Tele-health for NTUC Income policyholders tested

SINGAPORE — Some NTUC Income policyholders with chronic medical conditions could soon benefit from a free tele-health programme, with nurses and doctors supporting their recovery at home.

They will pick up abnormalities in a patient’s daily vitals, detecting issues before they become critical.

For example, if the patient’s weight increases rapidly, nurses will call to check if he or she is taking the right medication.

NTUC Income, the largest Integrated Shield Plan provider in Singapore, yesterday launched a one-year pilot programme with Philips’ healthcare arm based on the latter’s established tele-health programme.

A first in the insurance industry, the pilot programme, known as Orange Care, will involve 40 participants recently hospitalised for a heart condition, said NTUC Income’s executive vice-president Pui Phusangmook.

Every day, the participants will measure their vitals using a personal health tablet, blood pressure monitor and a weighing machine.

The data will be uploaded to a central system and monitored by doctors and nurses at the Philips Continuous Care Monitoring room during working hours.

A single nurse can support 50 patients, and up to hundreds if their conditions are less severe.

The Philips centre currently supports 160 patients in a similar tele-health programme launched in 2014 by Eastern Health Alliance and Changi General Hospital with Philips, a diversified technology company which is also involved in healthcare.

Nurses will intervene early and proactively provide support, such as by calling patients to check if their weight gain is due to drinking too much water, or accumulation of fluids that may be linked to heart failure.

The personal health tablet will also feature educational videos produced in Singapore about healthy lifestyle and medication.

Technology has been kept simple and “least intrusive”, so that patients can get used to it and stick to the habit of monitoring and managing their health, said Mr Fernando Erazo, Philips Asean Pacific’s Head of Healthcare Informatics Solutions & Services.

Noting that Singapore’s ageing population will place pressure on the already stretched healthcare resources, Mr Phusangmook said a new care model — one that is sustainable and affordable — is needed.

Orange Care can support the paradigm shift to more sustainable and preventive healthcare management for those with chronic medical conditions beyond heart disease, he added.

Geriatrician Dr Carol Tan said telehealth “plugs a gap” in the current healthcare system, since patients with chronic diseases usually see their doctors once every three months.

“The patient needs to learn how to manage his own illness ... that’s where technology comes in, and complements and enhances the care that we provide at (clinics),” she said.

Orange Care aims to give participants greater convenience, peace of mind, and empowered and sustainable care, said Mr Phusangmook.

Mr Erazo said Philips is partnering with NTUC Income to make telehealth more available and affordable in Singapore, by having more participants come on board.

The pilot programme, which will start this month and cost more than S$300,000, is by invitation only for NTUC Income policyholders.