International Assistance Group
Local partners Global Solutions
Patrick Leroy - Chief Executive Officer, International Assistance Group talks to HCI.
Give us an overview of International Assistance Group and its core business activities, products and services?
International Assistance Group is a unique organisation which today consists of 30 independent companies generating an aggregate turn over in excess of euros 800 Million. Established on the 5 continents these companies have joined strengths to efficiently position themselves in the international arena and compete against integrated groups.
Besides the traditional assistance services ranging from Travel Assistance, Roadside and Home Assistance, the group has developed unique offerings like Employee Assistance Programs, Telemedicine and TPA functions enabling a one-stop shop solution for large insured or self-insured plans. So as to better align our shared skills, we have taken a strategic decision to focus primarily on the provision of health-related services.
Tell us about your network and how it is operated?
Our global network can deliver services in each and every country of the world. Each member company forms an integral part of the network. In turn the member company is tasked with the management of the local country network and also supervises regional networks wherever necessary. The local member therefore negotiates agreements on behalf of the whole organization with local providers selected on the basis of the pooled activity. In countries where International Assistance Group doesn’t have a member, the nearest one will take responsibility for the territory. For instance in Africa, Angola is under the supervision of our South African company. The local knowledge is shared via an extensive database of providers which is updated by all network participants. On the commercial front, the actions towards international clients are centrally coordinated but rely on our unique capacity to transfer local knowledge throughout the group and to be close to the clients headquarters wherever they are. Recently, thanks to our coordinated efforts, International Assistance Group has been able to secure a large multinational contract in the Oil Industry.
International developments and recruitment of new members are driven centrally and very stringent selection criteria are applied in that respect, in particular in terms of commitment. Twice a year a scorecard is applied that evaluates both the quality of the members and the commitment and could lead to membership termination with consecutive defaults. But overall our network has consistently grown over the years and more member recruitments are expected before year end.
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CMN Inc.
CMN is an international health management company that specializes in managing medical cases at home and abroad. We integrate our Proprietary PPO network along with our Case Management and Claims Management while actively advocating for patients.
Give us a brief description of CMN and its business structure?
CMN is a company with employees in Canada, the USA and Barbados. CMN was incorporated in 1995 with a focus on “Destination Medicine”- the movement and management of a patient from one location to another in order to receive definitive healthcare. Founded by John Park, CMN has grown to an organization with over 80 staff and is currently on track to process over 250 million US dollars of healthcare transactions in 2007. Over time CMN services expanded into programs that include expatriate insurance, major medical programs, travel insurance and government funded health initiatives. Today we can service any entity that incurs health claims in North America and throughout the world. In November of 2006 CMN was acquired by EuropAssist in accordance to the corporate strategy for global expansion - specifically in North America. CMN is able to leverage the depth and breadth of
EuropAssist to enhance our existing product line and become a more
complete solution for health care payor while maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit that was at the core of our success. Describe your PPO network?
There is no doubt in my mind that CMN has the strongest network in high utilization locations in USA and other parts of North America. More specifically, our network is focused on where international payors incur claims. As compared to a typical US based PPO who is focused on the domestic population, I cannot claim to have the strongest network in every area. As an example, Chicago with a population of 8 million people, is a top priority for US based provider contractors.How many bills did your organization have in Chicago last year? I will not claim to have the strongest network in every state yet I can claim to have the strongest network in Florida, New York, Texas, California, Nevada, Arizona, Massachusetts, Georgia, South Carolina, Hawaii, Canada, and the Caribbean.
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CAMTS
Standards and benefits of accreditation The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems is dedicated to improving the quality of patient care and safety of the transport environment for services providing rotorwing, fixed wing and ground transport systems. HCI speaks to Eileen Frazer, Executive Director of CAMTS.
What is the history of CAMTS?
CAMTS (the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems) started in 1990 as CAAMS – the Commission on Accreditation of Air Medical Services after air medical services in the U.S. experienced a number of fatal helicopter accidents. There were no comprehensive standards that addressed both patient care and safety until CAAMS was developed as a non profit agency and incorporated in the state of PA in 1990. In 1997, the name change occurred to serve the ground critical care services that were not specifically addressed by state licensing agencies. There are currently 128 accredited services (rotorwing, fixed wing and ground or combinations of these modes of transport). This represents roughly one-third of the eligible number of medical transport services in the U.S.
Who can become a member?
There are no individual members – only member organizations. There are currently 16 member organizations as listed on our website.
Who is on the board?
Each member organization sends 1 representative to serve on the Board. It is the member organization’s decision as to who will represent them but the representative must be currently involved in medical transport (air or ground). Board members volunteer their services and make all the accreditation decisions and approve all policies and accreditation standards.
What is the quality carta?
This is not a term we are familiar with. We operate under the federal tax structure as a non –profit agency.
When did CAMTS start accreditation?
After incorporating and developing the first set of accreditation standards in 1990 – we did our first site visit in 1991 and have been in operation since that time. We have just published our 7th Edition Full Article in Issue 14
"A CAMTS accredited medical transport service demonstrates to its employees and to the public that it cares about quality."
"We strive to educate our constituents and offer various publications such as Best Practices."