Doktr, the telemedicine app, and AG, Belgium’s market leader in group healthcare insurance, have partnered up to support easier access to online consultations with qualified doctors.
After a pilot phase of several months with AG employees, a more extensive rollout of the app is planned in 2023 for AG's group health insurance corporate clients. This is a solid partnership between two Belgian companies that share the same ambitions: to create an ecosystem that supports the specific Belgian healthcare model, and to prepare for a hybrid future - a mix of physical and digital - in the area of consultations.
Extension of the Doktr app
More than one year ago, Proximus launched Doktr, an app that gives patients instant access to secure online consultations (via itsme®) with doctors licensed to practise in Belgium. Since the initial launch, Doktr has had the benefit of active and constructive dialogue with other stakeholders interested in contributing to the further development of video consultations.
New partnership with AG to expand the panel
A new partnership has been signed between Doktr and AG to support the use of telemedicine by increasing awareness and accessibility.
More specifically, a pilot phase was launched a few months ago which gave AG employees access to the Doktr app and its features. In 2023, the Doktr app will be rolled out more extensively to participants in AG's corporate-sponsored group health insurance plans. With a market share of more than 24% in group health insurance, AG has a very large customer base that will have access to the Doktr app.
Benoit Halbart, Managing Director AG, Employee Benefits & Health Care, said, "As a leading healthcare insurer, AG is closely following the latest digital technologies and innovations in the field of telemedicine, and the gradual shift towards a hybrid care model where virtual online consultations are a safe, effective and convenient complement to classic consultations. This model has advantages not only for the general practitioner, but also for the patient, who can see the doctor from the comfort of their own bed or sofa. At AG, we firmly believe that this hybrid solution is the way of the future, as it provides patients with additional flexibility and convenience. And we want to promote it as a way to deliver sustainable healthcare services. All the more reason for us to support Doktr in the continued rollout of the telemedicine app."
"In practical terms, access to the app will be directly integrated in the AG Health app, AG's own healthcare application. At the same time, AG will be adding new services to its app. "By offering this app to our own employees first, we understood that this would increase its credibility and the trust of prospective users. Since then, we decided to promote it to our corporate clients as well. The objective? To increase access to primary care for company employees," explains Benoit Halbart.
Jan Van Wijnendaele, Managing Director at Doktr, said, "With Doktr, we wanted to give patients quick and easy access to a secure and professional medical consultation. Accessibility to healthcare for company employees is also important. We are therefore pleased to make Doktr available to AG's corporate customers and their employees. This is another step in our ambition to use Doktr as widely as possible to support the local ecosystem."