The American Hospital Dubai, one of the region’s leading private hospitals, and NextCare, a leading third party administrator (TPA) for the insurance industry in the GCC and Mena region, have signed a new agreement.

The new agreement provides all NextCare general network (GN) cardholders across 11 countries in the Mena region with the access to the medical services of the American Hospital Dubai, while this service was previously only accessible to NextCare’s higher tier members, said a statement.
 
The American Hospital Dubai works with around 80 international and local insurance companies, directly or indirectly. Around half of all the hospital’s patients are covered by insurers, it added.

Insurers also refer complex cases from around the region to the American Hospital Dubai, as a regional centre of excellence with strong tertiary care capabilities, including The Heart Centre, and the Orthopedics and Total Joint Reconstruction Centre.
 
Peter Makowski, chief executive officer of the American Hospital Dubai, said: “At the heart of the provision of high quality private healthcare is the relationship between hospital and insurer who, together, create access to clinical services.”

“NextCare plays a critical role in facilitating this process and we warmly welcome the extension of our working relationship with the signing of this new agreement. Our aim is to create affordable access to our high quality services for patients in the local and regional community,” he said.

“The agreement will bring valuable benefits such as direct billing to a much larger community of patients, as we continue to expand our facilities and services,” he added.
 
The American Hospital Dubai was the first Joint Commission International accredited hospital in the Middle East and was also the first in the region to be awarded the ‘College of American Pathologists’ accreditation.

International accreditation provides assurance to the insurers that an institution is well managed, and insurers also undertake their own inspections of hospital facilities and actively share and support the American Hospital Dubai’s commitment to the highest quality standards.
 
Christian Gregorowicz, chief executive officer of NextCare and chief executive officer of MEA Allianz Global Assistance, said: “The Mena region health insurance landscape is evolving quickly with the introduction of mandatory insurance in the UAE for example.”

“Third party administrators such as NextCare play a critical role in supporting insurance companies and other third party payers in building a sustainable healthcare sector offering choice and quality to patients, and cost effective services for insurers,” he said.

“We are delighted to extend our relationship with the American Hospital Dubai which will provide enormous benefits to insurers, payers, and most importantly to patients in the Mena region,” he added.
 
André Daoud, chief business officer of NextCare, said: “This agreement is a major shift at both a market and an industry level which once again demonstrates NextCare’s position as a leading Third Party Administrator.”

“The extension of the existing NextCare General Network (GN) at American Hospital Dubai offers a greater population access to a greater quality of services at affordable values,” he added.  
 
NextCare is the leading Third Party Administrator (TPA) and works closely with insurance companies and other types of Payers as an administrative support. The company specialises in providing complete Health Insurance management and Third Party Administration services and solutions to Insurers and other Payers of Healthcare.

It operates through a direct and partner network of over 7,000 healthcare providers in 11 countries and more than 2 million members under management. The company administers a portfolio of over $650 million claims in value and 4 million claims in volume annually for more than 90 clients; including insurance companies and self-funded schemes, it added. – TradeArabia News Service