Assistance company launched by InterGlobal

International private medical (PMI) insurer InterGlobal has launched an integrated 24/7 assistance division, InterGlobal Assistance, in collaboration with New Zealand assistance specialist First Assistance  , to deliver highly personalised assistance and claims management to its 100,000 plus clients worldwide.

InterGlobal Assistance operates from centres in the UK and New Zealand to provide a 24/7 service, 365 days a year. InterGlobal’s members can call a toll-free number to access help, guidance and emergency medical assistance under their international private medical insurance policy.

Stephen Hartigan, Chief Executive, InterGlobal, says: “The acid test of an international private medical insurance plan is how it responds in an emergency. We work hard to deliver high standards of customer service and wanted to be sure that our members would receive the same standards of commitment, responsiveness and personalised service when they need immediate medical assistance. By bringing InterGlobal Assistance in-house, supported by the expertise and global reach of First Assistance with whom we have enjoyed an excellent and very successful relationship for several years, we are now fully in control of the service we deliver to our members.”

InterGlobal Assistance is the first point of contact for members when something goes wrong. The service covers all aspects of the assistance process, including advice from medical experts, arranging admittance to hospital, identifying specialists and arranging ambulances as well as medical evacuation by air ambulance or scheduled air service.

InterGlobal appointed Marie-Christine Exon-Gallé to develop and head InterGlobal Assistance. InterGlobal Assistance became operational in September 2010, and is now being launched after a period of training, system development and problem-free live operation.

Marie-Christine Exon-Gallé, Head of InterGlobal Assistance, says: “We wanted to be sure that the integration of our Assistance services within the remit of InterGlobal Assistance was fully embedded and tested before we formally launched the new service. Our systems have now been thoroughly tested, our team of assistance specialists rigorously trained, and we have been operating in a live environment for a period of 6 months, pre-launch. We are already helping around 350 InterGlobal members a month with a variety of medical emergencies and are receiving a high level of compliments for the standards of our service.”