International SOS expands telehealth

The benefits, according to International SOS, include: reduced business disruption, as customers can quickly and easily access credentialed local care; regulatory and licensing compliance; extensive understanding of the health environment wherever the patient happens to be; knowledge of local medicines and their availability; the ability to provide prescriptions that can be handed in locally; full support for patients with personalised follow-up sessions and thorough management of cases; and multilingual support to refer patients to GPs, specialists or emergency practitioners where necessary.

"Teleconsultation is becoming increasingly popular,” commented Dr Neil Nerwich, Group Medical Director, Assistance at International SOS, “as the growing global workforce demands more diverse access to fast, efficient and appropriate medical care wherever they travel. This local virtualised service adds to our extensive worldwide capability ... members can be assured of the same high-quality care as they would receive in person, with local knowledge for accurate medical diagnosis and locally available medicines. As part of the service, members are assessed for teleconsultation and, should something change medically, can be quickly triaged from teleconsultation into alternative medical care if necessary, providing a leading solution to protect people and promote business resilience.”