Medical assistance specialist International SOS has pioneered global healthcare coverage for large multinational corporations
BY KENNY COYLE
International SOS was born in the mid-1980s in
response to Southeast Asia’s growing demand for international standards
of healthcare from the expatriate business and diplomatic community.
Today
the company employs over 5,000 staff, including 1,800 full-time
doctors, nurses, medics and aero-medical specialists, working across
five continents, with operating companies in 70 countries.
The
company provides day-to-day healthcare services for international
business operations and individual clients, as well as an extensive
global referral network.
Dr Jeffrey Staples, medical director,
consulting services, Asia, International SOS, says: “International SOS
is one of the early pioneers of medical travel. More than 20 years ago,
we started our aero-medical evacuation and referral business,
developing a network of thoroughly vetted preferred providers in
centres of medical excellence, and transporting patients to them.
“Medical
tourism is a fast-growing field, which appears to have significant room
for continued growth and maturation for the foreseeable future. We have
competition in the area of aero-medical transport, but no company comes
close to International SOS in the range of services we provide to
corporations, governments, insurance companies and individuals. From
emergency medical services to lifestyle and healthcare management, we
are the only company that provides an integrated solution. I am,
personally, not aware of any assistance company that is pursuing the
medical tourism field. I believe that this is currently being driven by
hospitals and (medical) travel agents.”
The company has developed its own proprietary network database, the
Service Provider Information Network (SPIN) with a list of 48,000
registered preferred providers.
SPIN is based on International
SOS’s own auditing systems, where individual practitioners and major
hospitals are assessed before becoming partner providers. The process
involves site inspections and a rigorous set of surveys and
assessments.
Aside from incorporating outside providers into
the network, International SOS also owns and operates 26 of its own
clinics in countries where international standards of medical care are
poor or non-existent. Each clinic offers primary care, diagnostic care
and round-the-clock emergency care.
“We seek the best possible
care that is locally available. That doesn’t always mean JCI-certified
hospitals or clinics as we operate in many countries where there are no
such accredited facilities. We have our own rating system that
identifies the best provider possible in each location. These can deal
with most primary healthcare needs. Then there are countries which have
clusters of world-class facilities meeting international standards. In
Asia, we have designated three such ‘centres of excellence’: Hong Kong,
Singapore and Bangkok,” says Staples.
“If a client needs a
referral to a doctor, all they need to do is call one of our Alarm
Centers, where they will be put through to one of our in-house
physicians. The SOS physician will discuss the client’s needs/concerns
and help him/her to determine the best way to proceed. If they need to
be referred to a doctor, the SOS physician will recommend the most
appropriate provider from our extensive network of preferred providers.
We can then schedule the appointment for the client, as well as help
with arrangements for transportation and accommodation. We then work
with both the preferred provider and the client to ensure that all
concerns are appropriately addressed and that the client has all the
support and follow-up that they require, both from the individual and
the corporate perspectives.”
The company’s in-house aviation
experts make the arrangements necessary to deal with any medical or
security request requiring ground or air transportation, including
medical escorts. These include arranging ground ambulances and booking
tickets for travel on scheduled airlines, to evacuation by air
ambulance, helicopter, jet or even, in situations of mass casualties,
military aircraft.
“We handle 40 patient movements per day and we
have a specialist legal department that takes care of travel liability
issues. Major airlines are concerned with passenger safety, comfort and
timing. Airlines certainly don’t want patients travelling on their
services that disturb other patients,” says Staples.
The majority
of patients will be able to walk on unassisted or, at most, be able to
go from wheelchair to seat. As long as there is a doctor’s letter
confirming the patient is fit to fly, there is rarely a problem.
However, for more serious illnesses and injuries, using scheduled airline routes may not be possible.
“If
there are stretcher cases, then rows of seats need to be blocked off,
and that takes time to arrange. There are also safety restrictions on
bringing on oxygen tanks and the like. In any case, with these more
extreme cases, we can arrange transport by our own air ambulance. These
have onboard ICU facilities.”
The company’s dedicated air
ambulances are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and are located
in Germany, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Singapore, China and Papua
New Guinea.
All the medical crews are trained in advanced
life-support techniques and aviation medicine to provide personalised
care and assistance.
Staples is keen to point out that the
company’s overall medical expertise gives it major advantages over most
firms that have set themselves up as medical-travel agents.
“Medical-travel
agents should be cautious about transporting patients, and should
always require medical clearance from a licensed physician prior to
travel. There are numerous conditions where a patient is stable on the
ground, but will be physiologically challenged in the air. If these
challenges are not anticipated correctly, significant complications can
arise in-flight. Moreover, even if a patient is stable enough for
travels, he may need additional support in-transit. Furthermore, once
the patient has been treated and is ready to return to his/her home
country, another assessment for fitness to travel must be undertaken,
and appropriate support provided.”
The company’s global reach is
such that it has secured contracts from a large number of multinational
companies, seeking expert support and assistance. “Our client list is
pretty extensive at the top end of the corporate ladder. We work with
82 percent of the Fortune 100 companies and 63 percent of the Fortune
500 companies,” Staples says.
www.internationalsos.com
