Electronic GP reports – no more waiting for the post to arrive!
In order to complete an application for protection, who has had to contact the GP surgery only to be told, “we didn’t receive the report,” “the GP is on holidays” or “the report went back in the post.”
We set out to transform an age-old process that was no longer fit for purpose.
One year on since Irish Life issued our first request for an electronic Private Medical Attendants (PMA) report through SureMed, we now have received well over 450 completed reports and making great progress to remove paper and post from the protection process.
Working with Clanwilliam Health, Irish Life are the first insurer to move away from paper and post to begin requesting GP medical reports through the new secure transfer tool, SureMed.
So, what is SureMed?
SureMed is the new transfer tool that Clanwilliam Health has deployed in Ireland to allow for the secure and fast transfer of medical reports between the life insurance company and the GP surgery.
The SureMed technology has been in operation very effectively for a number of years in New Zealand and recently launched in Australia too.
The new SureMed technology has now been integrated with all three main practice management systems (PMS) in Ireland by Clanwilliam Health. All GPs now have the option to receive medical reports from Irish Life electronically straight into their Practice Management System.
It is exciting to see how well the SureMed system works, the positive feedback from GPs who have used it and the customer and broker benefits of getting a faster turnaround on medical reports. The majority of GP reports are sought on customers who have underlying medical conditions, who are most in need of protection cover.
Irish Life, through our work with Clanwilliam Health, is making the process of accessing medical evidence in these situations easier and faster for all involved.
Over the past few years, we have seen an increased demand from GP practices for pre-payment for medical reports and that, combined with completion and postal times, has frequently led to turnaround times for medical evidence extending out to four to six weeks or even longer.
- We have seen the positive impact that SureMed and electronic medical reports can have on the process for all involved.
- Once Irish Life requests an electronic report through SureMed, it lands immediately in GP practice management system
- 80% of the report is pre-populated for the GP to review and edit
- Reports can easily be passed to another GP within the practice to complete
- Time taken to complete reports by the GP has dramatically reduced, taking no more than 10 to 20 minutes
- Payment to the GP is made by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) within, on average, 7 days by Clanwilliam Health
- Once completed, report is available immediately for Irish Life to review
Results so far
We are seeing much faster turnaround times for our electronic medical reports through SureMed, with examples of cases where the medical report has been requested, completed by the GP and returned to Irish Life the same day.
We have seen over 50% of our requests for electronic reports being requested, completed and returned within ten days, thus facilitating a faster time to decision for the customer and broker with Irish Life.
| Turnaround times | % of reports |
|---|---|
0-5 days | 30% |
6-10 days | 25% |
11-20 days | 25% |
This shows what is possible, and Irish Life is taking the lead in transforming the medical evidence and protection process (using our Underwriting Submission Platform), making it easier for customers and brokers to access protection cover.
Case study - Life Term Cover
- Application submitted 20/11
- Disclosures: respiratory and mental health conditions
- Underwriting: electronic GP report requested 21/11
- GP report completed and returned 21/11
- Underwriting decision in three days
SureMed is also a win for GPs and we have received back very positive testimonials from GPs who have activated and used the system.
The Parnell Clinic – Waterford City
Dr Triona Sliney’s feedback
“Saves a lot of time and eliminates admin workload. It’s straightforward and doesn’t require much effort.”
Practice manager’s feedback
“Very smooth and efficient with no issues. It has saved us significant time on scanning and paper handling.”
Irish Life is working with Clanwilliam Health to grow the GP take-up rates in 2025 and we have ambitious plans.
What can you do? Next time you are talking to your own GP or a customer who is a GP, ask them are they using SureMed and availing of the time and security benefits it brings.
If you have any questions on SureMed, please talk to your account manager or email me.