Momentum is taking healthcare to the next level

• Momentum Mobicard – your medical aid card and details on your cellphone
• Further contribution discounts, by choosing an associated GP in addition to the current hospital and chronic provider choices
• Receive incentives into your own bank account by complying with your disease management programmes and by being active
• Multiply – rewarding you the more you gym
• Multiply – the first online pedometer in South Africa

Momentum’s innovative approach to taking healthcare to the next level will change the healthcare landscape going into the future. The key focus is to find a different way of curbing the spiraling healthcare inflation. As past approaches have been less effective, new and innovative solutions will have to be provided to support a sustainable industry.

With this in mind, Momentum Health has launched some groundbreaking initiatives going into 2009, all in line with our core benefit philosophy – focusing on consumer driven healthcare.

The Momentum Mobicard – where you need us, when you need us

Through mobile phone technology, Momentum Health now brings members real business functionality that will forever change the way they experience healthcare. By simply opening an SMS from Momentum Health and clicking on a link, any member can now install Mobicard. This will provide instant, live access to the member’s membership card and all member details, information on the member’s Momentum Health Savings and Health Saver balances and important medical contact numbers. We believe these initial functions are just the beginning of a technological solution that will change the way medical schemes interact with their members.

Extending provider discounts to the GP as well - expanding on the GP as coordinator of care

Momentum Health pioneered the concept of price differentiation in 2004 by entering into strategic partnerships with specific provider networks (for example chronic pharmacy networks or specific hospital groups) to provide its members with good quality healthcare benefits at a better price. Members using these providers have received discounted contributions.

Momentum Health is extending the provider discounts to GP’s for 2009. Members are able to enjoy additional contribution discounts by using one of Momentum Health’s associated GP’s. It is important to re-affirm the role of the GP as the primary caregiver, as well as the coordinator of secondary care in South Africa.

The next level of healthcare – Momentum’s Compliance Incentive™ programme

According to the World Health Organisation, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are two of the main contributors towards raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, abnormal blood lipids, overweight/obesity, as well as for the major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes.

Uncontrolled diabetes costs Momentum Health 80% more than controlled diabetes. As this is a non-profit organisation, those additional costs (that could have been prevented with the right behaviour), are borne by the rest of the members on the Scheme.

Momentum Health has partnered with a Managed Care organisation to offer revolutionary benefits to its members from 2009.

This programme is so groundbreaking that it allows members to effectively reduce any contribution increase they may face for 2009 through three easy compliance steps!

Step 1 – Complete a Health Risk Assessment and submit the results

Step 2 – Comply with treatment protocols

Irrespective of how many chronic disease you may have, all you need to do with step two, is comply with the treatment programme for your specific condition.

Step 3 – Be active

In the interest of promoting wellness, Momentum Health is encouraging members to adopt and adhere to an active lifestyle, either by tracking gym visits (Multiply members with gym membership), or by tracking the number of steps a member has taken per month (pedometer). Members can earn up to R150 per adult every month, based on the average activity levels for that month.

Step 4 – Receive your Compliance Incentive™

Actual payment of the incentives will take place quarterly, into the members’ nominated bank account (allow for a 30-day period).

Save-as-you-gym™

In line with the philosophy of the Compliance Incentive™ Programme, Momentum’s lifestyle programme, Multiply, has restructured its gym offering through Virgin Active and Planet Fitness to reward members more who visit the gym frequently. Those who visit the gym more than 10 times a month claim 50% less on Momentum Health, proving that it makes sense to be active.

Multiply members receive a monthly discount off the standard monthly gym rate. The discount will increase proportionally to the number of gym visits during a month, which could even result in your monthly gym fee covered in full.

Pedometer

Multiply has also launched a state of the art, Omron USB downloadable pedometer (step counter). This pedometer can measure your normal and aerobic steps on a daily basis, as well as the kilojoules and fat that you burned in the process.

Members can join the online walking community - a first in South Africa, where they are able to invite walking buddies, challenge friends and even create and join walking clubs.

Downloading the information is as simple as registering on the Multiply website and transferring the data from the pedometer via a USB cable.

Member choice determines member increases

With CPIX reaching 13% in July 2008, Momentum Health’s average increase of 14.38% is well within the Council of Medical Scheme’s range of CPIX + 3%. Members can however, experience a far lower increase through the contribution discounts on GP level, as well as the monthly incentives available through the Compliance Incentive™ programme.