With a focus on helping international members navigate the Australian healthcare system, the CBHS International Health Assist allows international members to talk to a trained allied health professional who can provide guidance, referrals and support with information and resources, personalised to their health needs.
Craig Jones, CBHS Corporate’s Head of Provider Relations, said they recognised the challenges that international students and workers are facing when trying to make the best decisions for their health and wellbeing in a new country.
“People don’t know what they don’t know. There are so many support services out there, but they often don’t realise what is available to them,” Mr Jones said.
“That’s what this service is about: providing a dedicated service to help our international members navigate the system and find the support they need.”
Ann-Maree Niarros, Remedy’s Head of Commercial Relationships, said the innovative service reflects Remedy’s commitment to helping health funders go the extra mile to support the unique needs of their members.
“As a long-standing partner, we are excited to help CBHS provide this service to its international members,” Ms Niarros said.
“With our dedicated clinicians at the end of the phone, we believe this service meets the real need to help overseas visitors access a wide range of programs that support every aspect of their health and wellbeing.”
When CBHS International members call the dedicated 1300 number, they will speak to a trained allied health professional from Remedy Healthcare, who will listen to their concerns and provide personalised guidance.
Delia Trinca, Senior Health Coach for Remedy Healthcare, said their goal is to ensure the members feel supported, even though they may be far from their friends and family.
“We want every member to feel confident they have support and are not alone, because there is someone they trust at the end of the phone who can point them in the right direction,” Miss Trinca said.
Clinicians will also proactively call CBHS International members who have known health concerns, for example, if they have recently had surgery or been diagnosed with a condition.
“Receiving a diagnosis can be incredibly overwhelming, let alone if you’re in a different country. So, we make sure they understand the information they have been given and that it is personalised to them,” Miss Trinca said.
For those members who call the service, there may be additional support the clinicians can provide over the phone in a one-off call.
“That might be referring to a no-gap GP or helping them understand where in the community they can get some additional support,” said Miss Trinca.
“If they are eligible, we might refer them to a service that provides ongoing health support, like our mental health program MindStep, or our phone-based health coaching program HealthierMe.”
If the CBHS International member is trying to fall pregnant or already pregnant, calling the Health Assist means they may be able to access expertise and support throughout their journey, with certain other services available to eligible members.
“It can be very isolating if they are pregnant and don’t have family here in Australia, “ Miss Trinca said. “When they call, we may be able to provide a referral to our maternity program, Bump to Baby, which provides the support of a trusted midwife over the phone who will be there from pregnancy right through to the first year of their child’s life.”
There is no limit to the number of times a member can call the service. Remedy Healthcare can also provide an interpreter for non-English speaking members if required.
The service is available to CBHS International members from October 12. Click here to visit the Health Assist landing page.
Key Facts