Digital solutions for a fitter and healthier society

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The emergence of Covid-19 and the implementation in different countries of measures and restrictions to control the pandemic have speeded up the drive towards digital health services in society.

Lockdowns, restrictions on population mobility and measures to protect vulnerable people have led to the consolidation of some of the trends we had already been gradually observing in recent years.
Insurance companies have not been unaware of this new reality. In fact, the sector has long been committed to the implementation of digital tools and services in the world of healthcare.

Chats and video consultations with medical professionals, online access to any diagnostic tests conducted and their medical reports, monitoring of treatments or access to health and wellness plans are some of the services that companies have been offering to their policyholders in recent years through their main digital platforms and mobile apps.

But this is no longer enough. The health sector must continue to evolve in its transformation.

Going from a model based on the integration and aggregation of care services to an integrated and unique experience for the patient, where not only are their care and health needs met, but healthy guidelines and habits are also created to help support and prevent diseases and improve people's quality of life in the long term.

In this line, a number of innovative initiatives are being launched in the sector in which Babel is actively involved as a technology partner.

One of these initiatives is “Cuida Tu Mente” or “Care for your Mind”, a healthcare service recently launched by Sanitas which forms part of its ecosystem of digital services MiSanitas, for the support and assistance of its insured members in diseases related to mental health.

Anxiety and stress are increasingly common diseases among people, the result of a very demanding work and social environment, which has worsened in recent years as a consequence of Covid-19 and which, according to a recent study conducted by FREMAP, already account for the second group of diseases to have generated the most days of sick leave in Spain in 2021.

To mitigate the effects of this type of disorder, Sanitas has launched a digital healthcare service for insured members in which, with the support of a team of psychologists and psychiatrists, personalised therapies and healthcare pathways are defined.

To identify and assess the initial disease, Sanitas has designed a triage tool supported by artificial intelligence, which performs an early diagnosis and a first assessment and suggests a personalised therapy for each patient.

To do this it is supported and assisted by a team of medical professionals specialising in psychology and psychiatry. This initiative is a clear example of the growing concern of insurance companies regarding these types of ailments and their short and long-term health impacts.

And also of how technology and the emergence of new digital tools can help mitigate and overcome them.

New players are also emerging and investing in the healthcare sector, building on the development of new technologies.

Technology companies such as the bigtechs, specialised start-ups (healthtechs) and even important companies from other sectors (such as Telco) are committing to offering healthcare services to their clients or to creating new business models relating to health and wellness.

Partnerships such as Microsoft's with the AXA Group for the creation and launch of a health platform to simplify healthcare and allow its customers to access a fully integrated ecosystem based on the cloud capabilities of this technological giant.

Or, more recently Amazon, which already launched its Amazon Care program in 2019 and which has just partnered with the therapy company Ginger to offer its users a set of mental health services on demand, are clear examples of this commitment.

And this trend will continue for years to come. The increase in life expectancy, the consolidation of the silver economy, and technological development itself make this evolution unstoppable.

At Babel we are convinced that with technology we can continue to support our clients and build a fitter and healthier society.