AP Companies: Supporting all patients

You have been with AP Companies for over 15 years. What have been the biggest challenges for the industry in the last few years?

In the past few years the industry has faced some major challenges, including the pandemic and major geo-political events across the globe. These two factors have put a lot of pressure on the industry in many different ways and forced it to adapt quickly to the new environment or to meet new demands from patients and payers.

What do you think are the key trends shaping the industry at the moment?

I believe that new technological developments and implementations including telemedicine and virtual care as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation processes have been some of the main trends recently. Covid-19 boosted the launch and expansion of telemedicine services which have been imbedded into policy coverage terms and conditions since then, as well into the service proposition of the medical assistance companies and specialised telemedicine companies. I think the industry is still trying to find a balance for when telemedicine will be the most valuable and cost-efficient supplement to face-to-face doctor visits. Increasing costs of medical care globally, contributed by various factors, has been another issue lately. Mental health services have also been a central point of attention for the medical industry. Better coverage is being offered for the service by insurance companies, and there is also higher demand, which is recognised by both local and international employers. Young adults (18–34 years) have been the biggest users of mental health services. This includes highly vulnerable groups of students, missionaries and young professionals.

How is AP Companies positioning itself to capitalise on these trends?

AP Companies’ strategy has always been to spot current trends in the industry, understand the demand, and be flexible in order to accommodate the needs of our existing and prospective clients. Our ultimate target has always been to be where our members need us most and provide them with the type of services which would meet their needs and expectations.

AP Companies has been working on setting up some local solutions for our clients to be able to offer more customised/local support to insured members

The increasing costs of medical services have been a big concern lately. We take a holistic approach to managing medical costs for our clients, despite the overall trend of higher costs of medical care globally. We build our cost containment efforts on local expertise, years of experience in medical case management, as well as great buying power with our medical providers, which inevitably brings significant savings to our clients and they can keep their medical costs under control.

As a result of geo-political factors, AP Companies has been working on setting up some local solutions for our clients to be able to offer more customised/local support to insured members – support in local languages, and an expanded network of medical providers focusing on a patient's physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing rather than just treating diseases.

You are attending ITIC Global in Vienna. What are you hoping to get out of the conference this year?

I’m truly looking forward to ITIC Global this year, to see a number of old friends and colleagues from the industry, and to get the most recent information/inspiration on what the industry is like these days – what are the main concerns, what are the big wins, and upcoming challenges. As the event is attended by different industry players, it’s a wonderful place to come together as an industry and openly discuss our common vision and aspirations for the future of medical care accessibility and delivery.