In $100m investment, HCF launches new model for Australians to get healthy, and
stay healthy
- Web and phone access to qualified nurses and health coaches to guide health,
wellbeing and disease management plans
- Designed to bring about long-term behavioural change
- Specialist help to manage chronic diseases including diabetes and asthma
Sydney, Thursday 27 August 2009 – Not-for-profit health insurer HCF today
launched Australia’s largest online and telephone-based personalised health and
disease management service – My Health GuardianTM.
HCF’s 1.1million members will have access to qualified nurses, dieticians and exercise
physiologists to guide health, lifestyle and disease management programs tailored
to their own healthcare needs.
Representing a $100 million investment by HCF in its members, My Health Guardian
is the first service of its kind to offer comprehensive advice and support for the
full spectrum of health and lifestyle circumstances.
The service provides internationally recognised behavioural change programs to help
people quit smoking, lose weight, manage high blood pressure and cholesterol, and
improve exercise and diet, as well as specialised help to manage up to 21 chronic
illnesses including diabetes, asthma and heart disease.
“My Health Guardian caters to the growing number of Australians who are logging
on and self-diagnosing, but who are hungry for more personal interaction and specialised
advice geared to their own health and lifestyle circumstances,” said Chief Medical
Officer of HCF, Dr Andrew Cottrill.
“Trained and qualified My Health Guardian staff will be able to help people
across the spectrum of needs, from quitting smoking and losing weight through to
managing diabetes or kidney ailments,” he said.
“My Health Guardian is not a substitute for medical care but is designed
to fill the gaps between GP and hospital visits, to help members get healthy and
stay healthy.
“Early trials of the service showed that access to specialist health information
and professional support has a big impact on people trying to improve their health.
It will be particularly useful for people living in regional and rural areas, where
access to health services is an issue,” he added.
Accessed through the HCF website (www.hcf.com.au)
My Health Guardian functions as two discrete but integrated services – one
for improving health and wellbeing and another for managing chronic disease.
The health and wellbeing program allows participants to design a healthy living
plan incorporating diet, exercise and other aspects of lifestyle.
SMS and email reminders can be set for important health-related appointments such
as screen tests, GP and specialist visits, and participants can access online health
forums moderated by health specialists.
In the chronic disease program, registered nurses provide expert guidance to people
suffering from any of 21 conditions, including diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease and chronic kidney disease. This program
is designed to complement and support the care provided by a doctor.
My Health Guardian Head of Nursing, Frances Dalzell, said: “The service offers
something for everyone. For people wanting to get healthy or stay healthy, it provides
an online community, moderated by trained professionals, to share information and
experiences.
“Participants can also access programs developed by internationally renowned experts,
designed to change behaviour leading to better health. At the same time, people
with chronic conditions can seek personalised support over the phone to help manage
their condition, improving quality of life in the process,” she said.
The program will be provided by the Australian arm of Healthways, a global population
health services provider with operations elsewhere in Europe, North and South America
and India.
Designed specifically for HCF by Healthways Australia, My Health Guardian
will be managed and administered by Australian registered and qualified healthcare
professionals.
ENDS
Issued on behalf of HCF by Sefiani Communications Group. Inquiries to:
About HCF
HCF is Australia’s second-largest not-for-profit health insurer, currently covering
over one million Australians. HCF has exceeded the industry growth rate each year
for the past five years, consistently pays back more in benefits from earned contributions
than the industry average and has the best medical no-gap coverage of any major
health fund in Australia. The financial strength of HCF is supported by its strong
capital backing, and the lowest management expenses of the major funds. HCF members
benefit from an extensive branch network and access to HCF’s expanding network of
dental and eye care centres and Oral Health Program (for members outside metropolitan
Sydney). HCF Life offers innovative add-on insurance protection for illness and
accidents.
About Healthways
Healthways is a population health company providing personalised wellness, prevention
and disease management programs. Since its foundation in 1981, Healthways has been
working with and assisting governments, employers, health insurers, hospitals, doctors
and above all, individuals; to improve the effectiveness of healthcare, enhance
the fundamental care experience and reduce healthcare costs through large-scale
health programs adapted and tailored for the local health system. Globally one of
the largest providers of population health management, Healthways provides ongoing
health analysis and services for over 35 million individuals worldwide in Australia,
Europe, North and South America and India.
