New hospital-private health insurer partnership to limit out of pocket costs for patients

MedTech & Diagnostics News: As cost-of-living pressures continue to impact families across Australia, a new two-year deal aims to help limit out of pocket costs for patients and support local regional communities.

St John of God Health Care Group CEO, Bryan Pyne, said the agreement with Bupa was a win for local communities and continued to provide access and choice to healthcare.

“As a not-for-profit hospital provider, we seek partnerships that help us ensure all the communities we serve have access to high quality, compassionate and patient centred private health care,” Mr Pyne said.

“Our partnership with Bupa helps provide our patients access to local doctors and surgeons at their choice of hospital. In areas like Geelong, where we have provided a maternity service for many years and is now experiencing a baby boom, we think it’s important that parents continue to have options to have their babies in a private hospital closer to home, which can reduce travel time and helps reduce some of the stress that comes with parenthood.”

This news follows the recent announcement of a joint venture between the nation’s second-largest private hospitals operator, Healthscope, and health insurer nib and US health giant Cigna, Honeysuckle Health – a first-of-its-kind five-year strategic partnership.

Bupa Health Insurance Managing Director, Chris Carroll, said the partnership with St John of God Health Care showcased how insurers and hospitals could work together to keep private health care affordable with a patient-first mindset.

He said the partnership supported Bupa to have one of the largest hospital networks of any major health fund in Australia.

“Our partnership with St John of God Health Care aims to provide our regional members with peace of mind that they can receive high value care close to their home and in their communities,” said Chris Carroll, Bupa Health Insurance Managing Director.

“We know how loyal regional and suburban communities are to their local hospitals, and we’re thrilled this partnership helps limit out of pocket costs for our members at a leading health care provider.

“Partnerships with our private hospitals helps reduce out of pocket costs, support our world-leading mixed health system and helps take pressure off our public hospitals and their waiting lists.”

Bupa’s renewed partnership with St John of God Health Care is the latest of many including Ramsay Health Care, Cabrini Health, Epworth HealthCare and Mater Health.

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