MLC Life Insurance is enhancing its award-winning Vivo program, by building new digital capabilities and expanding its provider network to bring more services into a ‘one-stop shop’ seamless digital customer experience.

“Vivo provides an expansive suite of services to MLC Life Insurance customers at no additional cost, supporting their everyday health and wellness, and assisting with their recovery from illness or injury throughout a claim,” said Andrew Beevors, MLC Life Insurance Chief Claims Officer.

“The Vivo Virtual Care component of our offering makes important services available at any time to customers and their immediate family members,” he said, “and it can be accessed completely independent of the claim process, providing value and care throughout their journey with us.”

The Vivo Virtual Care services and associated digital portal were previously provided by a third party, limiting MLC Life Insurance’s ability to expand and tailor the support offered to customers. MLC Life Insurance’s new self-owned and self-managed portal will enable greater opportunity to enhance the customer experience and expand the service offering using various specialist providers.

“We’re always looking for ways to equip our customers with the latest world-leading, innovative health and wellness services to make Vivo Virtual Care a powerful prevention and early intervention tool,” said Andrew Beevors, “and that’s why we’re improving the digital capability and moving to the provider arrangements that will enable us to do just that.”

MLC Life Insurance conducted an extensive tender process for arrangements to deliver the existing Fitness Consult, Nutrition Consult, Expert Medical Opinion and Mental Health Navigator, and a new service to help customers and their loved ones navigate the last stages of life and the grief that accompanies it.

“Our priority was partnering with service providers who could deliver the quality care our customers and partners have come to trust through Vivo, and who can tailor services to deliver a unique and excellent experience for our customers,” said Andrew Beevors.

Those new partnerships are centred on an improved customer experience and include new service providers like mlcoa.

“We’ve been offering expert opinions and support for mental health for many years, and we understand the need to use well-respected and credentialed specialists,” said Sam Norton, Executive General Manager of mlcoa. “An important part of this service is that our specialists tailor their approach to MLC Life Insurance’s customers.”

“They listen to any concerns and help build a customer’s health literacy, so they feel reassured and empowered to make informed choices.”

Speaking about the new partnership, Tim Morphy, CEO of the MedHealth Group and the parent company of mlcoa, added: “we’re delighted to bring all our capability to Vivo, with our Australian-based independent medical opinion provider mlcoa to be the primary interface.”

“As part of the US-based ExamWorks group of companies, we have access to a global network of some 29,000 medical experts delivering over 2 million medical opinion and case management services annually across over 50 specialties.”

“When appointing the MedHealth Group as the preferred provider of these important customer supports, we were impressed with their scalability and innovation, as well as their secure, onshore digital services and deep experience across the Australian healthcare environment,” said Andrew Beevors.

“Customers and partners can expect to see no change to access criteria, nor disruptions to the services they access now and can in fact look forward to more support and an even better experience ahead.”

The new Vivo Virtual Care Portal launches in August. Further information on Vivo is available at https://www.vivowellbeing.com.au.