyclone in the country’s history, with insured losses of over AU$1.71 billion.

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said that only Cyclone Tracy, which hit Darwin back in 1974, was costlier.

“It’s the most expensive cyclone to have ever hit Queensland,” said Campbell Fuller, General Manager of Communications at ICA, “and nationally it is second only – in today’s dollars – to Cyclone Tracy.”

Since Debbie hit, insurers have received 10,117 business and 64,951 domestic claims, according to the ICA, and Fuller said that ‘policyholders are still lodging claims’.

However, he added, while some challenging claims remain, overall the response from insurers has been very efficient.

Acko offers in-taxi insurance Acko General Insurance Ltd, India and Indiabased ride sharing app Ola have partnered to offer a first-of-its-kind in-trip insurance programme for customers that ride in its taxis.

Customers can purchase an insurance policy that provides cover worth 500,000 rupees ($US 7,695) for just 1 rupee ($US 0.015), covering missed flights, loss of baggage, loss of a laptop, emergency hotel requirements, accidental medical expenses, ambulance transportation cover, and more. The insurance will be provided within Ola’s app, where claims can also be made, in addition to via Acko’s website, app and call centre.

Swiss Re totals costs of disasters The latest study from Swiss Re Institute has found that the global economic losses from natural and man-made disasters in 2017 were the second highest on record, totalling $337 billion. It also found that global insured losses from catastrophic events were the highest ever recorded in a single year, at $144 billion.

The damage caused by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria caused the highest losses, according to the Swiss Re sigma study, resulting in a combined insured loss of $92 billion. This made

Australia hit hard by Debbie

it the second costliest North Atlantic hurricane season ever, only being beaten by 2005. It was also a record year for wildfires, with the $14-billion combined insurance losses being the highest ever.

There were, according to the sigma criteria, fewer disasters in 2017, down to 301 from 2016’s figure of 329 – however, the events themselves were far more destructive.

Over 11,000 people lost their lives or went missing in disaster events in 2017, and millions were also left homeless.

Vishal Kaul, COO at Ola, was ‘thrilled’ with the introduction of the product, adding: “The launch of this initiative, a first of its kind in India, reiterates our resolve of building customer-first solutions.”

Varun Dua, founder and CEO of Acko General Insurance, was also pleased with the partnership: “As India’s first insurtech player, we made this possible with our capabilities in product design along with our technology platform that is capable of high-volume insurance transactions in real time for both policy issuance and claims management.”

Big data – a cost-benefit analysis A new report from international insurance-based think tank the Geneva Association analyses the benefits and potential risks of the use of big data analytics in the provision of insurance The report, Big Data and Insurance: Implications for Innovation, Competition and Privacy, says that individuals, businesses and regulators will all be faced with ‘complex trade-offs’ when it comes to the large-scale harvesting of personal data for the calculation of insurance premiums.

“In many instances, better data makes it possible to better align premiums and risks and to reduce the overall cost of insurance,” said Anna Maria D’Hulster, Secretary General of the Geneva Association, an international insurance-based think tank.

“This has great economic and societal benefits. New approaches to encourage prudent behaviour can be envisaged through big data, thus new technologies allow the role of insurance to evolve from pure risk protection towards risk prediction and prevention.” However, she said, using big data also involves trade-offs in terms of competition, product individualisation and, of course, customers’ privacy. It is essential to balance the potential benefits of tailored products and risk assessments conducted on an individual basis with consumers’ right to privacy, as well as avoiding discriminatory practices. It has been suggested that using big data and automated decisionmaking processes when dealing with risk

behaviour could constitute interference with individuals’ right to self-determination.

“The challenges with big data usage demonstrate the importance of building trust to enhance consumers’ willingness to share their personal data with their insurers,”

In many instances, better data makes it possible to better align premiums and risks and to reduce overall costs said Benno Keller, Special Advisor on Digital and Innovation, who authored the report.

“Regulation, in particular regarding access to and use of personal data, should strike a difficult balance between ensuring privacy and promoting competition, innovation and welfare for individuals and society.”

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INDUSTRY VOICE

How to partner with insurtechs Paul Prendergast, CEO of travel insurance insurtech startup Blink, explains how to leverage the new startup community to innovate core travel insurance products quickly without major capital investment and delivery risk Travel insurance is bigger than digital music. Over $15 billion a year, and no major technology innovation over the past 20 years. Major travel insurance companies are excellent at running their core travel insurance business. The challenge is how to innovate while still focusing on operating a highly complex, demanding organisation.

Innovation, although important, takes a change in culture, and revenue is very uncertain.

One possible way to add innovation quickly, without major capital investment and the cultural change required to deliver real innovation, is to partner with insurtechs.

initially, but need to show that this partnership has value in the future.

Pitfalls • A lot of insurtechs are hammers looking for a nail. They may have technology but have not worked out what value they add. This is a red flag.

• Beware of innovation companies – there are a huge number of consultancy companies who have never launched a startup proclaiming they can manage startups on your behalf. Tread carefully.

Managing a large enterprise software project and an early stage insurtech startup are very different things.

• Funding. You need to trust that the startup is going to be around in years to come. I am a big fan of visiting their office and getting a feel for the culture of the company. Looking at their investors or the track record of the founders is a reasonable indication. Talking directly to investors may prove useful.

Opportunity knocks In summary, there is a great opportunity for travel insurance companies to build real partnerships with interesting early-stage technology companies that are focused on insurance. If you can engage correctly, it can be a low-cost high-impact route to innovation in the ever-changing insurance landscape of 2018.

Travel insurance is bigger than digital music A large number of insurtech organisations are building new product offerings and new customer experiences, e.g.

Lemonade, Slice and Trov. In many cases, these companies have startup DNA, and do not have to balance the day-to-day demands of running major companies with a 100-per-cent focus on innovation.

Why it makes sense • Insurtechs are raising billions in funding, and you can access this technology with no capital investment.

• There is a high risk for large insurance companies to build and deliver innovation themselves. It needs major investment and a major cultural shift.

• Insurtechs are good at innovation but do not have distribution – a partnership to add real value to customers makes sense.

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How to engage • Talk technology. Most insurtechs are driven by technology. You need to have someone on your team that understands how tech companies are built in 2018. Microservices, Apis, AWS – if you don’t understand, you may need to add to your team.

• Simple engagement. Insurtechs have to move quickly. Six weeks to sign an NDA signals that you are not serious about partnering.

• Commercials. Funded startups want to show their backers momentum. They typically do not need major revenue

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INSURANCE MATTERS

Lloyd’s makes first loss in six years Lloyd’s of London has announced that it posted its first loss in six years in 2017, after the numerous destructive natural disaster events that took place throughout the year.

The insurance market announced that it had suffered pre-tax losses of £2 billion – a stark contrast to the £2.1-billion profit it announced for 2016. Around £18.3 billion was paid in claims in the last year, £4.5 billion of which was for natural disasters, Lloyd’s said.

Several other large insurers have posted losses for 2017, largely due to natural disasters. Hurricanes devastated parts of the US and Caribbean – including Hurricane Irma, which triggered an underwriting loss of £3.4 billion for Lloyds – whilst wildfires in California and earthquakes in Mexico also contributed to the losses.

Lloyd’s has said that it has been able to meet the costs without any ‘significant impact’ on its total resources of £27.6 billion.

“Although 2017 has been an incredibly tough year for the Lloyd’s market, our excellent capital strength demonstrates that Lloyd’s remains in robust financial shape,” said Inga Beale, Lloyd’s CEO. “With a leadership team actively addressing the challenges the Lloyd’s market is faced with, I’m confident that we go into 2018 in a strong and secure position.”

FCA warns insurers failing renewal rules The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned that it will take action against insurance companies that are failing to properly implement transparency rules Introduced in April 2017, the new legislation requires that insurers show the insurance premium a customer paid last year alongside their proposed renewal premium, whilst also showing a ‘prominent, clear and straightforward message’ to encourage customers to find the best deal for themselves. Despite warning firms in October, the FCA said that firms are still failing to meet these rules.

Jonathan Davidson, Executive Director of Supervision of Retail and Authorisations at the FCA said: “It is simply unacceptable to see that some firms are still not being properly transparent with their customers

a year on from the introduction of the rules. Firms failing to get this right may have led to consumers losing out as they do not have the right information to decide whether or not to shop around.”

RAC is one of the companies that the FCA says was found to be failing to meet expectations, and the company was made to contact all affected customers.

“We have already acted where we have seen particularly poor practice in firms and will continue to do so where we see firms not being transparent,” said Davidson. “As we said in October, we expect other firms to take notice of these issues, to look at what they are doing and to make sure they are getting it right.”

The FCA has said that it expects firms and senior management in those firms to take immediate action to ensure they are compliant.

New health insurance legislation in Australia The Australian Government is to introduce a number of new items of legislation related to private health insurance, in order to help the country’s private health sector remain both strong and competitive. Among the reforms recently introduced to Australia’s Parliament are the allowance of discounts for hospital coverage for those under the age of 30 and a strengthening of the health insurance ombudsman; private health insurers will also be permitted to cover the

travel and accommodation expenses of Australians from rural areas needing to travel in order to obtain treatments, and to increase customer excesses in exchange for lowering premiums. This would be the first time that premiums have been lowered since 2001.

“These reforms will … help strengthen the viability of the private health system,” said Health Minister Greg Hunt, “by addressing concerns about affordability, complexity and lack of transparency.”

White Mountains acquires stake in NSM

MEDFLIGHT

Bermuda-domiciled White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority equity stake in US-based speciality insurance programme administrator NSM Insurance Group (NSM)

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NSM places in excess of US$500 million in premiums annually through its relationships with more than 6,000 brokerage firms and around 100 insurance carriers.

“We are pleased to make this investment in NSM alongside the management team.

The company is high quality, and we believe there is tremendous opportunity to grow

and expand the business,” said Manning Rountree, CEO of White Mountains. “We look forward to working with Geof and his team and to providing them with support and resources to continue to grow the business organically and through acquisitions.”

Geof McKernan, CEO of NSM, said: “We look forward to working with the White Mountains team to continue to execute our growth strategy while delivering the best solutions and services to our insurance carrier partners.”

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2018, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

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TRAVEL MATTERS

Aussies turn to travel agents Australians still look to travel agents to book their overseas trips instead of online-only websites, according to the Roy Morgan Travel Agent Monitor Market Indicator Report

Global tourism outstrips economy again

13.5 per cent visiting the site respectively.

Roy Morgan concluded that whilst it is simple to book accommodation directly for a domestic holiday, ‘it can get complicated and overwhelming booking an overseas trip, especially if there are multiple destinations, stopovers, and

The report, conducted by market research company Roy Morgan, found that although most Australians use websites to plan and compare holidays, when it comes to the crunch, 42.5 per cent of Australian travellers over the age of 14 turn to a travel agent to organise their trips.

The research found that TripAdvisor is the top site that Australians visit when planning their holiday, with 15.7 per cent visiting the website. Booking.com and Qantas came in second and third, with 13.6 per cent and

Travel agents operate in a highly competitive industry peak holiday times to contend with’.

“Travel agents operate in a highly competitive industry, having to contend with a complex marketplace such as bricks and mortar shops, online, and surging technologies such as Airbnb,” commented Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan.

The global travel and tourism sector outperformed the global economy for the seventh consecutive year in 2017, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) annual Economic Impact Research According to the report, travel and tourism contributed around US$8.3 trillion to the world’s GDP in 2017 – a figure that represents 10.4 per cent of the total – and one in 10 jobs around the world are part of the sector. WTTC found that the industry grew by 4.6 per cent in 2017, much faster than the global economy as a whole, which only grew by three per cent.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Travel and tourism creates jobs, drives economic growth and helps build better societies. Our research shows that our sector was responsible for the creation of one in five of all jobs globally. In the last few years, governments around the world are realising the extraordinary benefits of tourism

and I congratulate them for taking steps to maximise the potential of our sector.”

The US, China and Germany contribute the most capital to global tourism, but the WTTC predicts that by 2028, China will

Travel and tourism creates jobs, drives economic growth and helps build better societies overtake the US. African tourism grew the most throughout 2017, expanding by a factor of 8.8 per cent, with northeast Asia and southeast Asia coming in second and third. Latin America was the only region that saw a drop in growth, of 1.4 per cent.

Forecasts for 2018 predict that growth will continue in the sector, although at a slower rate due to higher oil prices.

INDUSTRY VOICE

New routes, new opportunities Stephen Davis, CMO of global travel agency Kiwi.com, discusses the decentralisation of flights in the UK from London to regional hubs News of a new long-haul route at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, and the building of a brand-new railway station to facilitate the airport, has been welcomed by the travel industry in a bid to decentralise flights to and from the UK from London.

The project, dubbed ‘Aerotropolis’, is expected to generate £3.2 billion for the local economy, with airport passenger numbers likely to increase to 4.7 million per year by 2037. This will have a profound impact on local tourism in the North of England, with local businesses set to flourish from the inbound tourism this will bring.

A net positive The growth of regional airports around the UK is essential for not only the growth of British tourism, but also tourism worldwide, and improving the infrastructure in areas not named London provides consumers with cheaper alternatives to flying into the capital. Any regional airport that has international arrivals will benefit hugely from an increase in business. Just think about Americans travelling to Edinburgh, or Chinese visitors to Manchester. The result is millions of additional spending on hospitality, leisure and retail.

Whether we’ll see a decentralisation of flights from London still remains to be seen, but these are positive developments.

London still remains the key departure and

arrival point for the UK, as it is served by five international airports (six if you include Southend), and that provides an enormous amount of choice for the consumer. But for many UK travellers, London is not that attractive. The thought of getting stuck on the motorway is starting to put people off.

Seasonal variations Additionally, many of the larger US legacy carriers and Middle East carriers operate regional services on a seasonal basis.

There are reports that Delta and Virgin Atlantic are launching more UK regional departures this summer. Both Emirates and Qatar Airways operate regional services from Scotland and Manchester. Ultimately, consumer preference has to be matched by airline route and network analysis. If there is sufficient demand for the route, an airline will introduce it. One thing to note is that regional flying is often risky for airlines as it is only point-to-point demand and doesn’t have the same passenger flow as London.

Good for the customer At Kiwi.com, we constantly welcome the arrival of new air routes and airline operators flying to new destinations, as it offers the customer more choice and freedom. The hope is that the opening of more routes to regional UK airports will help direct people away from London to experience the amazing cities around the UK. It’s not only inbound tourism that is set to flourish, but it opens up more outbound tourism from the UK. There has been

a 69-per-cent increase in regional flight bookings around the UK (excluding London) to European destinations when comparing Q1 2017 to Q1 2018. This figure increases to 128 per cent for transatlantic flights to the US, 147 per cent for flights to Asia and an incredible 250 per cent for flights to the Middle East. It’s clear from the data that regional hubs around the UK are having more influence on international tourism and will continue to do so.

The long game In Doncaster’s case, to really be considered an international hub will take a while. You can launch a regional route, but as an airline you don’t want to be the only one playing on the playground. It really needs

a combined effort between the airport and airlines to make this a success. For example, American Airlines launched JFK to BHX (Birmingham Airport) a couple of years ago and it lasted one season.

The growth of regional airports around the UK is essential for not only the growth of British tourism, but also tourism worldwide It’s going to take time, but gradually we should see greater numbers of international long-haul flights from regional UK airports at a sustained level, which will help inbound and outbound tourism.

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Patient safety in aero-medical care, are we doing enough?

Patient safety forms the basis of any clinical quality performance review nowadays.

Since the 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine (USA), titled “To Err Is Human,” which estimated that as many as 98,000 patients die annually from preventable medical errors, many hospital based health care providers are focusing on improving patient safety efforts. Growing financial pressures globally are forcing us to re-examine how we can better provide improved value in aviation medicine. These trends of more affordable service delivery are becoming the new norm. In light of these cost constraints and affordable health care solutions, are we doing enough to promote patient safety and clinical quality in the aero-medical environment? A small error in judgement could change the health of a country, hence it is critical that we implement systems within our aeromedical environment to keep our borders, healthcare providers and our patients safe.

The health care sector initially looked towards the aviation industry to assist and implement checklists for our patient safety initiatives. No doubt checklists have been instrumental and invaluable in assisting us to achieve our patient safety goal of preventing human error in health care. Examples include Emergency Medical Care and Resuscitation checklists and the recent surgical safety checklist by the World Health Organisation.

In our own aero-medical environment, we have implemented checklists to manage equipment, preflight, inflight and post flight checks and these checks have decreased the incidence of near misses. I recall a flight many years ago where I forgot the monitor, forgivable at 2am? Fortunately the flight was without incident. Checklists, discipline and teamwork that we have adapted have formed a critical part of all our patient safety

initiatives at ER24 Global Assist. In order to ensure patients received, the safest, most reliable care, we needed to move beyond a mechanical type environment with checklists to an integrated Quality Improvement programme which embraced the opportunity to provide compassion, dignity, discussion and empathy for our client base. Our programme thus includes a culture of safety, adverse event management, medication safety, teamwork and communication, Trigger Tools, and much more. For example weekly safety meetings/ team interactions, combined safety training and attending crew resource management sessions.

We have a confidential reporting system for adverse events, and the emphasis during our reviews has shifted from a traditional model of blame to that of a just culture. Following adverse events where a trend is identified we have taken to releasing patient safety alerts internally. The very nature of our emergency business leads itself to adverse events, the human factor ever present. Examples of recent adverse events include dispatch delay and medication error. Although we receive less than 1% of call volume as adverse events, less than international trends, we take every reported incident seriously, the ultimate goal being to conclude our investigation and implement improvements to avoid a recurrence of such events. One such example is a recent adverse event where an opioid analgesic was used in place of Adrenaline (Epinephrine) in an infusion. Fortunately without any adverse effect for the patient. As a result thereof, all schedule analgesics are now kept in a separate pouch inside our drug bags, and resuscitation drugs are readily accessible.

A small change as a result of patient safety reporting systems being implemented.

We have developed trigger tools to

further support our passion for patient safety. These are our red flag incidents as well as prospective triggers to evaluate the health within our environment and these are reported monthly.

Clinical cost efficiency is critical to sustain our business. We must strive to provide the best possible care while managing costs in order to keep our exceptional clinical reputation, in a cost sensitive environment.

Clinical indicators such as response times (a 2 hour activation time for international air ambulance cases subject to clearances and other logistical challenges), intubation (> 80% first pass intubation success) and intravenous insertion success (99% inserted

in less than 3 attempts) are proudly equivocal to the best in the world. We have researched and acknowledge that mechanical ventilation is the gold standard for all our intubated and ventilated patients, hence we have invested in the best equipment to empower our team to do their best clinically, examples include the Hamilton T1® ventilator, Draeger®Oxylog 3000 plus and Zoll/ Phillips ECG monitors with invasive pressure transducing and 12 lead ECG capability for cardiac/ haemodynamic monitoring, and point of care arterial blood gas monitoring.

Our neonatal successes should be celebrated: Our smallest baby transported by our speciality neonatal team weighed just 500g and we were able to initiate high flow ventilation. We re-intubated 6% of our babies due to blocked or inappropriately sized tubes, and subsequently began weaning high percentages of oxygen (which is toxic in premature neonates) in the majority of our babies.

So where to next for patient safety initiatives at ER24 GLOBAL ASSIST? Our goal is always to achieve and then to maintain or exceed our standards. We have international accreditation via NAAMTA, an achievement we are proud of, that will take significant effort to maintain. We have installed state of the art software in our Contact Centre to ensure a faster, more accurate dispatch to any emergency with additional clinical resources to ensure our staff understand patients’ emergencies.

The foundation for reviewing quality clinical performance has been achieved at ER24 Global Assist, our next step is to automate our reports, research and present our findings internationally.

Feel free to contact our Chief Medical Officer, Dr Robyn Holgate, on robyn.holgate@er24. co.za should you wish to discuss this further.

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HEALTH MATTERS

Outbreak of meningococcal disease in Fiji An outbreak of meningococcal disease has been declared in Fiji by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services The life-threatening disease is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis and can cause infections in the lining of the brain and blood – or both.

In order to give the sufferer the best chance of survival, identifying symptoms early and seeking urgent medical treatment is critical.

Fiji has seen an increase in cases of the disease in recent years. Before 2016, there were between one and 10 cases reported each year. In 2016, there were 29 cases, and in 2017, 48. In 2018, as of the end of February – the most recent available data – there had already been 18 cases reported.

While the disease is still comparatively rare, it has a high death rate. Up to half of people who become infected will die without appropriate medical treatment,

according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Most people will recover fully if treated appropriately, but 10-15 per cent will still die, and around 20 per cent will have permanent disabilities.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is taking nationwide action. It has set up a Meningococcal Disease Taskforce that is working to strengthen early detection and urgent treatment of patients suspected to have meningococcal disease at all health facilities.

Public awareness is a key component of the Ministry’s strategy to combat the disease and it urges people to become familiar with the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease and practise good hygiene. This includes covering their mouth and nose with a tissue or handkerchief when coughing and sneezing, disposing of tissues, washing hands with soap and water after coughing or sneezing, and not sharing eating utensils such as sporks or cups/glasses/water bottles.

US healthcare blockchain pilot starts

Five US healthcare organisations – Humana, Multiplan, Quest Diagnostics and UnitedHeath Group’s Optum and UnitedHeathcare – have announced that they will be working together to launch a blockchain technology-driven pilot programme to improve data quality and reduce administrative costs associated with changes to healthcare provider demographic data.

The companies will aim to explore how the technology could help ensure the most current healthcare provider information is available in health plan provider directories.

The current system – which has managed care organisations, health systems, physicians, diagnostic information service providers and other healthcare stakeholders typically maintaining separate copies of healthcare provider data – costs the US healthcare industry $2.1 billion a year across the healthcare system, in terms of chasing and maintaining provider data.

The pilot will examine how sharing data across healthcare organisations on blockchain technology can improve data accuracy, streamline administration and improve access to care.

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HEALTH MATTERS

Cambodian dengue rates have doubled In Cambodia, rates of dengue fever are more than twice as high this year than for the same period in 2017.

Authorities are concerned that there could be a large outbreak during the peak summer season in July/August.

Cycles of dengue run every five to six years and the last was in 2012 when up to 40,000 cases and 160 deaths were reported.

According to a recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, in the two months following dengue fever infection, risk of stroke is increased by up to 2.49 times.

Dengue is spread by two types of Aedes mosquito, both of which breed close to dwellings, are found in shady areas and bite mainly during the daylight hours, which makes them difficult to avoid outdoors.

Travellers are advised to cover up with longsleeved tops, long trousers, and shoes and socks when mosquitoes are most active. They should also apply a repellent containing an active ingredient – such as DEET, Picaridin, or PMD – to all exposed skin when outdoors.

The importance of preprints for outbreaks Researchers at Puerto Rico-based nonprofit Outbreak Science have suggested that preprint research – that which is not reviewed before being made public – is underused in disease outbreaks.

Dr Michael A. Johansson and colleagues conducted a literature review and found that many more preprint manuscripts were posted during the Zika virus epidemic than during the Ebola virus epidemic. They said that preprints remain undervalued and are excluded from outbreak science in favour of peer review.

The researchers said that preprints give experts an early opportunity to critique the research. “The scientific community should not ask why preprints are posted during outbreaks,” the team wrote in PLOS Medicine, “we should ask why they are not posted and make early posting the standard rather than the exception.”

According to the team, ‘preprints offer numerous challenges and opportunities for science in general but represent a particularly important opportunity to accelerate the dissemination of science in the midst of infectious disease outbreaks, when early actions are critical, and evidence is scarce’.

Travellers to Brazil should plan ahead Travellers to an increasing number of areas in South America and Africa are being advised to obtain vaccination against yellow fever.

US travellers are being recommended to plan ahead as the vaccine is only available at a limited number of clinics in the US. The only US-licensed yellow fever vaccine (YF-Vax) is currently out of stock but the manufacturer has made an alternate yellow fever vaccine, Stamaril, which is available at select clinics.

The US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted a Level 2 Travel Alert for yellow fever in Brazil. Since early 2018, a number of unvaccinated US travellers to Brazil have contracted the disease, and several have died. Vaccination is now recommended

for more areas of Brazil than before, including Ilha Grande and the cities of Rio and São Paulo, which are popular destinations.

CDC said that people who have never been

vaccinated should not travel to areas in Brazil where vaccination is recommended and that would-be travellers should talk to their doctor to make sure they are prepared.

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Promising research

New test can quickly detect Legionnaires’ source Researchers at the Technical University of Munich, Germany have developed a rapid test that can find the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 35 minutes

Recent research by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) has found that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have shown potential as treatments for infectious diseases and as a prevention tool for protecting individuals at risk of infection and slowing disease outbreaks. mAbs are preparations of a specific type of antibody that are designed to bind to a specific target. They have shown promise in the fight against cancer and autoimmune diseases and this new research indicates they may be able to play a role in future battles against emerging infectious disease outbreaks.

The research article was written by IAID Director Dr Anthony S. Fauci and colleagues Dr Hilary D. Marston and Dr Catharine I. Paules, and published by the New England Journal of Medicine. It highlights the research advances that could allow for rapid, strategic deployment of mAbs to prevent and treat emerging infectious diseases – and, potentially, alter the course of epidemics.

mAbs with optimised targeting and other characteristics can be developed, which means their activity can be tailored to serve specific treatment and prevention purposes. During the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak, for example, a small clinical trial of the drug ZMapp, which contains three different mAbs, appeared to show a drop in mortality among infected volunteers who received the experimental therapeutic. Also, research in lab animals has suggested that mAbs may play a role in protecting pregnant women in Zika-endemic areas and their foetuses from infection.

In addition, research suggests that mAbs aimed at specific targets on the influenza virus could treat influenza disease and interrupt transmission when used preventatively in uninfected individuals.

According to the authors, global leaders can improve preparedness for treating and preventing emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases by prioritising research on mAbs against infectious diseases.

This is groundbreaking, as finding the exact source as quickly as possible is essential to preventing further infections – currently, a detailed analysis takes days.

The disease is caused by Legionella, bacteria that can cause life-threatening pneumonia in humans. Legionella multiply in warm water and can be dispersed into the air via cooling towers, evaporative recooling systems and hot water systems.

Legionella pneumophila is the most dangerous among the species and is responsible for 80 per cent of all infections. The origin of the outbreak is confirmed when the germs in the processed water of a technical system exactly match those identified in a patient.

However, typically numerous systems must be tested in the process, and the requisite

cultivation for the test takes around 10 days.

The Technical University of Munich scientists have developed a measuring chip that detects Legionella pneumophila and also identifies which of the

Compared to previous measurements, the new method not only provides a huge speed advantage but is also so cheap that we can use the chip in onetime applications approximately 20 subtypes is present.

“Compared to previous measurements, the new method not only provides a huge speed advantage but is also so cheap that we can use the chip in one-time applications,” said Dr Michael Seidel, Head of the research group at the Chair of Analytical Chemistry and Water Chemistry of the Technical University of Munich.

New clues on responding to disease outbreaks Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, US have inadvertently discovered clues on how to predict and respond to emerging diseases in humans, plants and other wildlife while searching for answers to protect Central American frogs from extinction “Diseases often shift to be less deadly over time,” said the University’s Jamie Voyles, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and lead author on the study. “But we don’t fully understand why. In our study, we found that the pathogen, in this case a lethal fungus, remains just as deadly to hosts a decade after it first appeared.”

The researchers discovered that a handful of amphibian species, some of which were thought to have been completely wiped out, are persisting, and may even be recovering, after lethal disease outbreaks.

The team has pathogen and host samples from before, during and after an outbreak of chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease in amphibians, which enabled them to ask whether some frogs survived because the pathogen grew weaker through time, or because the frogs’ immune systems or resistance increased through time.

“The evidence suggests that the pathogen has not changed. It’s possible that the hosts have evolved better defences over a relatively short period of time,” said Voyles.

“We found that nearly a decade after

the outbreak, the fungal pathogen is still equally deadly, but the frogs in Panama are surviving and may have better defences against it. This suggests that some of Panama’s frogs may be fighting back.”

Voyes said that clarifying how disease outbreaks subside will predict, and

Diseases often shift to be less deadly over time respond to, other emerging pathogens in plants, wildlife and humans. “These are increasingly important goals in a time when rapid globalisation has increased the rate of introduction of pathogens to new host populations.”

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FEATURE

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FEATURE

BUILDING BETTER TRM POLICIES In an increasingly unpredictable world in which employees are going further afield in search of new business opportunities, health and safety risks are mounting. Mandy LangďŹ eld looks at the evolution of travel risk management (TRM) programmes for today’s business traveller

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he appetite for business travel to countries with limited medical care and volatile security situations has grown. At the same time, traditionally safe destinations have become less predictable, so having a comprehensive business travel risk management (TRM) policy is essential.

Duty of care laws are clear about who is at fault if something happens to an employee abroad who has not been given the correct tools with which to prepare for their trip, and assistance companies and insurers can offer services to their clients to help them meet their legal requirements.

The times they are a-changing Spurred by new norms of hyperconnectivity, on-demand services, greater personalisation and always-on support, business people expect a simpler and more flexible experience when travelling on behalf of their employers. According to new research from the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), which was underwritten by American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), travel managers are taking a more traveller-considerate approach to developing travel policies and programmes. The study, Managing the Modern Business Traveller, reveals how travel managers are addressing the expectations of modern business travellers to adapt and develop travel policies, and retain and improve compliance levels.

“Business travellers have come to expect a personalised experience when they’re on the road, but many organisations continue to take a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to travel policy, driving travellers to work outside the normal channels,” said Greeley Koch, Executive Director, ACTE. “While travel polices absolutely need to change to take individual needs into account, travel managers can – and should – tap into the travellers’ point of view to encourage them to do the right thing. After all, managers are on the hook for not only the safety of their travellers, but also the cost of doing business.”

Safety is key While individual travellers need some flexibility from their employer – and

that employer’s insurance provider – a centralised booking system that can manage exposure and response to travel risk variables is essential, says Randall Gordon-Duff, Head of Product – Corporate Travel, Collinson Group in the UK. Automating the process is essential to enable the organisation to ensure that risks are consistently managed and travellers do not fall between the gaps. Key to this is the automation of booking/ticketing approvals, through AI or algorithm, and linking them to a risk assessment process that manages both up-to-date and informed destination risk with the individual risk of the traveller profile. “Often,” added Gordon-Duff, “a TRM policy will not be valued until it is needed. Collaboration on policy definition between internal departments

within a company (travel, HR, legal, risk management and procurement) is essential to establish the balance required for a successful and comprehensive programme. Staff should also have

Travel managers are taking a more traveller-considerate approach to developing travel policies and programmes input which helps gain their buy-in and compliance to a programme that should resonate with road warriors and c-suite executives alike.”

Many corporate travel insurance policies include access to travel risk mitigation

products, such as pre-deployment reports, pre-travel training and mobile tracking technology, to help employers fulfil duty of care obligations. Meanwhile, mobile technology and tracking devices enable employers to know exactly where staff are in relation to real-time medical and security risks, and to change travel itineraries accordingly.

They can also allow travelling employees to post and receive health and security alerts, and request emergency medical and security assistance.

“The best risk mitigation policies,” said Jonathan Brown, Risk Team Manager at CEGA in the UK, “will unite medical and security needs (think of a patient needing a security escort for an ambulance journey to the airport). Medical and security assessments should identify everything from the location and standard of local medical facilities abroad, to the likelihood of terrorist attacks and the feasibility of evacuation plans in the event of a natural disaster. Pre-travel training should teach employees how to react to, and better still avoid, medical and security emergencies. And any existing medical conditions that may put employees and their families at increased risk should be identified.”

The new norm Bleisure days are now a commonplace way for travelling employees to enjoy some ‘me time’ while they are travelling for work. Such activities throw into question the employer’s duty regarding travel risks, though, as not all policies will cover an employee’s own holiday bolted on to their work trip. Firms must tell their employees of any such restrictions, as well as pointing out that the person may be going off the beaten track, which was not part of an initial pre-travel risk assessment.

“Those responsible for international business travel need to talk to their insurer or broker about what is and what is not covered in terms of bleisure days, to modify their policies accordingly and

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FEATURE ensure this is clearly communicated to staff,” said Gordon-Duff. “According to our research, the legalities around employer accountability for those who bolt leisure days on to a business trip are a grey area. Despite one in 10 companies allowing bleisure travel, almost one-third do not extend the protection offered by their corporate travel risk policy to cover additional bleisure days. The findings raise concerns that employers may not be fulfilling their duty of care obligations to employees. It also means staffers could be spending added time abroad under the misguided belief that they are protected.”

Another new challenge for business travel risk management providers is the sharing economy – Airbnb, Lyft and Uber all make travelling around easier, but potentially riskier for the user, and these do not always work well within the traditional travel risk mitigation toolchest.

Indeed, as Gordon-Duff pointed out: “The very nature of sharing economy service provision means there can be less control over quality and safety.” There are ways, though, to minimise the risks being taken: “Both Airbnb and Uber have corporate travel ‘versions’ of their services which include integration into travel management booking processes. This will also aid in reviewing performance and ensuring that staff do not book ‘off the grid’.”

The power of data With business traveller expectations evolving, travel managers must look for ways to get into the traveller's mind and understand both their stated and unstated needs. One key method to achieve this is leveraging internal and external data.

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Ninety per cent of managers say they use travel management centre (TMC) travel and spend data, 76 per cent turn to card payment providers, 66 per cent leverage internal systems and TMC analysis, and 60 per cent assess internal policy compliance data, according to the ACTE report of 2017.

“Data can make a world of difference for the travel manager seeking to wrap their brain around a growing constellation of traveller needs and expectations,” said Koch. “But it’s not enough to

Randall Gordon-Duff, Collinson Group, gives some top tips for assessing travel risk and assisting travellers in need:

1.

Those responsible for international business travel need to talk to their insurer or broker about what is and what is not covered in terms of bleisure days gather the data; managers must actually analyse it and translate it into action. A successful, data-driven travel programme can achieve any corporate travel executive’s core objectives: positioning their travellers for success, while also demonstrating the travel manager’s value as a business leader.”

“It’s also important to remember that a successful travel programme can serve as an effective tool when it comes to attracting and retaining talent – a major consideration for today’s competitive business landscape,” added Philip Haxne, Regional Director, EMEA – Global Business Consulting for American Express Global Business Travel.

17/10/2017

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Assessing risk before travel • What intelligence triggers travel approval?

In the UK, Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice is used for insurance coverage, but does this relate to the individual risk profile of the traveller coupled with the destination risk?

• Can this be provided by the ticketing process interfacing with the insurance/assistance company?

• Does the risk assessment process look at the necessary variables?

Health: individual medical needs, vaccines/ prophylaxis and country medical risk.

Environment: Security, landscape (i.e. weather, terrain, pollution, flora and fauna), accommodation, food and water risks.

Travel: Regional and local (route, carriers, requirements for entry, ground transport risks).

Occupational hazards: Demands of the workplace or tasks to be undertaken.

Human and cultural issues: Legal, cultural assimilation, stress.

If help is required is there 24/7 medical and security assistance that is fit for purpose?

• One single 24/7 number – clear communications process when help is needed.

• Make sure there is a wellrehearsed response (internal and external escalation points).

• Make sure the assistance company has robust local networks that are available/fit for purpose (MERPS and table-top exercises).

“Strong programmes that contribute to employee happiness and productivity underscore the travel manager’s valuable role to the business as a whole.”

This idea was echoed by Gordon-Duff,

not just in terms of attracting talent, but also pointing out that the right travel risk management programme will reward compliant employees. Automation can play a part in this area of travel risk

3. Does the policy work for

the travellers and what further services may be needed outside of the insured response?

• Situational awareness training before travel.

• Crisis management planning.

• Secure journey management.

• Remote medical support.

• Counselling.

• Other travel benefits.

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FEATURE management programmes as well, he said: “By combining a TRM smartphone app with the ability to photograph and submit expenses in real time, an employee’s whereabouts can be quickly triangulated if needed. Although there needs to be a clear delineation of when this form of tracking is utilised by the employer, and only in an emergency situation. Most effective TRM processes deliver all of this through some form of a digital interface that engages and supports staff throughout the journey, and in many cases ‘gamify’ the whole experience, making it less of an administrative burden and a far cry from the old tick-box experience of form filling and face-to-face justification to line managers.”

Data gathering can be fraught with legal issues – the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation and other new privacy laws means that insurers have to be careful about what data they hold on their clients. However, it is an incredibly powerful tool that can serve the industry well in terms of product development. When it comes to enabling insurers to offer more personalised and relevant products, the availability of a broader data set is invaluable, said Gordon-Duff – although it’s not just

about the products, it about the services associated with them: “Understanding your data, including claims, travel patterns and case outcomes, can also assist in improving decision-making within assistance. The oversight of a medical director within an assistance organisation will never be replaced by AI, as objective decisions on

Travel risk management:

10 essential considerations

From Jonathan Brown, Risk Team Manager at CEGA

1.

How will you anticipate and mitigate real-time threats to travelling employees once they are overseas?

A successful travel programme can serve as an effective tool when it comes to attracting and retaining talent

2.

6.

How will you find and evacuate employees if an emergency strikes, and do employees know what to do and who to contact in an emergency?

What are the current health and security risks in their destination?

For instance, are mosquito bornediseases, unsafe water, muggings or terrorist attacks prevalent?

7.

3.

8.

Are earthquakes, hurricanes or floods likely?

the best course of action for a patient, particularly in poorer health economies, will often be made on the basis of a myriad of factors including a physician’s gut feeling.

However, assuming there is a critical mass of data experience in, say, treating malaria in Nairobi and associated patient outcomes with regards to treating in situ versus evacuation, this can only assist in expediting the process by providing a more evidence-based decision.” ■

best emergency care be accessed?

4.

Will security support be streamlined with medical assistance to avoid delays?

How do you know your emergency planning will work?

9.

Do employees or their families need regular medication or have existing medical conditions?

Do employees know how to avoid credit card or mobile phone cloning and insecure wi-fi?

5.

10.

How good is local routine medical and dental care, and how can the

Do they feel supported and prepared for the risks?

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FEATURE

CHALLENGES For the travel insurance industry, sometimes the development of products and their delivery can seem to be happening at a slower pace than in other industries. ITIJ investigates the challenges insurers have to overcome when trying to bring a new product to market >>

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peaking to industry experts, it seems that the primary challenges faced by insurers depend on where in the world a company operates. For US-based insurance firms, the complex regulatory environment can cause no end of headaches, although there are ways and means of mitigating the issues that being regulated in 51 states causes.

For European companies, meanwhile, the problem of legacy IT systems was mentioned by more than one contributor.

Rules and regs Carolyn Leckie, Director of Marketing for US-based travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth, believes that the statelevel regulation environment in the US serves as a limiting factor when it comes to innovation in the industry, saying that ‘it restricts new coverages’. This sentiment is echoed by Robert Gallagher, Senior Vice-Present and Chief Operating Officer of AIG Travel in the US, who told ITIJ: “The time it takes to get new products and rates filed can be lengthy. While the role of the regulator in protecting the consumer is an important part of the process and one that we endorse, it can extend the time it takes to get from product and service development to availability on the market.”

The path to regulatory approval can be a bumpy one, but there are ways and means to fill the potholes on the way. For Squaremouth, the answer lies in having the right partner. Leckie said: “Finding the right underwriter is key. Our underwriter, Berkshire Hathaway, is proactive, listened to our needs and assisted us.

The research they’ve conducted helps us determine what is important to customers and allowed us to tailor our new products based on these needs.”

Bringing a new product to market is an expensive business, and even for global insurers the issue of prioritisation of resources is a key consideration when it comes to innovation. Chris Price, Head of Travel Insurance in Europe, the Middle

East and Africa for Zurich, told ITIJ that a company as large as Zurich has many competing initiatives, some of which fall under the banner of ‘company strategy’ and others that are just good ideas.

“The skill,” he said, “is balancing these imperatives for as smooth a process as possible.” IT is one of a number of resource-heavy issues that must be considered when it comes to product – and indeed company – progression, a concern echoed by Rafael Senen Garcia, Chief Executive Officer of Coverontrip, a new digital insurer in Spain, who is well-versed in the challenges faced when bringing a new product and company to the marketplace. The IT legacy is an issue he faced in particular, as his new business process required the design of new software. Among the other challenges he cited were distrust, immobility, fear, being outside of your comfort zone, vanity, insecurity, and mediocrity. An intimidating list, to be sure. “In order for

the state-level regulation environment in the US serves as a limiting factor when it comes to innovation in the industry your innovative product to reach safe port,” he said, “you need co-operation and collaboration within your organisation.”

The issue of regulation, however, is not considered to be overly burdensome

by Garcia – as long as products are compliant in the first place. The real question, he said, is momentum of the marketplace itself. How does an insurer know the exact right point to launch their new product? Is it too soon, too late, are the customers really demanding this from their service provider? “But these questions are not actually obstacles,” he opined. “They are part of the nature of the innovation process.”

Another problem faced by the insurance industry is historic – with huge amounts of knowledge and expertise on the table, sometimes it can be difficult to take a fresh approach to a problem, said Paul Firkins, Hood Group’s Sales and Development Director in the UK. “To be truly innovative," he said, "we sometimes have to ignore what we already know, and look at completely new ways to solve a problem, create a new product or improve the customer experience.”

While innovation in the insurance industry does happen, for travel insurance in

As well as a fundamentally robust business case, it helps to secure buy-in and understanding from as high up the organisation as possible parituclar, it can be a difficult path to follow, as noted by Peter Dingle, Product Development and Innovation Director

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at Collinson: “One of the key barriers to innovation is that travel insurance is fundamentally a low emotion purchase.

People look for the cheapest possible product and only care about what they’ve bought when they need to use it, not at the point of purchase. Even the strongest product features are meaningless to many consumers or simply overlooked.

This means that any innovation that adds cost to a product is a real challenge and innovating without adding costs isn’t easy.”

Defeating problems one by one Overcoming obstacles to innovation requires leadership, and for the experts spoken to for this article, this was a key deciding factor in the success or failure of any new venture. Chris Price said: “As well as a fundamentally robust business case, it helps to secure buy-in and understanding from as high up the organisation as possible.” Senen Garcia wholeheartedly agreed: “In a big group, the role of the top leaders is key. If the ‘number one’ person is pushing [for change], everything is easier. A culture of innovation can be built if the number one and Executive Committee are convinced that innovation is the only way for growing, and even for surviving, for the next 10 years.”

Leading from the top, then, is important, but new ideas come from a group of people exchanging their expertise, Firkins of Hood Group stated: “We bring together a diverse team of people including software developers, data scientists, customer-facing roles and marketing teams, and we’ll organise hackathons at our Innovation Lab in London, where we can collaborate on projects.” He added: “We’ll also bring in external experts, who might know about a particular innovation or product. This is a great way to develop stronger relationships with our partners.

Even better, is to get feedback from target customers and get their unfiltered input to solving a problem.”

Aligning great leadership with a strategic drive, demonstrating the potential for upscaling, or applying a solution elsewhere, will also accelerate implementation of a new type of product or service, according to Price, who added: “An idea or change that will be for the ultimate benefit of a customer will always be well received and, all other things being equal, we tend to prioritise initiatives that will benefit those we have existing relationships with.”

The ultimate benefit of the customer is also an idea central to AIG’s approach to

FEATURE Geneva_hpv_ad_itij208.pdf

innovation, and the company has come up with some interesting ideas of late, which demonstrate how travel insurers can respond to customers’ concerns by offering them better products. Gallagher told ITIJ about how AIG is moving away from traditional ‘bundled’ insurance packages in order to allow customers to almost ‘build your own’ insurance. This, in and of itself, is not a unique approach, but what it does do is give the customer confidence in the product they feel they have more control over, and further it

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Getting an underwriter involved at the very beginning of the project is another way in which insurance providers can ensure buy-in from before the product is even developed. Hood Group, for instance, invites its underwriting partners to its hackathons, so that an insurance perspective is involved from the very beginning and they can tell quickly whether or not an idea is viable.

For Rafael Senen Garcia, some of the services he wanted to include in his new Coverontrip policies simply did not

An idea or change that will be for the ultimate benefit of a customer will always be well received assists with the regulatory challenge in the US, as Gallagher explained: “This universal filing approach means AIG doesn’t have to file each product element individually, and offers increased flexibility for agents to provide a better-targeted product – and ultimately a better experience – for each distinctive traveller.” Products developed with this approach, he added, could also be easily introduced to other, less regulated markets, such as Asia.

One particularly eye-catching policy feature that will be popular with younger travellers is the Name Your Family aspect. Gallagher explained the details: “Currently if a family member becomes sick or injured, necessitating that a trip be cancelled, the policy dictates who constitutes a ‘family’ member. Our new feature allows travellers to choose up to five individuals as their ‘family’, which has universal value for all travellers, but is likely to be of particular interest to those in the LGBT community

fit with any underwriter’s desire to offer cover. For him, ‘a lack of underwriting experience or underwriting capabilities’ is a weak point of the insurance industry.

Of course, occasionally there is a very good reason why an idea has not been done before. When an idea is first mooted at Zurich, it can often prompt a review from both local and global experts, explained Chris Price, and a firm ‘no’ at that stage can effectively bury an idea. Price added: “However, sometimes, where no firm consensus has been reached, the decision to drive forward becomes dependent on obtaining an acceptance of the risk from senior management, a standard albeit rigorous process within Zurich. TheC process can take time, but it is necessaryM and on the whole the system works. Our Y new Innovation Foundry is an example of how we have formalised this developmentCM MY process allowing us to explore many ideas and ‘fail fast’ with those that just CY

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CMY

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sponsored by

or millennials travelling with friends.”

Keep pushing the boundaries Sometimes, an idea seems great initially, but inevitably, not every idea will come to fruition, and this is certainly true for the insurance industry. An insurer can occasionally come up with a potentially very attractive proposition that would make their customers very happy, but if an underwriting partner can’t be found, then the idea is stopped before it’s even got to market.

Carolyn Leckie said that Squaremouth had to speak to ‘nearly every underwriter in the US’ in order to find the best fit for the Tin Leg products that it sells, as it was important for customers to have a ‘consistent’ experience with the product. “In the US marketplace, there are a lot of carriers but not a lot of underwriters, which can be a barrier that requires a lot of careful research and consideration,” she added.

don’t fit with our strategy at the time.”

Gallagher of AIG said that it is very rare for an idea to be abandoned altogether, but what is more commonly seen are delays to product rollouts due to that old chestnut – regulatory requirements. A failure to understand the prerequisites in a market will almost inevitably result in delays to introduction of a new product or service. In addition, environmental factors that are outside of the industry’s control can change priorities for the business, and given resources (time, money and staff ) are finite, new ideas are sometimes required to be tentatively paused, while more urgent and pressing matters are addressed. Gallagher explained: “One example of this was when credit card (PCI) data security protection requirements were changed and intensified several years ago.

This required the organisation to shift its focus and implement improvements and changes to the IT infrastructure, in order to be compliant with these new guidelines.” ■

Fly Home. Feel Better. www.flyreva.com

OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER

33

PROFILE

The right kind of assistance ITIJ caught up with Juliane Kause, Chief Medical Officer at Anvil Group, to talk about the importance of frontline experience, the need for good preparation and the advantages of in-house medical assistance How did you first get started in the assistance industry and how did you progress to be in your current role?

You could say I came into it by accident. Back in 1996 I was working for the UK National Health Service (NHS) when an anaesthetist colleague had a stroke whilst on holiday in Spain. I was totally intrigued by the treatment she would receive, how she would get home safely and how the communication around her case would be handled. Having looked into it further and spoken with CEGA, a local air ambulance and medical assistance company, I actually ended up working for them. Believe it or not, I became part of the team that eventually brought her home!

I worked for CEGA for a number of years, rising from flight doctor to chief flight doctor and then general manager of the air ambulance.

There are certain times in life when you can’t fly – during pregnancy, for instance – but this actually provided new opportunities as it gave me the chance to become more involved in other parts of the business. Whilst grounded, I was able to provide medical assistance over the phone, monitoring critical care cases and supporting other clinical care providers in the office … so I’ve experienced both the frontline and the engine room, so to speak.

I then worked with AirMed for five years, again, covering a number of roles including deputising for their medical director. Alongside this, I’ve also developed various educational programmes with other establishments such as the fire service and numerous NHS specialist care providers. I’ve even advised the Scottish Government on air ambulance services and remote location working best practices. The experience and insight gained working with large and established air ambulance and medical assistance providers – and the NHS in my capacity as an emergency physician – stands me in great stead for heading up Anvil Assist.

Can you tell us a bit about the decision for Anvil to establish its own in-house medical assistance service? What are the benefits of keeping these services in-house?

The Anvil team believes in a continual programme of improvement, so bringing the medical assistance provision in-house, alongside their long established security and journey management teams, just seemed the obvious step to take. It allows us to offer a truly integrated end-to-end service and deliver some real differentiators including the continuation of care for patients after they return home.

Typically, when patients touch home soil, that’s the end of the care provided by assistance companies. Anvil sees it differently.

It’s absolutely about ensuring that patients continue to receive the appropriate follow-on care and treatment in their home country.

We also don’t just look after patients’ acute medical needs, but can also provide psychological support when needed.

Every case is treated as an individual and it’s this type of approach that sets

Anvil apart. We wouldn’t be able to do this through external partners.

Bringing medical assistance in-house has also enabled us to raise the bar in case handling. All cases are handled by senior clinicians, so patients and clients can be confident that they’re dealing directly with experienced medical practitioners.

The medical team is exceptional and I’m honoured to be heading up such a skilled and experienced group of people.

What attracted you about the opportunity of joining Anvil Assist as Chief Medical Officer?

It was obvious that we shared the same ethos. Throughout my career, putting the patient at the centre of what I do has always been number one, and that’s exactly how Anvil operates.

Also, the fact that their travel risk, security and medical assistance services are so integrated makes them unique. There are obviously companies that can handle each of these separately but the fact that Anvil can pull all of these together is very powerful, as is the fact that, due to their years of handling risk and crisis situations, they’re great at dealing with the unexpected. Knowing that my team has this level of support, both in the office and on the ground, is extremely reassuring.

gathered significant momentum and our 14th international congress is being held this July in Manchester, UK.

Anvil Assist aims to help globally mobile corporate employees. In what seems to be an increasingly dangerous world, how can assistance companies best serve the needs of workers who may need to carry out their duties in unsafe areas?

It starts with good preparation, good communication and appropriate training. We need to ensure that the right vaccinations

Medical care isn’t just about providing the treatment, it’s also about providing the patient with a kind of comfort blanket – making them feel protected when they’re at their most vulnerable have been taken, that travellers are informed of the local situation – from both a healthcare and security perspective – so that they can prepare appropriately. Should the worst happen, having worked with the client on this initial planning, we’ll be in the best possible position to provide the right kind of assistance, often foreseeing and mitigating risks before they even occur.

What sort of insight has your time as an aeromedical physician given you in terms of the provision of medical assistance? Do you think that people in lead roles such as yours would benefit from more frontline experience?

You really have to be there to understand it.

It’s the attention you need in all aspects, from arranging the logistics to communicating

with all stakeholders to ensuring that the right medical skillset and capacity is matched with each patient. Falling ill abroad can have a huge psychological impact on patients. They’re away from their usual support network, possibly facing a different healthcare culture and language barriers. As the medical assistance provider, one deals with a far greater need than the defined medical problem, and that really is the crux of any effective service – appreciating and dealing with those complexities. Medical care isn’t just about providing the treatment, it’s also about providing the patient with a kind of comfort blanket – making them feel protected when they’re at their most vulnerable.

So yes, it’s absolutely essential that those in lead roles spend time on the frontline. It’s the only way you can fully understand the real challenges that everybody faces – from the call handler taking the initial call to the pilot flying the plane, to the patient themselves, everybody is affected in some way and we need to be able to empathise with all of them.

You are a founding member of the International Society for Rapid Response Systems. What was the thinking behind establishing this organisation?

Has the Society seen much success in the achievement of its aims?

It was started by a group of about 20 likeminded global professionals who’d already worked together on a number of academic and quality improvement projects. We came together in order to improve the safety of hospital-based healthcare and to deliver safe and reliable emergency treatment for patients who find themselves unexpectedly ill.

The society has helped to develop rapid response systems (RRS) to proactively identify patients at risk of clinical deterioration within hospitals and to deliver reliable, safe, quality treatment to those individuals. The RRS expands care for the critically ill across the whole hospital and is now well established or standard of care in many countries. It’s

What are the most challenging aspects of your job?

In this line of work, every day can be a challenge but that’s one of the reasons I enjoy doing what I do. I relish it. I suppose the hardest thing when dealing globally is knowing how to handle so many diverse cultures and differing expectations around standards of treatment and care. You need to demonstrate understanding and respect whatever the situation.

What are your proudest achievements, both professionally and personally?

Professionally, it’s less of a single event and more an ongoing sense of achievement in bringing different professionals together to work towards a common goal. Being an expert in something specific is easy – you can know everything that there is to know about your particular specialism – but to get these experts – doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, telephonists, claims handlers, paramedics, linguists – communicating and working together in a way that improves the care of the patient, that’s the real achievement.

I’ve also had the privilege of being able to combine an exceptionally fulfilling career with my role as a parent, bringing up healthy and happy children. I manage to pursue a number of passions outside of work, from growing my own food and tending livestock on my small-holding to playing the violin in a semiprofessional orchestra. So on a personal level you could say I’ve managed to achieve the perfect balance. Now that’s an achievement!

If you could do any other job in the world, what would it be and why?

That’s a tough one as I absolutely love my job and can’t imagine doing anything else. At a push though, it would have to be something that could potentially help to improve the lives of millions. That may sound brash but it really would have to be something amazing to make me want to change what I do now. ■

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SERVICE DIRECTORY SERVICE DIRECTORY

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Your essential guide to suppliers for the global travel and health insurance industry CATEGORY KEY

ADDITIONAL BUSINESS CLASSIFICATION HEADINGS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

AVAILABLE ONLINE itij.com/service-directory

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SERVICE DIRECTORY

Ace Air & Ambulance (Pvt) Ltd.

James Halsted, – Managing Director 2 Mount Road, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe +263 (4) 302 141 +263 (782) 999 901/2/3/4

tel: tel:

james@ace-ambulance.com www.ace-ambulance.com

email: website:

AMREF Flying Doctors Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director Wilson Airport, LangataRoad, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA tel: fax:

+254 20 6000 090 +254 20 344 170

email: website:

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

Awesome Air Evac

AIR AMBULANCE (EUROPE) (ASIA-PACIFIC)

AIR AMBULANCE (AFRICA)

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

Dr.Sura Jaidwatee, M.D. – Medical Flight Manager 222 Don Mueang International Airport Office Building 3rd Floor, Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Sanambin, Don Mueang, Bangkok 10210, THAILAND 24h tel: +662 247 3392 email: m.w@medicalwings.com fax: +662 535 4734 website: www.medicalwings.com

Air Alliance Medflight GmbH Eva Kluge – Director of Sales & Business Development SIEGERLAND AIRPORT, Werfthalle G1, 57299 Burbach, GERMANY +49 170 366 4933 +49 2736 4428 45

mob: 24/7 tel:

e.kluge@air-alliance.de www.air-alliance.de

email: website:

AIRLEC Air Espace

Shane Marais – General Manager

Paul Tiba – Managing Director

Hanger 104C, Gate C, Lanseria Airport, Lanseria, SOUTH AFRICA

Zone Aviation Générale, 33700 Mérignac Cidex 05 FRANCE

tel:

+27 11 430 1777

email: website:

+335 56 34 02 14 +335 56 55 98 18

24Hr tel: fax:

rescue@awesomeairevac.com www.awesomeairevac.com

paul.tiba@airlecairespace.com www.airlecairespace.com

email: website:

Capital Air Ambulance

ER24 24/7 Flight Desk

Lisa Humphries – Sales Director

Cambridge Manor Office Park, Manor 1, Stone Haven Road, C/o Witkoppen & Stone Haven Roads, Sandton, Paulshof, SOUTH AFRICA tel: +27 (0) 10 205 3100 email: flight@er24.co.za fax: +27 (0) 866 781 507 website: www.er24.co.za

Airport House, Exeter International Airport, EX5 2BD, UK tel: fax:

sales@capitalairambulance.co.uk www.capitalairambulance.co.uk

email: website:

Dr Jean-Philippe MATTEI – Medical Director

Mr Nick Simon – Business Development Manager

Dar El Bacha - Tizougarine 5, 40000 Marrakech Medina, MOROCCO

Funtington Park, Funtington, Chichester, UK, PO18 8RG, UK

tel: fax:

+212 5 24 38 13 88 +212 524 428 436

email: website:

tel: fax:

operations@medic-air.com www.medic-air.com

+ 44 (0) 1243 621 107 + (0) 1243 621 006

privaterepats@cegagroup.com cegagroup.com

email: website:

DRF Luftrettung / German Air Rescue

AirMed Australia Matthew Kline & Mark Wardrop – Executive Directors

Dr. Peter Huber – CEO

German Air Rescue – Claim-Variante rot / schwarz

Hangar 650 Drover Road, Bankstown Airport. NSW, Sydney, AUSTRALIA 2200 tel: +61 2 8700 0685 email: ops@airmed.com.au fax: +61 2 8700 0663 website: www.airmed.com.au

Rita-Maiburg-Str. 2, D-70794 Filderstadt, GERMANY German Air Rescue

24h tel: fax:

+49 7007 3010 +49 7007 3119

email: website:

ops@drf-luftrettung.de www.drf-luftrettung.de/air-ambulance

EURO LINK GmbH

Alia MedFlight Scott Everson – Vice President

Dr. Friedrich Renner – Medical Director

9382 E Bahia Drive, Suite B202, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA

Allgemeine Luftfahrt, D -85356 München Flughafen, GERMANY

tel: fax:

602-800-7070 855-831-5092

email: website:

tel: fax:

ops@aliamedflight.com www.aliamedflight.com

+49 89 6137 2103 +49 89 6137 2106

email: website:

info@flyeurolink.de www.FlyEuroLink.de

European Air Ambulance

Asia Air Ambulance Mr. Toranit Sripal – Managing Director

Patrick Schomaker – Director Sales & Marketing

Asia Air Ambulance Co. Ltd., Bangkok599/59 Ratchadaphisek Road, Jatujak, Bangkok 10900, THAILAND tel: +668 9896 9000 email: operations@asiaairambulance.com fax: +662 192 1801 website: www.asiaairambulance.com

Luxembourg Airport, B.P.24, L-5201, Sandweiler, LUXEMBOURG 24hr tel: fax:

+352 26 26 00 +352 26 26 01

email: website:

alert@air-ambulance.com www.air-ambulance.com

FAI – rent-a-jet AG

EDS AVIATION PTE LTD

AVIATION

+44 845 055 2828 +44 1392 350 039

CEGA Group

Medic’Air International

(ASIA-PACIFIC)

Medical Wings

Shik – Managing Director

Volker Lemke – Director Sales and Marketing CSO

33 Ubi Avenue, #08-13, Vertex Tower B, SINGAPORE, 408868

Flughafenstasse. 124; 90411 Nuremberg; GERMANY

tel: fax:

+65 9836 3265 +65 6846 9542

email: website:

tel: fax:

info@eds-aviation.com www.eds-aviation.com

+49 911 36009 31 +49 911 36009 59

email: website:

Volker.lemke@fai.ag www.fai.ag

GlobalMed International

Flying Doctors Asia Prithpal Singh – CEO , Director

Gert Muurling – CEO & Medical Director

A’Posh Bizhub, 1 Yishun Industrial St 1, #08-03, SINGAPORE, 768160

Auf Roedern 7c, 56283 Pfaffenheck, GERMANY

+65 6483 5412 +65 6734 1338

tel: fax:

email: website:

tel: fax:

prithpal@flyingdoctorsasia.com www.flyingdoctorsasia.com

+49 6742 897 425 +49 3212 100 5018

email: website:

info@globalmed-international.com www.globalmed-international.com

Jet Executive International Charter

LifeFlight

Irena Dimitrijevic – Marketing & Sales

Peter Elliott – Fixed Wing Operations Manager

Mündelheimer Weg 50, D-40472, Düsseldorf, GERMANY “Homebase FRA & MUC” tel: +49 211 602 7775 email: sales@jetexecutive.com fax: +49 211 602 77766 website: www.jetexecutive.com

PO Box 15166, City East, QLD 4002, AUSTRALIA 24/7 (int) tel: fax:

+61 7 5553 5955 +61 7 5553 5965

email: website:

ops@lifeflight.org.au www.LifeFlight.org.au

JOIN JET

Medic’Air International 每递安国际 Dr Li Tao – Medical Director

Carsten Vistisen – General Manager

885 Renmin Road, Huaihai China Building, Room 808, 200010 Shanghai, CHINA

Cumulusvej 10, 7190 Billund, DENMARK

tel: fax:

+86 2163 558289 +86 2163 558285

email: website:

24hr tel: fax:

operations@medic-air.com www.medic-air.com

36

+45 701 040 90 +45 701 040 90

email: website:

ems@joinjet.com www.joinjet.com

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

Malteser Service Center

(NORTH AMERICA)

AIR AMBULANCE (EUROPE)

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Johannes Hoischen – International Network and Repatriation Erna-Scheffler-Strasse 2, 51103 Köln, GERMANY +49 221 98 22 9333 +49 40 694597 61339

tel: fax:

ambulance@malteser.org www.malteser-service-center.de

email: website:

Medic’Air International Dr Herve Raffin – General Manager 35 rue Jules Ferry, 93170 Bagnolet, Paris, FRANCE +33 141 72 1414 +33 148 57 1010

tel: fax:

email: website:

Mike Honeycutt – President 2561 Rescue Way, Brooksville, FL 34604, USA tel: fax:

+1 352 796 2540 +1 352 796 2549

ops@jeticu.com www.jeticu.com

email: website:

Jet-Rescue Air Ambulance Carlos Salinas – CEO Suite 100, 7777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434, USA

operations@medic-air.com www.medic-air.com

tel:

North Flying a/s

+1 786 619 1268

email: website:

operations@jet-rescue.com www.medjetsUSA.com

REVA Inc Jesper Kragelund – Sales Manager

Stuart Hayman – CEO

North Flying Terminal, Aalborg Airport, DK-9400, Nørresundby, DENMARK tel: +45 9632 2900 email: jkr@northflying.com website: www.northflying.com fax: +45 9632 2909

2101 W. Commercial Blvd., Suite 1500, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309, USA tel: +1 954 730 9300 email: operations@flyreva.com fax: +1 954 485 6564 website: www.flyreva.com

Quick Air Jet Charter GmbH

Skyservice Air Ambulance

Philipp Schneider – Account Manager

David Ewing – Senior Vice President, Global Markets

Hangar 3, Cologne Airport, 51147 Cologne, GERMANY

Montreal/PE Trudeau Int Airport, 9785 Avenue Ryan, Montreal (Quebec), H9P 1A2, CANADA tel: +1 514 497 7000 email: alert@skyservice.com fax: +1 514 636 0096 website: www.skyserviceairambulance.com

ops@quickair.de www.quickair.de

email: website:

Swiss Air-Rescue (Rega) Stefan Becker – Head of Corporate Development Rega-Center, PO Box 1414, CH-8058 Zurich, SWITZERLAND +41 44 654 33 11 +41 44 654 33 22

tel: fax:

stefan.becker@rega.ch www.rega.ch

email: website:

Tyrol Air Ambulance Manfred Helldoppler – Managing Director Fuerstenweg 180, A-6026 Innsbruck-Airport, AUSTRIA +43 512 22422 100 +43 512 288 888

tel: fax:

taa@taa.at www.taa.at

email: website:

ASSISTANCE COMPANIES (AFRICA)

+49 2203 955 700 +49 2203 955 7020

tel: fax:

AIMS Bernadette Breton – Chief Executive Officer AIMS House, 3 West St, Bryanston 2191, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA tel: +27 11 783 0135 email: operations@aims.org.za fax: +27 11 783 2950 website: www.aims.org.za

AMREF Flying Doctors Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director Wilson Airport, Langata Road, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA tel: fax:

+254 20 6000 090 +254 20 344 170

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

email: website:

Assistance Group Menasa

AC Global Medical Transports

Milan Floribus – President

Christian Deloughery – CEO

8775 Aero Drive, Ste 120, San Diego, CA 92123, USA

Unit 4G, Gold Tower, JLT, Dubai, PO Box 128538, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES tel: +971 52 490 4258 email: cdeloughery@assistancegroup.ae website: www.assistancegroup.ae

+1 858 437 5131 +1 858 408 7856

tel: fax:

email: website:

milanfloribus@gmail.com acglobalmedicaltransports.com

Aeromedevac Air Ambulance

CONNEX Assistance

Adam Williams – President

Dr Helmy El Tanahy – CEO

Gillespie Field Airport, 681 Kenney Street, El Cajon, CA 92020, USA +(800) 462 0911 +(619) 284 7918

toll free: fax:

email: website:

Office 11, Floor 1, 6 El Sad El Aali st, Dokki, Cairo, EGYPT

awilliams@aeromedevac.com www.aeromedevac.com

tel: fax:

AirEvac International

+1 619 754-6755 +1 619 330 4551

email: website:

PO Box 1578, Gallo Manor, 2052, SOUTH AFRICA info@aeiamericas.com www.aeiamericas.com

Alia MedFlight Scott Everson – Vice President 9382 E Bahia Drive, Suite B202, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA tel: fax:

602-800-7070 855-831-5092

email: website:

ops@aliamedflight.com www.aliamedflight.com

CEGA Group Mr Nick Simon – Business Development Manager Funtington Park, Funtington, Chichester, UK, PO18 8RG, UK + 44 (0) 1243 621 107 + (0) 1243 621 006

tel: fax:

email: website:

privaterepats@cegagroup.com cegagroup.com

tel: fax:

Global Jetcare, Inc.

+27 (0)11 259 5403 +27 (0)11 259 5001

24hr email: website:

assistance@mso.co.za www.mso.co.za

AA International Sharon Tan – Director ASIA tel: fax:

+603 7965 3883 +603 7629 8288

email: website:

marketing@aa-international.com www.aa-international.com

AIG Travel Martin Villarino – General Manager, AIG Travel Asia Pacific Level 15 Menara Worldwide, 198 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA tel: +603 2772 5555 email: martin.villarino@aig.com fax: +603 2685 5673 website: aig.com/travel

ASIAN TRAVEL AND MEDICAL SERVICES

Bart Gray – President

Rahul Gupta – Sr. Manager - International Business

15421 Technology Dr. Brooksville, FL 34604, USA tel: fax:

alarm@connexassistance.com www.connexassistance.com

email: website:

Brenda Durow – General Manager - Assistance

3404 Bonita Rd, Chula Vista, Ca. 91910, USA tel: fax:

+202 3 336 0005 +202 3 762 0003

Medical Services Organisation (MSO)

Raul Mendoza – President / CEO

ASSISTANCE COMPANIES (ASIA-PACIFIC)

AIR AMBULANCE (NORTH AMERICA)

JET ICU

+1 352 799 7771 +1 352 799 7776

email: website:

131/1 , PICNIC GARDEN ROAD , KOLKATA - 700039 , INDIA bart@globaljetcare.com www.globaljetcare.com

tel: fax:

37

0091-9836309173 033-23440170

email: website:

rahul.gupta@asiantms.com www.asiantms.com

Alpine Rescue Service Pvt Ltd 'Mission: Save Life' Mr. Ram Nepal – Executive Director Ekikaran Sadak, 16 Kha.2.37, Naya Bazar - 16, Kathmandu, Nepal, POBOX: 21100; NEPAL 24/7 tel: +977 1 436 2652 email: 24/7 fax: +977 1 442 5111 website:

info@alpine-rescue.com www.alpine-rescue.com

AP Companies KAZAKHSTAN Elmira Turmagambetova – General Manager 4, 148 Mamir, Auzovskiy region, Almati, KAZAKHSTAN + 7 727 350 52 76

tel:

email: website:

KZT@ap-companies.com www.ap-companies.com

ASSISTANCE COMPANIES (ASIA-PACIFIC)

SERVICE DIRECTORY

(EUROPE)

ASSISTANCE COMPANIES (ASIA-PACIFIC)

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

AP Companies UZBEKISTAN Ilhom Sadikov – Business Development Manager 4a, Uzumzor street, Ulukbek region,Tashkent, UZBEKISTAN +9 987 123 890 41

tel:

email: website:

uzb@ap-companies.com www.ap-companies.com

Global MediCALL Assistance Sridhar K – Chief Operations Officer MALAYSIA

MEDIKA PLAZZA Dr Nino Susanto – Operational Director Beltway Office Park Tower C 2nd floor Jl. TB Simatupang Kav. 41, Jakarta 12550, INDONESIA tel: +6221 80866000 email: med.assistance@medikaplaza.com website: www.medikaplaza.com

ADAC Ambulance Service Christoph Ullrich – Senior Manager International Network Hansastr. 19, D - 80686 Munich, GERMANY tel: 24h Alarm:

+49 89 7676 2912 +49 89 7676 8912

email: website:

christoph.ullrich@adac.de www.adac.de/ambulance

Sally Waithe – General Manager, AIG Travel EMEA

Dr Yin – Chief Medical Officer

21 Cecil Pashley Way, Shoreham Airport, Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5FF, UK tel: +44 (0)1273 456 484 email: sally.waithe@aig.com website: aig.com/travel

No 29,3rd floor,35th Street, Kyauttada Township,Yangon, MYANMAR +95 979 584 3944

marketing@globalmedicallassistance.com

email:

AIG Travel

Asian Assistance – Myanmar

tel:

+6 03 3359 6969 +6 03 3359 6161

tel: fax:

email: website:

Myanmar@asian-assistance.com www.asian-assistance.com

AP Companies

Asian Assistance – Philippines Marby Cervantes Madulara – Team Leader, Operation and Medical Development

Natalya Butakova – Business Development Manager

504P to 508P, Pacific Drive Five E Com Center Bldg. Pacific Drive Extension Block 18 Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, PHILIPPINES

17 Varshavskoye Shosse, Moscow 117105, RUSSIA

tel:

+63 999 878 6990

email: website:

Philippines@asian-assistance.com www.asian-assistance.com

tel: fax:

Susanne Mørch – Director

email: website:

Str. Sholudenko 3, 04116 Kiev, UKRAINE

contact@asian-assistance.com www.asian-assistance.com

tel: tel:

Asian Assistance – Vietnam

email: website:

80 rue des alliés, 38100, Grenoble, FRANCE

Vietnam@asian-assistance.com www.asian-assistance.com

tel: fax:

BrightCare Assist Unit 10-1, Fort Legend Tower, 31st Street corner 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City Taguig, 1632, PHILIPPINES tel: (632) 785-0055 email: ops@brightcare-assist.com fax: (632) 224-4152 website: www.brightcare-assist.com

email: website:

carole.luisy@cnas-assistance.com www.cnas-assistance.com

Dr. Peter Huber – CEO

German Air Rescue – Claim-Variante rot / schwarz

Rita-Maiburg-Str. 2, D-70794 Filderstadt, GERMANY German Air Rescue

CareJet Assist

24h tel: fax:

+49 7007 3010 +49 7007 3119

email: website:

ops@drf-luftrettung.de www.drf-luftrettung.de/air-ambulance

DRK Assistance

Anthony Decoste – President

Andreas Speich – Managing Director

Level 24 Robinsons Cyberscape Beta, Topaz & Ruby Roads, Ortigas Center, 1605 Pasig City, PHILIPPINES email: ops@carejetassist.com tel: +63 2 226 6911 website: www.carejetassist.com

Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY tel: fax:

Global Assistance & Healthcare

+49 211 301805-0 +49 211 301805-21

email: website:

info@drkassistance.com www.drkassistance.com

EgyCross Assistance

Alain Durand – President Director

Dr. Hany Benyamen – CEO

Cibis Nine, 5th Fl, Jalan TB. Simatupang No. 2, Cilandak – Pasar Minggu, Jakarta 12560, INDONESIA tel: +62 21 299 78 999 email: global@global-assistance.net fax: +62 21 299 78 9555/66 website: www.global-assistance.net

Av. del General Perón, 25 . Planta 10 F, 28020 Madrid, SPAIN tel: tel:

Global Assistance Partners Co.,Ltd.

+34 910 602 414 +20 100 6222 910

email: website:

ecanetwork@egycross-assistance.com www.egycross-europe.com

Eurocross Turkey

Gna KH CHUNG – CEO

Mehtap Baylam Akkaya – CEO

412 Vabien III, 86, TongIl-ro,Jung-gu, Seoul 04517, REPUBLIC OF KOREA +82 1670 0722 +82 2 720 8839

+33 438 49 83 49 +33 438 49 83 40

DRF Luftrettung / German Air Rescue

Gloria Lee Carmen V. Matti – CEO

tel: fax:

assist@assist-ukraine.com assist-ukraine.com

email: website:

Carole Luisy – Managing Director

5th Floor, 106 Ton Due Thang street, Quae Tu Giam ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi, VIETNAM +84 915 618 860

+38044 251 28 11 +38044 239 90 56

CNAS

Nick Wongkuan – Director of Finance and Business Development

tel:

natalya@ap-companies.ru www.ap-companies.ru

Andrey ZIMIN – Director

Viphavadi Tower 15th floor, 51/3 Ngamwongwan Road, Ladyao, Chatchuchak, 10900 Bangkok, THAILAND +66 2 056 1800

email: website:

AU International Service / ASSIST UKRAINE

Asian Assistance – Thailand

tel:

+7 495 989 1120 +7 495 989 1130

email: website:

Altunizade Mahallesi, Ord. Prof. Fahrettin Kerim Gökay Caddesi, Eşref Çakmak Plaza, No:32 Kat:3 34662 Üsküdar, İstanbul, TURKEY tel: +90 216 265 15 25 email: int@eurocrossturkey.com.tr website: www.eurocrossturkey.com.tr fax: +90 216 265 15 65

operations@globalassistance.co.kr www.globalassistance.co.kr

Global Doctor China

To have your company listed in our service directory

Regina Zheng – Operations Manager Unit 808/811, Level 8, No.88, Bai Zi Wan Nan Er Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, P.R.,100022 CHINA tel: +86 10 5815 1188 Ext. 812 email: regina@globaldoctor.com.au fax: +86 10 8775 9138 website: www.globaldoctor.com.au

contact the sales department now: sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1) 38

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

Ing. Marek Jaroš – General Manager Dopraváku 749/3, 18400 Prague 8, CZECH REPUBLIC tel: fax:

+420 266 799 770 +420 266 799 797

ops@1220.cz www.1220.cz

email: website:

Global Voyager Assistance - Black Sea Oxana Razorenova – General Manager 77-79 Nezhinskaya Str., 65023, Odessa, UKRAINE tel: fax:

+38 048 7373 441 +38 048 7373 442

gmbs@gvassistance.com www.gvassistance.com

email: website:

ASSISTANCE COMPANIES (EUROPE)

Global Assistance a.s.

Global Voyager Assistance - Russia

Savitar Group Ltd. Maria Berkova – General Manager 3rd floor, entrance #4, 20/3 Bolshoy Karetniy lane, Moscow, 127051, RUSSIA tel: +7 495 987 1775 email: svg@savitar-gr.com fax: +7 495 987 1776 website: www.savitar-gr.com

Semesur Assistance Eugenio Crenes – General Manager Paseo de la Castellana 18, 7ª Planta, 28046 Madrid, SPAIN +34 911 010 470 +34 902 001 410

tel: fax:

Costas Danilenko – CEO

Jane Hegeler – Managing Director

PO Box II, 125124 Moscow, RUSSIA

54 Melita Street, Valetta, VLT 1122, MALTA

tel: fax:

info@semesur.com www.semesur.com

email: website:

Tangiers International

+7 495 775 0999 +7 495 775 0998

cdanilenko@gvassistance.com www.gvassistance.com

email: website:

+356 277 800 16 +356 2720 5500

tel: fax:

IFRA Assistance GmbH – Austria

email: website:

info@tangiersinternational.com www.tangiersinternational.com

TBS Team 24 d.o.o

Mr. Christian Steindl M.D. – CEO

Edvard Hojnik – General Manger

IFRA Assistance GmbH, Schießstattring 21, A-3100 St. Pölten, AUSTRIA

CROATIA, SLOVENIA, SERBIA, MNE, BH, KOS, MAC

tel: fax:

+43 (0) 2742 49 11 +43 (0) 27 42 89165

email: website:

+386 2616 5819 +386 2618 5800

tel: fax:

office@ifra.at www.ifra.at

Inchcape Medical & Assistance Services

email: website:

info@tbs-team24.com www. tbs-team24.com

Tyrol Air Ambulance

Mara Mytilineou – Operations Manager

Manfred Helldoppler – Managing Director

3, Agiou Dionysiou street, 18545 Piraeus, GREECE

Fuerstenweg 180, A-6026 Innsbruck-Airport, AUSTRIA

tel: fax:

(+30) 210 42 24 805 (+30) 211 79 07 790

Intana Global

email: website:

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

enquiries@intana-global.com www.intana-global.com

Interamerican Assistance S.A. Inez Tissink – Coordinator International Activities Syngrou Avenue 350,17680 Kallithea, Athens, GREECE email: website:

tissinki@interamerican.gr www.interamerican.gr

Malteser Service Center

email: website:

Christian Deloughery – CEO Unit 4G, Gold Tower, JLT, Dubai, PO Box 128538, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES tel: +971 52 490 4258 email: cdeloughery@assistancegroup.ae website: www.assistancegroup.ae

CONNEX Assistance JLT #204 Gold Crest Executive Tower, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES tel: +97 14 368 36 25 email: dubai@connexassistance.com fax: +97 14 420 49 12 website: www.connexassistance.com

Erna-Scheffler-Strasse 2, 51103 Köln, GERMANY +49 221 98 22 9333 +49 40 694597 61339

Assistance Group Menasa

Lara Helmi – International Network Director

Johannes Hoischen – International Network and Repatriation

tel: fax:

taa@taa.at www.taa.at

contact the sales department now:

6 Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4YE, UK

(+30) 210 94 61 750 (+30) 210 94 61 004

email: website:

To have your company listed in our service directory

Denise Groom – Head of Commercial

tel: fax:

+43 512 22422 100 +43 512 288 888

tel: fax:

assistance@iss-shipping.com www.iss-assistance.com

email: website:

(MIDDLE EAST)

(EUROPE)

ASSISTANCE COMPANIES

SERVICE DIRECTORY

ambulance@malteser.org www.malteser-service-center.de

Fakeeh International

Marm Assistance

Dr. Fatih Mehmet GUL – Executive Director

Mahmut Kadirbeyoglu – CEO

Palestine Street, Al Hamra District P.O. Box 2537 21461, JEDDAH/SAUDI ARABIA tel: 00966 12 6603080 email: ops@fakeehinternational.com website: www.fakeehinternational.com

AirPort Plaza, Ankara Caddesi, No:486, Kurtkoy 34912, Istanbul, TURKEY tel: fax:

+90 216 560 07 24 +90 216 560 07 07

email: website:

marm@marm.com.tr www.marmassistance.com

GORAL ASSISTANCE LTD

Medicall AG Markus Detel – Manager International Network

Marcel Kadoche – International Network and Development Manager

Zurichstrasse 38, CH-8306 Bruttisellen, SWITZERLAND

Maskit 27 str. Herzeliya Industrial Park 46733, ISRAEL

tel:

+41 44 655 16 67

email: website:

tel: fax:

mservices@medicall.ch www.medicall.ch

+972 9 9579930 +972 9 9579931

email: website:

info@goralassist.com www.goralassist.com

IRAN ASSISTANCE

MRI Assist Denise Rogers – Network Manager

Ashkan Lahiji – International Network Manager

C/Porto Pi, 8. 07015 Palma de Mallorca SPAIN

No 24,SOS building,15th Street, Gandi Avenue, Tehran,15175, IRAN

tel: fax:

+34 971 919 244 +34 971 919 255

email: website:

tel: fax:

info@medicalresponse.es www.mri-assist.com

+98-21-88648620 - 24 +98-21-88648502

email: website:

operation@iranassistance.com www.iranassistance.com

SWAN INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE – MUTUAL CARE

Save Assistance France

Mr. Joseph Akiki – CEO

Thomas Blanchet – Key Account Manager / Responsable Grands Comptes 6 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, Le Campus, Bat. B1, 78180 Montigny-Le-Bretonneux., FRANCE tel: +33 (0)13062 6752 email: blanchet@saveassistance.com 24 tel: +33 (0)13062 1122 website: www.saveassistance.com

P.O. Box 2265 Jounieh, Lebanon tel 24/7: fax:

39

+961 9 224 008/009 +961 9 224 010

email: website:

request@swanassistance.com www.swanassistance.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Active Care Management Paul Schlosser – Client Relationship Manager 3600 Rhodes Dr., Windsor, ON, N8W 5A4, CANADA tel: fax:

+519 945 8256 ext.4111 +519 251 5165

pschlosser@active-care.ca www.active-care.ca

email: website:

AIG Travel Jim Koziol – General Manager, North America 3330 Business Park Drive, Stevens Point WI 54482, USA tel:

+1 715 295 9105

email: website:

jim.koziol@aig.com aig.com/travel

CLAIMS MANAGEMENT

ASSISTANCE COMPANIES (NORTH AMERICA)

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

Claims at TuGo Taka Katsube – Director Assistance & Cost Managment 10th Floor, 6081 No.3 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2B2, CANADA tel: fax:

tkat@tugo.com www.tugo.com

email: website:

Eurocross Turkey Mehtap Baylam Akkaya – CEO Altunizade Mahallesi, Ord. Prof. Fahrettin Kerim Gökay Caddesi, Eşref Çakmak Plaza, No:32 Kat:3 34662 Üsküdar, İstanbul, TURKEY tel: +90 216 265 15 25 email: int@eurocrossturkey.com.tr website: www.eurocrossturkey.com.tr fax: +90 216 265 15 65

Global Assistance & Healthcare

ASSIST CARD Federico Tarling – Chief Service Officer

Alain Durand – President Director

ASSIST-CARD Building, 175 South West 7th Street, Suite 2407, Miami, FL 33130, USA tel: +1 305 381 9959/69 email: federico.tarling@assistcard.com toll free: +1 800 874 2223 website: www.assistcard.com

Cibis Nine, 5th Fl, Jalan TB. Simatupang No. 2, Cilandak – Pasar Minggu, Jakarta 12560, INDONESIA tel: +62 21 299 78 999 email: global@global-assistance.net fax: +62 21 299 78 9555/66 website: www.global-assistance.net

CanAssistance

Global Excel Management John Spears – VP Business Development & Marketing

Fabienne Lavoie – Director, International Operations and Claims 550 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite B-9, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 3S3, CANADA tel: +1 514 286 7707 email: fabienne.lavoie@canassistance.com fax: +1 514 286 8413 website: www.canassistance.com

73 Queen St, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C9, CANADA tel: fax:

+1 819 566 8833 +1 819 566 8447

corpinfo@globalexcel.com www.globalexcel.com

email: website:

Intana Global

GORAL ASSISTANCE CANADA INC. David Ohayon – Local Manager

Denise Groom – Head of Commercial

2155 Vincent St, Montreal, QC H4M 1M6, CANADA

6 Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4YE, UK

tel: fax:

+1 514 448 1343 +1 514 448 1835

email: website:

enquiries@intana-global.com www.intana-global.com

email: website:

info@goralassist.ca www.goralassist.com

New Frontier Group

MD ABROAD Ignacio C. Marquez – COO

Gitte Bach – President and CEO

2999 NE 191st Street, Suite 608, Aventura, Florida, USA

1024 Bayside Drive, Suite 144, Newport Beach, California, 92660-7462, USA

tel: fax:

+1 (786) 475-5475 +1 718 847 0533

email: website:

tel: fax:

operations@mdabroad.com www.mdabroad.com

+1 949 429 7130 +1 949 666 6520

Bach@NewFrontierGroup.com www.newfrontiergroup.com

email: website:

Star Healthcare Network, Inc.

SunMed International, LLC Dra. Kinyi Haber – Medical Director. VP International Operation

Gigi Galen Grobstein – President

2000 NW 89th Place. Miami FL 33172, UNITED STATES

120 Bloomingdale Road, Suite #304, White Plains, NY 10605, USA

tel: fax:

+1 786 888 6792 +1 786 551 0763

email: website:

khaber@sunmedint.net www.sunmedint.net

tel: fax:

TMCA Group Corp

email: website:

Ggalen@starhealthcarenet.com www.starhealthcarenet.com

contact the sales department now: sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1) Global Excel Management John Spears – VP Business Development & Marketing 73 Queen St, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C9, CANADA +1 819 566 8833 +1 819 566 8447

email: website:

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

Crystal@tmcatravel.com www.tmcatravel.com

corpinfo@globalexcel.com www.globalexcel.com

COST CONTAINMENT (AFRICA)

+1 646 398 9021 +1 646 398 9025

To have your company listed in our service directory

tel: fax:

email: website:

contact the sales department now:

217 Broadway Suite 608, New York, New York 10007, USA tel: fax:

+ 1 914 358 9121 + 1 914 358 9206

To have your company listed in our service directory

Crystal Wharton – President

New Frontier Group

(EUROPE)

CATASTROPHIC CLAIMS SPECIALISTS

+1 604 303 2113 +1 604 276 4593

Gitte Bach – President and CEO 1024 Bayside Drive, Suite 144, Newport Beach, California, 92660-7462, USA tel: +1 949 429 7130 email: Bach@NewFrontierGroup.com fax: +1 949 666 6520 website: www.newfrontiergroup.com

AIMS Bernadette Breton – Chief Executive Officer AIMS House, 3 West St, Bryanston 2191, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA tel: +00 27 11 783 0135 email: operations@aims.org.za fax: +00 27 11 783 2950 website: www.aims.org.za

Medical Services Organisation (MSO) Brenda Durow – General Manager - Assistance PO Box 1578, Gallo Manor, 2052, SOUTH AFRICA tel: fax:

+27 (0)11 259 5403 +27 (0)11 259 5001

assistance@mso.co.za www.mso.co.za

24hr email: website:

AP Companies Natalya Butakova – Business Development Manager 17 Varshavskoye Shosse, Moscow 117105, RUSSIA tel: fax:

+7 495 989 1120 +7 495 989 1130

email: website:

natalya@ap-companies.ru www.ap-companies.ru

ChargeCare International

Plotkin Health Inc – A Subsidiary of MacroHealth LP Shaun A. Plotkin BA (Uvic), LLB (Monash), GDLP – President

Mary-Jo McDonald (MJ) – Managing Director

27-3088 Francis Road, Richmond, British Columbia V7C 5V9, CANADA

Sanderum Centre, 30a Upper High Street, Thame, OX9 3EX, UK

tel: fax:

+1 604 241 9639 +1 604 241 0733

email: website:

shaun@plotkinconsulting.com www.plotkinconsulting.com

tel: fax:

40

+44 1865 400 007 +44 845 003 1351

email: website:

contact@chargecare.net www.chargecare.net

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

(NORTH AMERICA)

Eurocross Turkey Mehtap Baylam Akkaya – CEO Altunizade Mahallesi, Ord. Prof. Fahrettin Kerim Gökay Caddesi, Eşref Çakmak Plaza, No:32 Kat:3 34662 Üsküdar İstanbul, TURKEY tel: +90 216 265 15 25 email: int@eurocrossturkey.com.tr website: www.eurocrossturkey.com.tr fax: +90 216 265 15 65

Marm Assistance Mahmut Kadirbeyoglu – CEO AirPort Plaza, Ankara Caddesi, No:486, Kurtkoy 34912, Istanbul, TURKEY tel: fax:

+90 216 560 07 24 +90 216 560 07 07

marm@marm.com.tr www.marmassistance.com

email: website:

FUNERAL DIRECTORS

COST CONTAINMENT (EUROPE)

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Global Excel Management

Petar Chernaev – Manager 1 Gevgeliiski, Sofia 1309, BULGARIA +359 882 52 9557

tel:

email: website:

office@extremecare.eu www.extremecare.eu

Flying Home Pte Ltd Mr Ang Ziqian – Director Blk 4 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh #01-1345A, SINGAPORE +65 6253 0001 +65 6353 5801

tel: fax:

email: website:

enquiry@flyinghome.com www.flyinghome.com

Funeral Home AURIGA Ltd.

John Spears – VP Business Development & Marketing

Helena Sulikova – Chief of International Department

73 Queen St, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C9, CANADA

B. Nemcové Street 1052/1, 412 01 Litomerice, CZECH REPUBLIC

+1 819 566 8833 +1 819 566 8447

tel: fax:

corpinfo@globalexcel.com www.globalexcel.com

email: website:

tel: fax:

Global Medical Management

+420 724 257 899 +420 416 732 582

repatriations@pohrebni-auriga.cz www.funeral-assistance.cz

email: website:

Funeralia

Raija Itzchaki – COO

Oleg Antoni Milinski – Funeral Director

880 SW 145th Ave., Suite 400, Pembroke Pines, FL, 33027, USA

80061 MASSA LUBRENSE (NA), via Titigliano 4, ITALY

+1 954 370 6404 +1 954 370 8613

tel: fax:

info@gmmi.com www.gmmi.com

email: website:

tel:

MD ABROAD

+39 331 109 4168

email: website:

Funeralia.org@gmail.com www.funeralia.org

FUNERARIA OFFICIA ROBERTO ZEGA - Worldwide Repatriations Specialist Ignacio C. Marquez – COO

Cristina Zega – Repatriations Manager

2999 NE 191st Street, Suite 608, Aventura, Florida, USA

Via Clelia, 26 / 28 - 00181 Roma, ITALY

tel: fax:

+ 1 (786) 475-5475 +1 718 847 0533

email: website:

operations@mdabroad.com www.mdabroad.com

tel: fax:

New Frontier Group

0039 06 78 40 300 0039 06 78 02 488

email: website:

info@zega.it www.zega.it

G7 Mortuary Shipping - Latin-American Funeral Assistance

Gitte Bach – President and CEO

Christian Correa – Operations Director

1024 Bayside Drive, Suite 144, Newport Beach, California, 92660-7462, USA +1 949 429 7130 +1 949 666 6520

tel: fax:

Zona Franca Local 110, Rionegro, Antioquia, COLOMBIA & USA

Bach@NewFrontierGroup.com www.newfrontiergroup.com

email: website:

tel: tel:

Penfield Care

+1 203 343 8111 +57 4 562 1142

email: website:

info@g7ms.com www.g7ms.com

Rowland Brothers International Ltd. Mr Stephen Zatylny – President

Fiona Greenwood – Operations Director

A1-130 Terence Matthews Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario, K2M 0J1, CANADA

299-305 Whitehorse Road, West Croydon, Surrey CR0 2HR, UK

+1 613 703 9861 +1 819 200 0281

tel: fax:

info@penfieldcare.com www.penfieldcare.com

email: website:

tel: fax:

Plotkin Health Inc – A Subsidiary of MacroHealth LP

+44 20 8684 2324 +44 20 8684 8000

email: website:

info@rowlandbrothersinternational.com www.rowlandbrothersinternational.com

Singapore Casket Company (Pte) Ltd – Worldwide Repatriation

Shaun A. Plotkin BA (Uvic), LLB (Monash), GDLP – President

Calvin Tang

27-3088 Francis Road, Richmond, British Columbia V7C 5V9, CANADA

131 Lavender Street, Singapore, 338737, SINGAPORE

+1 604 241 9639 +1 604 241 0733

tel: fax:

shaun@plotkinconsulting.com www.plotkinconsulting.com

email: website:

tel: fax:

GROUND TRANSPORT - MEDICAL

Star Healthcare Network, Inc. Gigi Galen Grobstein – President 120 Bloomingdale Road, Suite #304, White Plains, NY 10605, USA + 1 914 358 9121 + 1 914 358 9206

tel: fax:

CRITICAL CARE PATIENT TRANSPORT

Extreme Care Repatriation

email: website:

Ggalen@starhealthcarenet.com www.starhealthcarenet.com

European Air Ambulance Patrick Schomaker – Director Sales & Marketing Luxembourg Airport, B.P.24, L-5201, Sandweiler, LUXEMBOURG 24hr tel: fax:

+352 26 26 00 +352 26 26 01

email: website:

alert@air-ambulance.com www.air-ambulance.com

Malteser Service Center

+65 6293 4388 +65 6296 5993

email: website:

customerservice@singaporecasket.com.sg www.singaporecasket.com.sg

Gateway International EMS

Oliver L. Müller – Managing Director 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington DC, 20003, USA tel: fax:

+1-202-499-2294 +1-201-205-2239

email: website:

oliver.mueller@gateway-ems.com www.gateway-ems.com

GroundMed Australia Matthew Kline & Mark Wardrop – Executive Directors Hangar 650 Drover Road, Bankstown Airport. NSW, Sydney, AUSTRALIA 2200 tel: +61 2 8700 0685 email: ops@airmed.com.au fax: +61 2 8700 0663 website: www.airmed.com.au

LifeMed Worldwide

Johannes Hoischen – International Network and Repatriation

24/7 Chauffeured Transportation & Ground Ambulance

Erna-Scheffler-Strasse 2, 51103 Köln, GERMANY

990 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 502 Miami, FL 33132, USA

tel: fax:

+49 221 98 22 9333 +49 40 694597 61339

email: website:

tel:

ambulance@malteser.org www.malteser-service-center.de

+1-305-501-2009

email: website:

ops@lifemedworldwide.com www.lifemedworldwide.com

One Call Medical Transport

Skyservice Air Ambulance David Ewing – Senior Vice President, Global Markets

24 Hour Worldwide Ground Transports

Montreal/PE Trudeau Int Airport, 9785 Avenue Ryan, Montreal (Quebec), H9P 1A2, CANADA tel: +1 514 497 7000 email: alert@skyservice.com fax: +1 514 636 0096 website: www.skyserviceairambulance.com

3815 E Main St., Suite C St. Charles, IL 60174, USA tel: fax:

41

+1 630 444 2100 +1 630 823 2900

email: email:

ops@ocmt.com www.ocmt.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Acıbadem Healthcare Group Berna Gür – International Network Supervisor Fahrettin Kerim Gökay Cad. No:49 34662 Altunizade İstanbul, TURKEY tel: 0090 530 9768398 email: website:

ops@acibadem.com.tr www.acibademinternational.com

Anatolia Hospital Dr. Irfan Erdogan – General Coordinator Caybasi Mh 1352 Sk No 12 , 07100 Antalya, TURKEY +90 242 249 33 00 +90 242 311 67 78

tel: fax:

drirfan@anatoliahospital.com www.anatoliahospital.com

email: email:

Broward Health International Manuela Pujals – Manager Business Development 1608 SE 3rd Avenue, Ste 503-B, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33316, USA +1 954 767 5587 +1 954 888 3874

tel: fax:

email: email:

MPujals@browardhealth.org Sbaig@browardhealth.org

Jackson Memorial Hospital International Dominick Destefano – Associate Director of Sales 1500 NW 12th Avenue, Suite 829 East, Miami, FL 33136, USA +305-355-1211 +305-355-5545

tel: fax:

email: website:

MEDICAL ESCORT ON COMMERCIAL AIRLINES

HOSPITALS

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GlobalMed International Gert Muurling – CEO & Medical Director Auf Roedern 7c, 56283 Pfaffenheck, GERMANY info@globalmed-international.com www.globalmed-international.com

email: website:

LIFESUPPORT Air Medical Services Graham Williamson – CEO VANCOUVER – CALGARY – TORONTO – FRANKFURT +1 250 947 9641 +1 877 288 2908

tel: fax:

Medical Wings

email: website:

graham.williamson@LifeSupportTransport.com www.LifeSupportTransport.com

Dr.Sura Jaidwatee, M.D. – Medical Flight Manager 222 Don Mueang International Airport Office Building 3rd Floor, Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Sanambin, Don Mueang, Bangkok 10210, THAILAND 24h tel: +662 247 3392 email: m.w@medicalwings.com fax: +662 535 4734 website: www.medicalwings.com

Prime Nursing Care, Inc.

Franziska Hollenstein – CEO / Founder 1918 Harrison Street, Suite 215, Hollywood, Florida, 33020, USA + 1 754 999 0460 + 1 754 222 5051

24/ 7 tel: fax:

Dominick.destefano@jhsmiami.org www.jmhi.org

email: website:

www.primenursingcare.com contact@primenursingcare.com

PARKVIEW AIR MEDICAL

Luz Saúde SA

Graham Mitchell – President

Eve Jokel, MPH – International Director

#11 Zina Street, Orangeville, (Ontario) L9W-1E2, CANADA

Rua Carlos Alberto da Mota Pinto, 17-9.º 1070-313 Lisboa, PORTUGAL email: website:

Sharp Global Patient Services Jacquie Schwoerke – Vice President, Sharp GPS 8695 Spectrum Center Blvd., San Diego, CA 92123, USA toll free: tel:

+1 888-265-1513 +1 858-499-4967

email: website:

Sharp.GlobalPatientServices@sharp.com www.sharp.com

Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director Wilson Airport, Langata Road, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA tel: fax:

+254 20 6000 090 +254 20 344 170

email: website:

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

Jose B. Gardens P.A CHE – President/C.E.O 5201 Blue Lagoon Drive, 8th Floor, Miami, FL 33126, USA

136 W. Dickinson Street, Suite 109, San Diego, CA 92103-8222, USA email: website:

repat@parkviewairmedical.com http://www.parkviewairmedical.com

AMREF Flying Doctors

Larry Baker – Managing Director

+1 619 471 0466 +1 619 543 5282

email: website:

Doctors At Your Home Inc.

UC San Diego Health System International Patient Program

tel: fax:

1 519 942 8143 1 519 941 4213

tel: fax:

intlpatientservices@luzsaude.pt luzsaude.pt/en

MEDICAL PROVIDER

+351 213 138 260 +351 213 530 292

tel: fax:

lbaker@ucsd.edu health.ucsd.edu/international

We Send the Doctor to You®

toll free: tel:

+1 888 933 3305 +1 305 629 3612

email: website:

corporate@doctorsatyourhome.com www.doctorsatyourhome.com

To have your company listed in our service directory

contact the sales department now:

contact the sales department now:

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

AC Global Medical Transports

Milan Floribus – President 8775 Aero Drive, Ste 120, San Diego, CA 92123, USA +1 858 437 5131 +1 858 408 7856

tel: fax:

email: website:

milanfloribus@gmail.com acglobalmedicaltransports.com

AirMed Australia

TECHNOLOGY

To have your company listed in our service directory

Hangar 650 Drover Road, Bankstown Airport. NSW, Sydney, AUSTRALIA 2200 tel: +61 2 8700 0685 email: ops@airmed.com.au fax: +61 2 8700 0663 website: www.airmed.com.au

AMREF Flying Doctors Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director Wilson Airport, Langata Road, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA tel: fax:

+254 20 6000 090 +254 20 344 170

email: website:

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

212 King Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M5H 1K5 CANADA tel:

email: website:

+1 (416) 646 6401 ext. 2392

bloder@cambridgefx.com www.cambridgefx.com

Firemelon (Magenta Insurance System)

tel:

02895 213 831

email: website:

david.corney@firemelon.com www.firemelon.com

email: website:

marc@voyageur.co.uk www.voyageur24.com

Voyageur Aeromedical Travel Marc Banting – Director 19 Lower Park Row, Bristol, UK tel: fax:

+44 (0)117 921 0401 +44 (0)845 384 7008

To have your company listed in our service directory

Patrick Schomaker – Director Sales & Marketing

contact the sales department now:

Luxembourg Airport, B.P.24, L-5201, Sandweiler, LUXEMBOURG +352 26 26 00 +352 26 26 01

Brad Loder – VP Marketing & Corporate Sponsorships

40-42 Lisburn Road, Belfast,BT9 6AA, NORTHERN IRELAND

European Air Ambulance

24hr tel: fax:

Cambridge Global Payments

David Corney – Managing Director

Matthew Kline & Mark Wardrop – Executive Directors

TRAVEL AGENTS

MEDICAL ESCORT ON COMMERCIAL AIRLINES

+49 6742 897 425 +49 3212 100 5018

tel: fax:

email: website:

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

alert@air-ambulance.com www.air-ambulance.com

42

ON THE MOVE

Sedgwick creates new UK leadership team Following its acquisition of Cunningham Lindsey, Sedgwick, a global provider of technology-enabled business solutions for risk and benefits services, has created a new leadership team for its combined UK business operations, appointing Ian Muress, Stewart Steel and Paul White.

Ian, Sedgwick’s CEO, International, will be based in London, and will provide executive oversight for all business operations outside the US and Canada. Before joining Sedgwick, he was CEO of international operations for a major global adjusting firm.

He will be supported by Stewart, who will take on the role of CEO, UK. Since 2009, Stewart has been responsible for the leadership and direction of the UK operations of Sedgwick company Vericlaim; he brings more than 35 years’ experience in the loss adjusting business to the role.

Following nine years as COO of Cunningham Lindsey, Paul joins Sedgwick as COO, UK. He previously held various roles at a Londonbased insurance services firm, overseeing

Capital Air Ambulance are recruiting a Business Development Executive to support their growth strategy

operations management, strategic planning and the due diligence and implementation planning related to acquisitions.

“As we expand our global operations with a growing footprint, improved capabilities and broader technical resources, our focus remains clearly on our clients,” said Ian, “and we are pleased to have veterans like Stewart and Paul leading our UK operations in delivering outstanding service to clients.

I look forward to working with them and the rest of the management team to ensure we capitalise on the opportunities in the market and enhance services and value for our customers and industry partners.”

ROLE OVERVIEW Capital Air Ambulance (CAA) - The UK’s No 1 provider of fixed wing air ambulance services provides global medical assistance and repatriation flights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year from our UK bases at Birmingham and Exeter Airports.

Ian Muress

This varied role would suit someone looking for the perfect balance of winning new business and building lasting relationships.

Stewart Steel

New insurance and assistance appointments at Collinson Insurance and assistance provider Collinson Group has announced the appointments of Marianne Stevens and Michelle Elmore to its Accident and Health team, joining respectively as Head of Underwriting and Head of Business Development.

A technical pricing professional, Marianne joins Collinson from Bupa Global, where she served in various technical pricing and actuarial roles and has ‘a deep understanding of the IPMI market’, according to Collinson. In her new role, she will lead the Accident and Health underwriting team and take responsibility for underwriting performance within the Accident and Health portfolio.

“I am thrilled to be joining a company that is able to combine traditional international health insurance knowledge with an impressive track record in designing and delivering bespoke client solutions,” said Marianne. “In a world where instant access, greater security and comprehensive solutions are expected, Collinson is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful impact in the lives of our clients.”

Michelle comes to Collinson from health tech startup Ada Health, where she made

use of technological solutions to develop personalised healthcare propositions. At Collinson, she will take on responsibility for identifying growth opportunities in selected international territories.

“It is a really exciting time for healthcare companies to deliver contemporary solutions, especially by harnessing technology,” said Michelle. “The most agile and forward thinking of these have the opportunity to revolutionise the way health insurance is delivered and consumed. Collinson is in a fantastic position to incorporate a variety of solutions – from loyalty to travel experiences and personalised insurance products – to address today’s new international healthcare consumers.”

Marianne Stevens & Michelle Elmore

Our credo: To offer customers worldwide expert help when they need it most This is an exciting opportunity to join the aeromedical brand of Rigby Group’s aviation division as a Business Development Executive and play a part in leveraging Capital’s worldwide reach in high quality air ambulance service provision. Dynamic and committed, the successful candidate will drive growth across our brand by retaining, growing and developing opportunities with our current customer base and through the development of new revenue opportunities.

CANDIDATE OVERVIEW • A sound understanding of the travel insurance market • Ability to deliver the highest level of customer service to our clients • Proven track record of achieving sales goals in a B2B environment • Degree qualified or equivalent level experience • Excellent oral and written communication skills and an ability to influence others internally and external • Demonstrated ability to perform well in a highly dynamic, rapidly changing environment • An ability to problem-solve

OUR BENEFITS The opportunity to join a passionate, innovative and forward-thinking firm; • Competitive salary and an encouraging and rewarding commission structure plus benefits package, including 22 days holiday, rising to 25 days after 3 years, private healthcare, a contributory pension and company car • Agile Working - the possibility of working from home and/or remotely ABOUT US As part of the aviation portfolio of businesses for the Rigby Group PLC, Capital Air Ambulance (www.capitalairambulance.co.uk) celebrated 25 years of business in 2017. We are the UK’s largest EURAMI accredited air ambulance operator.

Should you be interested in applying for this position, please forward a copy of your CV to Tracey Canning at Tracey.Canning@scc.com or should you have any questions regarding the position, Tracey can also be contacted on 0121 766 2600

LIIBA names Roy White as Chair Roy White, Chairman of UK Specialties at Marsh, has been announced as the new Chair of the London & International Insurance Brokers’ Association (LIIBA). He succeeds Andrew Agnew of Arthur J Gallagher Ltd, and will serve a term lasting two years.

“I am honoured to be taking on this role at what is such a pivotal time for the insurance industry,” said Roy. “LIIBA’s mission is to ensure that London remains where the world wants to do business by improving its competitive position and, as Chair, I will

continue to champion our key priorities.

Making London an easier place to do business is critical; we need to reduce our reliance on paper, while maintaining faceto-face negotiations with insurers for which this market is renowned. A key part of this is embracing electronic placement, and we are determined to see PPL become the predominant distribution tool in the market by the start of 2019. I and the entire board are committed to ensuring that adoption levels grow significantly across the market.”

Roy White

Dedicated Account Management Team.

North America and Worldwide.

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2017-06-29 1:42 PM

True health risk management starts with proactive assistance before sending your patient to the ER

Contact Global Excel at corpinfo@globalexcel.com or at +1 819 566 8833

HEALTHCARE RISK MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS globalexcel.com