AMP has announced the launch of a new underwriting process it says will dramatically reduce the time taken to obtain clients’ medical information.
Named ‘TeleDr’, this new service centres around ‘doctor to doctor’ telephone contact, where key medical information is collected.
TeleDr can be used in many instances as an alternative to obtaining a written… PMAR
According to AMP, TeleDr can be used in many instances as an alternative to obtaining a written Practising Medical Attendance Report (PMAR), with the company highlighting that it takes three weeks on average to obtain medical information from doctors via a written request.
Under TeleDr, AMP utilises the services of a health care professional from the Unified Healthcare Group, who will telephone the customer’s treating doctor directly and offer to obtain the required medical information over the phone.
AMP’s Chief Underwriter, Bernadene Gordon, said “We appreciate that filling out endless medical questionnaires is time-consuming and a low-priority activity for doctors but the lengthy turnaround time was holding up the entire underwriting and application process for new customers,” said Ms Gordon, who added:
“We saw a real opportunity for AMP to complement existing processes and introduce a different method not widely used in Australia.”
The launch of TeleDr follows a successful six month pilot program and complements AMP’s existing easywrite tele and easywrite office underwriting services, where the company reports it is able to deliver immediate acceptance on nearly 40% of all insurance applications.
