Occident will incorporate innovative diagnostic tests and surgical techniques into its health insurance

"Customers of Seguros Catalana Occidente, Plus Ultra Seguros and Seguros Bilbao will soon be able to access special tests such as the pre-eclampsia test, which is recommended for pregnant women, as well as new surgical techniques such as CO2 laser eye surgery."

Occident, the new brand that will soon combine the traditional business companies Seguros Catalana Occidente, Plus Ultra Seguros and Seguros Bilbao, is improving its Salud Healthcare and Mixed Reimbursement policies by incorporating new diagnostic tests and surgical techniques. GCO (Grupo Catalana Occidente) thus remains committed to continuously updating and improving its health services by adding to its value proposition access to the most innovative techniques and treatments.

These new treatments include diagnostic tests that reinforce the care and treatment of pregnant women, especially when there are risks for the mother and/or foetus. The insurance company has included the pre-eclampsia screening to identify pregnant women who are at higher risk of suffering from this arterial stress disorder, a condition associated with maternal mortality and that, despite being the most common during pregnancy (affecting between 7% and 10% of pregnant women, according to the Spanish Hypertension Society), has been difficult historically to diagnose. Also, given the fact that premature babies already make up 7% of all births in Spain, the insurance company is offering two new tests that are of great help in avoiding complications associated with premature births: an evaluation of the foetus's lung maturity and the premature analysis of the amniotic sac, which is used to diagnose a membrane fracture, one of the main causes of preterm births.

The Salud Healthcare and Mixed Reimbursement policies will also include some of the most innovative surgical techniques. One such technique is CO2 laser eye surgery, which provides control of the depth of the laser ablation, making for safer and more accurate interventions to correct a vitreous or retinal detachment. Another surgical technique included is the use of a drug-coated balloon for angioplasty. This is a very effective strategy to widen arteries that avoids open coronary surgery when a coronary stent has not worked correctly. The routine coverage will also include the implantation of osteoligamentous materials from the tissue bank in fractures or major surgeries involving large joints. Finally, in the field of urology, the policies will cover the use of a suburethral mesh to treat urinary incontinence, which affects more than 6 million people in Spain.

"Medicine is constantly advancing and our commitment to our current and future customers is to continue offering the best possible coverage in the sector, which requires us to periodically update our health products with the best diagnostic and therapeutic techniques", explained the Managing Director of Traditional Business at GCO, Juan Closa. "Health insurance, which we expect to continue growing in coming years, is a strategic branch for us", he added.

Commitment to digital healthcare

Another major improvement in the value proposition of GCO health insurance has been the incorporation of new digital healthcare services in the e-customer platform, available both in the app and through the website of the insurance group's traditional business companies. Through Your digital health, insured parties have a medical chat and a video consultation service with doctors from the most requested specialities. In addition, through this same tool, policyholders can access their medical reports and electronic prescriptions, consult the medical directory, request referrals for medical consultations and tests, manage the reimbursement of medical treatments and drugs, and more. Since the launch of this new digital healthcare service seven months ago, more than 900 medical consultations have been conducted, with no waiting, no travel and no copayments, and rated at 9.26 by our customers.