Bupa UK Insurance launches new Bupa Platinum consultants

• Bupa UK Insurance launches Bupa Platinum¹, a new category of consultant to help customers identify the best specialist for their healthcare needs
• Bupa Platinum consultants have been rated ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ by 97% of Bupa customers
• Research from Bupa shows that over half (54%) of people with health insurance wouldn’t know how to find the right consultant if they needed treatment

Bupa UK Insurance is launching Bupa Platinum, a new category of consultants, to support customers in making informed choices about their healthcare.

Bupa Platinum consultants have been rated ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ by 97% of their Bupa patients. Claims information shows that customers treated by Platinum consultants have a 28% shorter hospital stay on average than those treated by Bupa-recognised consultants². Customers also needed fewer consultations and were 14% less likely to have a procedure, suggesting a conservative approach to care which helps avoid unnecessary procedures

What’s more, Bupa Platinum consultants are covered by all Bupa policies and schemes so any customer can see them. And they are fee-assured, meaning that customers won’t have to pay additional fees or charges for treatment covered. Currently around half of the 22,000 consultants Bupa works with fall within the Platinum category.

To make it easy for customers to identify Bupa Platinum consultants and those in its Open Referral Network³, from June 2022 two new badges will appear on Finder⁴, Bupa’s free online directory of healthcare professionals and services at finder.bupa.co.uk

These developments follow new research⁵ by Bupa which identified that around half of people with health insurance said they wouldn’t know how to find the right consultant if they needed treatment, and nine out of 10 want their health insurer to help.

Similarly, seven in 10 consultants said insurers should help their customers find the most appropriate consultant for their needs.

James Sherwood, General Manager of Operations and Healthcare Management, Bupa UK Insurance said: “Increased use of digital technology has made accessing care easier for our customers, but there’s one area where they tell us that they still need help - and that’s navigating the sometimes complex healthcare system when they need treatment and care.

“Our new Bupa Platinum consultants category and enhancements to our online directory Finder will help customers find the right specialist for their needs, whatever policy or plan they have.”

Notes to editors

For more information, please contact Bupa Press Office on [email protected] or call 020 7833 7040

1. Bupa Platinum consultants:
   • are covered on all policies and schemes, including those with Open Referral policies or schemes
   • are fee assured, so won’t send customers extra bills for care covered by their policies or schemes
   • rated good or excellent by 97% of their Bupa patients
   • offer care in line with medical best practice
   • manage the total cost of the care they deliver
2. Bupa recognised consultants are consultants who have met Bupa’s standard criteria to treat customers:
   1. meeting Bupa’s customer service criteria
   2. meeting the medical professional standards set by the General Medical Council and relevant specialist bodies
   3. practising in line with legal and regulatory requirements in the UK
3. Open Referral: When Bupa customers with an Open Referral policy need treatment, Bupa will offer them a choice of two or three consultants from its Open Referral network. Those consultants won’t send them any unexpected bills for their consultations, tests or treatment.
4. Bupa Finder is Bupa’s free online directory of consultants, therapists, and healthcare services, which used by Bupa customers, healthcare professionals and members of the public. finder.bupa.co.uk
5. About the research: Bupa surveyed a panel of consumers with health insurance, (Bupa and competitors’ cover) in June 2021. Bupa also surveyed its own Bupa-recognised consultants in June 2021.

About Bupa Global and UK

Bupa's purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world.

Health insurance accounts for a large part of our business with Bupa UK Insurance, the UK’s leading health insurer, providing health insurance to 2.3 million people. Bupa Global is the premium health insurance arm of Bupa, serving 490,000 customers around the world. Bupa Dental Care is the leading provider of private dentistry in the UK, providing dental services in over 480 centres across the UK and Ireland. Bupa Care Services has around 6,000 residents in 124 care homes, and 10 Richmond care villages. Bupa Health Services comprises 50 health clinics, and the Cromwell Hospital in London which provides care for insured, self-pay and international patients. Bupa directly employs around 23,000 people in the UK.

Bupa Global is the premium health insurance arm of Bupa. Established in 1971, it provides individuals, small businesses and corporate customers international coverage with products and services so they can access the healthcare they need anytime, anywhere in the world, whether at home or when studying, living, travelling or working abroad.