In case you missed it, we launched Paycare Partners earlier this year, an official signposting service aimed at enhancing our Policyholders’ wellbeing from head to toe. We have partnered with four companies so far, each carefully selected for the specialist support services they provide (covering physical, mental and financial health), and which operate on a similar set of values and principles as our own.
One of the brilliant organisations we have on board is Medstars, an online platform aimed at helping Paycare Policyholders to find regulated and proven medical specialists, and our proud Featured Partner.
Medstars was launched by a group of senior doctors who grew increasingly concerned about what they saw to be a lack of transparency for patients in private practice. Poor regulation and confusing pricing structures were making it difficult for patients to find properly qualified, practicing and independent healthcare practitioners that they could trust. And, it wasn’t much better for practitioners either, who found that getting their particular specialisms and expertise to stand out from the crowd wasn’t always easy.
The ethos of Medstars is to help patients looking for private healthcare find outstanding specialists, who have been vetted and recommended – the sort of experts that doctors would be happy to send their friends and families to. The sharing of information online, whether it be recommendations or patient feedback, became an inspiration for the team behind Medstars, who were committed to finding a solution which would see patients able to find and connect with a regulated, reputable practitioner instantly.
Dr Mahnaz Hashmi, consultant psychiatrist and Medstars co-founder explained: “We wanted to create a curated platform where patients could easily access information about an individual practitioner, such as their specialist skills and experience, price lists and usual availability, and other reviews and recommendations so that they could easily compare with other providers. Medstars is a place where patients can go to find an expertly selected number of outstanding specialists, instead of having to scroll through pages of Google and unregulated consumer review websites, and is also somewhere where verified professionals are as committed to honesty, transparency and openness as we are.”
Kevin Rogers, CEO of Paycare, added: “Our Cash Plans are designed to help our Policyholders access a comprehensive range of healthcare services, appointments and treatments, and protect them from not only the financial costs, but prevent further ailments in the future. But, we’re passionate about so much more, and are committed to helping individuals benefit from optimum health and wellbeing on a wider scale.
“We recognised that finding a service via Google or other search engines is hard work, and when it comes to our Policyholders, we are committed to making sure that we support them in every way we can. We launched Paycare Partners as a resource tool for our Policyholders which they can use to find vital services which fall outside of our remit, but which our Partner organisations can absolutely help with – and whose values align with our very own.”
Paycare Partners is available to all Paycare Policyholders and can be accessed through the MyPaycare log in via www.paycare.org/my-paycare. Simply log in using your policy number, select Wellbeing Services and choose Paycare Partners. For more information about Medstars, visit www.medstars.co.uk