Can “Healthcare ATMs” be the primary care panacea India needs?
Indian health insurer Max Bupa Health is launching pioneering technology based around “Healthcare ATMs” which can assess a potential customer’s health, and then sell them insurance on the spot. Healthcare Nova speaks to a healthcare operator who already uses these ATMs for health assessment, one who decided not to, and a group that manufactures them – and also looks at how they can be used to sell insurance.
We have written generally about Healthcare ATMs before. Similar to unmanned care booths in the US, they replicate what ATMs have done in retail banking, by allowing some of the basic processes of health assessment to be carried out at an unmanned terminal.
In Max Bupa’s case, however, the platform goes even further, and is specifically being used to sell insurance in a pioneering way. A spokesman tells Healthcare Nova its use of the technology is in “specialised/ smart machines that have been developed to increase health insurance penetration”, adding that the machines make health insurance policy options simpler, and dispense instant health insurance policies.
Stethoscopes, blood pressure monitors, scales, sensors for muscle and bone mass, dermatoscopes and many other components can already feature in the devices, with more being added by manufacturers YOLO Health.
It’s just signed a deal with Max Bupa to create specialised instant Health Insurance dispensing machines, called Max Bupa AnyTimeHealth. These will initially be installed at 20 if its bancassure partner banks’ branches. Users key in their details, measure their vitals from which a health is score is calculated, and then indemnity cover worth up to $15,000 can be purchased.
YOLO’s founder Dhilly Babu tells us his focus for his technology is on ”primary care in rural areas, where most of these ATMS are being put up.” He adds: “We are trying to increase access to basic primary care [through health checkups] in these areas, although the Max [insurance] model is interesting and is being piloted across the 20 locations.”
So what about those using them for primary care? Ankur Bharti is one. CEO of Reheal Clinics, he says the potential is huge but the technology still needs to move forward. He already has them in several of his branches which use telemedicine to operate without the on-site presence of doctors.
“The device completes the consultation process, and since all the devices it uses are existing and familiar to patients there is no apprehension in using it on their part.”
From a business point of view, it also has obvious benefits: “Once the device is more stable, I could easily use it to open a new clinic every month as the costs will be much lower.”
“It will take some time for them to make it robust as it’s still in the nascent stage. There are some instabilities as it integrates several other devices, which sometimes don’t work. For example, there is a lot of background noise picked up by the stethoscope.”
Another operator tells us: “At the time we decided that it did not give a proper health assessment. We need to be able to look at heart health, thyroids, blood sugar – things that it did not cover,” he says, though emphasises this was earlier in the year. “Also, data without interpretation isn’t always useful. You need a doctor or healthcare professional on hand to best interpret those results.”
YOLO received $235,000 in seed capital in January from the Chandigarh Angels Network and has ambitious expansion plans in the next 18 months, hoping to go from 50 centres using its ATMS to 2000. Other clients include Glocal Hospitals in Kolkata and companies such as Dell, Intel, Indian Railways and Essar Steel.
Max Bupa has been contacted for comment but a spokesperson confirmed that he could not, currently, comment further.
Our Analysis: As with Ventura’s healthcare booths in the US, the potential of the technology is huge from both a clinical and business point of view. Reduced labour costs in developing countries that already lose their nurses to rich countries, and lower CAPEX when setting up a new primary care clinic, to name just the most obvious.
Cleanliness and regulatory approval are touted as the main stumbling blocks to the US version, but YOLO’s ATMs need staff on-site and the urgency of India’s primary care crisis might oblige states to speed the process up, were clinical or technical issues to be eradicated.
Max Bupa’s application of this technology to go one step further and dispense instant insurance policies is intriguing and not something we’ve seen elsewhere.
We would welcome your thoughts on this story. Email your views to Cameron Murray or call 0207 183 3779.
