European insurance giant AXA has announced it is launching a digital healthcare platform in partnership with Microsoft. 

The platform is available to AXA customers in Germany and Italy, following a successful pilot last year, which included a self-assessment tool, teleconsultation and medical concierge for appointment booking.  

Roll-out is planned for the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland by 2022, followed by other countries worldwide. 

The platform will rely on technology in the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, including Azure API for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), which enables patient insights without compromising patient privacy.

In the long-term, it aims to allow integration of third-party services, with the ambition of creating an open, global service for healthcare providers and patients, regardless of whether they are AXA customers.

WHY IT MATTERS

The platform is intended to link the digital health services AXA offer its customers with services including a self-assessment and prevention tool, a medical concierge, a teleconsultation interface, a digital document vault, home care services (e.g. medicine delivery) or a directory of healthcare professionals. It also aims to break down health service silos to improve research, treatments and prevent diseases.

AXA says the ecosystem is tailored to the care offerings and specificities of local health networks. In the future, Microsoft and AXA plan to collaborate with partners to further enrich the platform and to deliver value-added services to all stakeholders.

THE LARGER CONTEXT 

Earlier this year, Polish telemedicine company Telemedico closed a Series A funding round of €5.5 million to expand the functionalities of its SaaS platform, offering virtual consultations with doctors, AI-powered triaging, medical data storage and an online booking system for in-person appointments and blood tests. The platform is used by insurance companies including AXA, Allianz, Generali and Metrored. 

Meanwhile, in 2020, AXA Asia announced it would offer free teleconsultations to approximately 6.5 million people in Asia through a strategic alliance with Tencent Trusted Doctors, the largest online medical service provider in China. 

 ON THE RECORD

AXA chief executive, Thomas Buberl, said: “In many countries, the fragmentation, complexity and costs of health systems are a barrier to access to care. This new ecosystem of services that we have developed with Microsoft is a powerful lever to provide customers with access to the best healthcare solutions.”

Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice president and president of Microsoft Global Sales, said: “Microsoft has brought the most advanced capabilities in its Cloud for Healthcare technology, machine learning, and AI to this project. We helped AXA build a secure platform to enable partnerships with clinical partners and third-party vendors. Our extensive portfolio of Azure services will connect users with a large range of digital services and players. This combination of AXA and Microsoft’s capabilities and skills is a real asset.”