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Alliance expands in managed healthcare
An ageing population and rising healthcare costs are long-term trends that Alliance Healthcare is zeroing in on as it expands its managed healthcare services business, executive chairman and CEO Barry Thng told The Business Times.
The Catalist-listed firm in January took a 55 per cent stake in home-based care startup Jaga-Me for S$3.5 million, and in May rolled out a digital health platform for corporate clients aimed at making healthcare more accessible.
Through its investment in Jaga-Me, Alliance now wants to expand its managed healthcare business further by bringing care directly to the doorsteps of patients, including the elderly. Jaga-Me’s smartphone platform connects over 500 licensed healthcare professionals to people who have chronic diseases or require post-hospitalisation care.
Alliance and Jaga-Me are working on some pilot projects with insurers to test aspects such as cost-efficiency and customer experience.
One of the cases Jaga-Me handled involved a 68-year-old female who suffered a haemorrhagic stroke and was bed-bound. Her stay in a private hospital cost an average of S$1,500 a day, translating to S$45,000 a month.
The patient was eventually moved to home-based care. Jaga-Me created a personalised care plan that included home-nursing procedures, medical care, caregiver training and home physiotherapy. Together with a domestic helper hired for assistance, the monthly cost came up to S$9,500.
BUSINESS TIMES, 3 AUG 2020
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