SINGAPORE, 18 May 2023 – Foundation Healthcare Holdings Pte. Ltd. (“FHH”) announced today that it has entered the Hong Kong market with the implementation of Smarter Health Pte. Ltd. (“SH”)’s digital pre-authorisation platform, launched in partnership with FWD Hong Kong. SH is a wholly owned subsidiary of FHH.
FWD Hong Kong partners with SH to develop the pioneering digital pre-authorisation platform in Hong Kong, shortening the pre-authorisation application and assessment process from several weeks to as fast as one working day1. This allows FWD Hong Kong customers to experience simple, fast, paperless, and cashless claim settlement services at CUHK Medical Centre (“CUHKMC”). This initiative is fronted by FWD Group’s health & technology division.
“We are honoured to collaborate with the CUHK Medical Centre to offer professional medical treatment and nursing care services to our customers. With the support of FWD Group’s health and technology colleagues, FWD and CUHK Medical Centre have co-created Hong Kong’s first1 digital pre-authorisation platform, which offers fully digitalised pre-authorisation and payment-free medical claims services. The streamlined application process aims to provide convenience and relieve patients’ financial burdens and anxieties while ensuring timely and proper treatment with peace of mind. Looking ahead, we hope to extend our collaboration to serve more customers as we focus on changing the way people feel about insurance.” – Ken LAU, Managing Director, FWD Greater China and Chief Executive Officer, FWD Hong Kong.
“CUHKMC is pleased to collaborate with FWD Hong Kong, which facilitates quality and convenient medical services for patients through the brand-new digital platform. At CUHKMC, we have been dedicated to offering healthcare services at predictable and transparent package prices. With FWD’s digital pre-authorisation platform, transparency of medical expenses for patients is further enhanced. Meanwhile, digitalising processes can also save healthcare personnel’s time in handling paperwork, but be more focused on patients’ treatment and care, which aligns with our paperless principle.” – Dr FUNG Hong, Chief Executive Officer, CUHK Medical Centre.
“Smarter Health’s software platform and data analytics tools are designed to help healthcare providers and payors meet the growing demand for quality care while reducing costs. We believe that by leveraging the right technology and expertise, we can help make healthcare more accessible and affordable for everyone. We are honoured to partner FWD Hong Kong to launch our digital pre-authorisation platform in Hong Kong. We believe such innovation will improve FWD Hong Kong’s customer experience and eliminate waste in the interactions between hospital, doctors and insurer.”– CHOY Shook Yee, Chief Executive Officer, Smarter Health.
1 Depending on case severity and product terms and condition, the assessment may take between 1 to 4 working days
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About Foundation Healthcare Holdings Pte. Ltd. (“FHH”)
FHH is a ground-up, purpose-built, technology-enabled healthcare platform headquartered in Singapore with its sights set on the region. The vision is to design, build and operate a healthcare platform focused on creating value for patients by collaborating with all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem.
About Smarter Health Pte Ltd (“SH”)
SH provides a trusted infrastructure for data exchange between key stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem. Our “Simplify, Standardise and Systemise” approach supports the delivery and payment for healthcare services in an efficient and effective manner.
FWD Hong Kong and Macau are part of the FWD Group, a fast-growing pan-Asian life insurer with more than 10 million customers across 10 markets, including some of the fastest-growing insurance markets in the world. FWD is a top 3 life insurer by new business first year premium in Hong Kong*, and a top 1 life insurer by premium growth income in Macau**.
FWD Hong Kong has been assigned strong financial ratings by international agencies. It offers life and medical insurance, employee benefits, and financial planning. FWD Macau provides a suite of life and medical insurance products.
FWD reached its 10-year anniversary in 2023. The company is focused on making the insurance journey simpler, faster and smoother, with innovative propositions and easy-to-understand products, supported by digital technology. Through this customer-led approach, FWD is committed to changing the way people feel about insurance.
For more information about FWD Hong Kong and Macau please visit www.fwd.com.hk and www.fwd.com.mo.
* Source: Provisional Statistics on Hong Kong Long Term Insurance Business – January to December 2022, Insurance Authority of Hong Kong. The calculation combines individual and group businesses, and non-bank insurers.
** Source: Provisional Statistics of Life Insurance in Macau, January to December 2022, Autoridade Monetaria de Macau.
About CUHK Medical Centre (“CUHKMC”)
CUHKMC is a non-profit, private teaching hospital wholly owned by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). With a social mission to bridge the service gap between the public and private healthcare systems, CUHKMC is dedicated to offering quality healthcare service at affordable and transparent package fees. In line with its not-for-profit principle, all surpluses from all healthcare services will be ploughed back to the hospital for hospital development and the CUHK Faculty of Medicine for research and teaching.