Bupa has announced it is partnering with HealthTap to develop new healthcare solutions for its customers.
The health insurance and private healthcare company hopes to offer a “game changing combination of digital and in-person healthcare” by joining forces with US-based digital health technology business, HealthTap.
The partnership will allow Bupa’s 16.5 million customers to access HealthTap’s health operating system – called HOPES – which creates a unified personal health record.
Customers will also have access to HealthTap’s AI-driven apps, which Bupa said would “enhance speed, convenience and quality of care.”
Last year, HealthTap launched a voice-activated ‘Doctor AI’ that can be accessed through the Amazon Alexa virtual assistant.
No financial details surrounding the partnership have been revealed but Bupa Group CEO, Evelyn Bourke, said the two companies had been working together over the last year to introduce a “number of solutions for day-to-day customer needs”.
This includes customers being able to easily access doctors who are covered by Bupa insurance and connecting residents in their care homes with doctors by video chat.
“I believe our partnership with HealthTap will deliver truly innovative healthcare solutions to improve the lives of Bupa customers globally,” Bourke said.
“We have decided to partner with HealthTap because of the combination of industry-leading technology, execution, and understanding of healthcare that HealthTap brings.
“Together we bring world-leading digital health and care experiences to our customers, while saving costs, and delivering efficiencies for healthcare providers.”
Ron Gutman, HealthTap founder and CEO, added that the two companies were set to launch “a new era of interoperable, smart, and engaging healthcare.”
He added: “Together our two companies will transform healthcare around the world, and help millions everywhere live healthier, happier, longer lives.”
In a separate story, in July Digital Health News reported on a rogue Bupa employee who stole personal customer data from the company, leaving more than half a million people compromised.
The data included names, dates of birth, nationalities, and some contact and administrative details including Bupa insurance membership numbers.