A quality Health Plan, in addition to serving and treating its insured patients, has the duty to be concerned with monitoring their health. An excellent way to do this is by creating a good preventive medicine program. The aim of the measure is, in addition to monitoring and knowing the health status of those served on an ongoing basis, to reduce costs and ensure the financial health of the institution.

This is because an outbreak of a certain disease would end up generating, in addition to chaos in the care and use of materials, exorbitant expenses for the healthcare company with more complex and recurring treatments.

Therefore, it is necessary to create a Preventive Medicine plan for the patients treated, aiming to monitor the patients' health and habits.

Although an investment is necessary for this planning, the benefits for healthcare providers and patients are long-term.

Preventive Medicine is very beneficial for the population as a whole and for the Government, as it prevents the increase in rates of imminent diseases, such as obesity, flu, among others, in addition to serving as a warning for the maintenance of human health.

Furthermore, it facilitates the early diagnosis and treatment of diseases that require this agility to be treated, such as cancer, for example.

Although most health plans are aware of the need to develop a preventive medicine plan, many are faced with doubts about where to start, what to take into consideration and how to apply this to their clients. Therefore, we have put together some tips that can help your operator take this important step.

Continue reading and find out how!

Epidemiological survey

It all starts with knowing who the people covered by the Health Plan are, their lifestyle habits, family history, the region in which they live, the main risks they face, the number of children, their income, etc.

This will help the health plan provider to know:

– What the patient has as a threat in their daily life to their health;

– If your habits are conducive to illnesses;

– If the region where they live has sufficient hygiene and infrastructure;

– Among other important details for defining the Health Plan.

Currently, collecting this information is even easier. Most healthcare providers use Preventive Medicine program management systems, which collect this information from the client at the time of purchasing the plan.

Some questions are quite common at this time, such as:

- Age;

– Region in which you reside;

– Number of children;

– Current health status;

- Family history;

– Life habits.

With this data in hand, the operator will be able to define which groups of people should enter the Preventive Medicine plan, taking into consideration mainly people who are more vulnerable and at risk for acquiring diseases on a daily basis.

The occurrence of a chronic disease or a delicate health history are the first to be taken into consideration when defining the group that needs preventive medicine.

This information can be filtered at certain times, depending on the type of disease that is imminent, taking into account the factors raised. An example of this is a dengue outbreak.

Someone who lives in a region with little urban infrastructure, close to rivers and lakes, close to landfills or landfills, may be part of a group that requires greater attention to control the disease.

Listen to your beneficiary

It is not only when a disease is imminent at certain times of the year or when there are outbreaks of pathologies that Preventive Medicine must act. Some health problems can be quite recurrent for their beneficiaries, and if the healthcare provider does not carry out preventive monitoring frequently, they end up not being aware of them.

A good example of this is if the vast majority of women covered by the plan have a family history of breast cancer. The operators' Preventive Medicine can invest in regular mammography exams for those served, based on a study and awareness of their needs. In this way, the areas of attention of the Preventive Medicine program are defined.

Any health plan operator can obtain this feedback through questionnaires sent to their customers, telephone calls and by monitoring their exams, consultations and history. If there is a very large number of people who have the potential to participate in the program, it is worth carrying out an initial interview to ensure the beneficiary's interest.

This is an opportunity for the operator to demonstrate that, in fact, it monitors the health of its customers and is concerned with always serving them according to their needs.

Think about the budget

For the Preventive Medicine plan to get off the ground, investment is needed. Despite sounding like an additional expense for the company, this measure will result in savings on subsequent treatments.

It is necessary to find out how much the operator has available to invest in this plan and estimate how much it will cost.

List what the average immediate costs will be for preventive exams, such as mammograms, for example. Find out how many will be done and the frequency of exams. The materials used to carry out the exam, such as gloves, gel, disposable sheets, among others, must be included in this calculation.

It will be necessary to move or even hire a team for preventive exams, which can generate personnel costs. The time that professionals will dedicate to these activities is also part of the budget. Also take into account the costs of publicizing the program, through leaflets, booklets, banners, publications and advertisements on social networks, etc.

Put it into practice

To put it into practice, it is necessary to have in hand and well segmented the groups that will be served, with their respective areas of attention defined, the service schedule according to the patients, and a well-trained team.

Everything needs to be monitored closely so that the results are effective for patients and the operator, always taking into account the importance of referral to a specialist in cases where pathologies are confirmed.

As a way to measure the success of the Preventive Medicine plan, analyze how participants adhered, the level of satisfaction among them and employees, the improvement in the health of beneficiaries, and the correct referral to specialists when necessary.

Keep your operator's financial health up to date with our medical bill management software. Access our site and find out how SAUDI can also help you in evaluating the results obtained with your implemented preventive medicine program!