The International Travel & Health Insurance Journal (ITIJ) has awarded AP Companies the 2021 award for “Best International Assistance Company of the Year". The award was sponsored by UnitedHealthcare Global.

The ITIJ Awards are the leading accolade for the global travel and health insurance industry, rewarding companies that go above and beyond to serve their customers and clients and drive forward positive change in the industry, showcasing excellence and innovation across all sectors that serve global travellers.

Paul Weigall, Business Strategy Director, at AP Companies comments, “It was my pleasure and honour to receive, on behalf of AP Companies, the award for Best Medical Assistance Company at the 2021 ITIJ awards. We have won this award for the second year in a row and is testament to the amazing work our teams do in ensuring our clients members get the help and service they need. Well done team! And well done to ITIJ for getting us all together in Madrid.”

AP Companies satisfies the expectation of the most demanding healthcare and travel insurance companies, while providing their members’ access to the medical providers in 185 countries. Their medical provider network is comprised of medical facilities capable of handling all levels of medical care to assist with any possible healthcare requirement of their clients, wherever and whenever.

Since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, AP Companies has been building a network of global providers for PCR and antigen testing. Forming strategic alliances with a number of laboratories worldwide to ensure the quickest and most reasonably priced covid testing solutions.

The demand for mental health services has also been constantly rising. Through their tele healthcare platform, they are successfully delivering service in Central & Eastern Europe, as well as in the other regions on request.

AP Companies has also been highly involved in arranging seasonal flu vaccinations across Europe and Eastern European countries.

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Due to the nomadic nature of the international private medical insurance (IPMI) industry, iPMI Magazine is an internet based news service for worldwide insurance and assistance professionals who need to understand the impacts of insurance and healthcare policy, regulatory, and legislative developments.

Over 40,000 senior level business decision makers, in over 120 countries, rely on iPMI Magazine to stay 1 step ahead of the risk and on the inside track of international PMI. Covering business travellers, high net worth individuals, expatriate and leisure travel markets, iPMI Magazine is the only international news source covering the most exciting sector of international health insurance: international private medical insurance.

Colonnade Insurance S.A. and Roy Medical Assistance announce today an international third-party administration agreement covering 13 countries.

India, Nepal, Turkey, UAE, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Maldives, China, Hong Kong and Myanmar are all covered under the agreement, providing international medical assistance services including International TPA, Medical Expense Control, Claims Management, Emergency Assistance (Ground and Air Transfer) and medical evacuation and repatriation.

Roy Medical Assistance has been providing bespoke solutions for Travel Insurers, International Health Insurers, Motor and Home Insurance firms, providing a direct network of over 5000 international hospitals in Asia.

Sumit Gaurav, Chief Executive Officer, Roy Medical Assistance comments, “We are proud to have built an excellent international cooperation with Colonnade Insurance to provide a wide range of international medical assistance, and claims handling services to their travel and health insurance members.”

About Colonnade Insurance S.A.

Colonnade Insurance S.A. (“Colonnade”) is a non-life insurance company owned by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited. Based in Luxembourg, operating through our branches in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Poland.

About Roy Medical Assistance

Roy Medical Assistance is an international TPA founded in 2016 and having its claims office based in New Delhi NCR India along with a large network of partners globally. RMA is a multi-profile assistance company as a local Guarantor to hospitals in Asia  and providing   claims management, cost containment, travel assistance, medical risk management solutions and ensures high level and high quality of Medical assistance care and exceptional support for tourists, expatriates, insurance companies and individuals in Asia and also having it’s large network hospitals in India, China, Nepal, UAE, Maldives, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Hongkong, Indonesia, Singapore Turkey and Myanmar.

There’s no question that the landscape for international business travel has changed beyond recognition.

Recent research by the Institute of Travel Management found that 38% of corporate travel managers expect their firm’s travel plans and budgets for 2021 to be down by 25% to 50% compared to 2019. However, for many organisations that operate on an international footprint there is also an imperative to get employees moving again, and for expat workers to be located abroad. And with this requirement comes all the usual risks – as well as COVID-19.

In response, Healix International, the security and health risk management business has developed a new suite of tools to give risk managers vital control to meet their duty-of-care obligations. Healix Sentinel brings together five solutions to provide global organisations with vital tools to stay informed of the risks their employees and operations may face and take appropriate action wherever they are across the globe. 

“This year has been extraordinary and organisations around the world are adjusting to a new way of working to ensure business continuity and productivity,” explained Mike Webb, CEO of Healix International. “But remote working can only go so far, and it is critical for many businesses that travel resumes. While COVID-19 brings a new dynamic, all the other risks associated with working abroad, such as earthquakes, terrorist activities or staff experiencing other health related emergencies, remain.

“Whether it is risk associated with COVID-19, or a country’s political landscape, we understand the importance of balance. Excessive risk management programmes can be burdensome and costly, while inadequate cover leaves an organisation vulnerable to operational disruption, reputational damage and potential litigation.”

Developed by experts in crisis management and risk mitigation, the Healix Sentinel suite of services goes beyond the traditional travel risk space to focus instead on ‘people’ risk management, whether they are travelling or not. Another refreshing way the Sentinel platform stands out is the way the client risk manager – rather than the employee - is seen as the primary stakeholder. As Mike Webb adds; “Often the client only has a small team, or a single individual, responsible for risk mitigation. That’s a heavy burden. The Sentinel platform addresses that by making their lives easier and acting as a force multiplier.”

Risk managers can tailor Healix Sentinel to fit their own specific requirements, choosing the mix of services that will complement and support existing security resources. Alternatively, Healix International can provide a fully managed 24/7 ‘virtual’ security department, delivering timely, actionable intelligence using cutting-edge technology to provide location specific insights and monitoring of incidents. In doing so, it gives risk managers peace of mind that they are providing employees with the highest level of duty-of-care.

“Our holistic approach encompasses planning, preparing and taking appropriate action as and when required. By providing a solution scalable to specific needs, this new suite of offerings allows risk managers to capitalise on opportunities in challenging environments within their own risk parameters,” concluded Mike Webb.

“As well as helping tackle an organisation’s risk management concerns and giving peace of mind, Healix Sentinel helps an organisation maintain a competitive advantage and will enhance its reputation as a secure and compliant organisation.”

The Healix Sentinel range includes:

Healix Sentinel Protect

The flagship service gives risk/security managers 24/7 access to a team of crisis and risk management experts. From travel security briefings and situation updates to incident and crisis response and evacuations, it is a virtual 24/7 Global Security Operations Centre (GSOC). Risk managers benefit from tailored analysis, second opinions and bespoke risk assessments to proactively mitigate risks before they become problematic, and expert assistance when incidents do occur. Furthermore, the service can be tailored to be, or support, an organisation’s in-house resources.

Healix Sentinel Tracker

This tool allows risk/security managers to seamlessly monitor and account for their globally mobile workforce via integration with the Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle mobile app. Security alerts and notifications are issued in a timely manner and managers can quickly locate and communicate with employees during a critical incident to ensure their safety.  With ‘Location Services’ activated by employees on their app, risk managers are provided with an accurate, real-time global view of their employees on an interactive map.

Healix Sentinel Critical Watch

Providing a cost-effective solution to extend a security team’s capabilities, Healix Sentinel Critical Watch is ideal for organisations lacking the in-house resources to monitor employees’ safety around-the-clock. The Healix International team provides 24/7 monitoring of global incidents. And in the immediate aftermath of a critical incident, the team reaches out to employees in the vicinity who could be impacted. Their safety is ascertained, and appropriate action can be taken according to the situation.

Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle App

Available on Android and iOS, the Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle app is an invaluable travel safety companion for a global workforce. Through alerts and comprehensive background travel and security briefings on over 200 countries, it provides instant access to critical insight and support before and during overseas assignments. As well as providing current travel safety information, advice and real-time alerts on breaking news, the app has a tracking function and enables travellers to share live location data or manually ‘check-in’ at pre-agreed milestones with a direct feed into the Healix Sentinel Tracker platform.

Healix Sentinel Intelligence Portal

This portal is designed to provide risk managers with up-to-date intelligence on global risks that could impact their operations. The dashboard displays a concise summary of information relating to ongoing incidents, risk levels and trends. Alerts are updated to the platform in real-time by our risk analysts who monitor, verify and assess the impact of incidents as they happen.

The Intelligence Portal also has detailed intelligence summaries on every country worldwide, providing risk managers with in-depth contextual information. A number of different reports can be accessed such as a weekly forecast, evacuation watch and threat report.

Healix International is a global provider of travel risk management and international medical, security and travel assistance services. Working on behalf of multinationals, governments, NGOs and insurers they look after the welfare of expatriates, travellers, offshore workers and local nationals in every country of the world. Healix provide a comprehensive, integrated range of solutions to help safeguard the health and security of their clients’ employees, providing a single point of contact to access the expertise and help they may need, wherever they are in the world, 24/7.

For more information about Healix Sentinel please visit: www.healix.com

Healix International combines cutting edge technology with best in class medical and risk intelligence for highest levels of duty of care.

While the debate continues about 'air bridges' to open up international travel between certain countries, there is a clear imperative for business to re-open around the world. But for many organisations the big issue is how to keep employees safe and well while simultaneously resuming global operations and maintaining profitability.

"Businesses cannot operate via virtual conference tools forever; business critical travel needs to resume, and for many, that needs to happen now", commented Mike Webb, CEO of Healix International. "However, employee expectations and legislation have drastically changed in the wake of COVID-19 and organisations across every industry are faced with the difficulty of demonstrating their duty of care obligations to their employees in an incredibly complex operating environment, particularly when it comes to weighing up the risks of international travel.

"COVID-19 has turned the entire concept of travel risk on its head. For the first time in a generation, risk is highest in parts of the world that have historically been considered the safest, and these countries account for more than 90% of global business travel. Logistical and operational restrictions across the world are changing by the day. And information related to COVID-19 and necessary measures to reduce transmission remains vast, ambiguous, highly complex and often incomplete. Even the most well-resourced organisations are struggling to stay on top of the magnitude of information that is published each day."

In response Healix International is launching 'COVID Travel Safe'. This one-of-a-kind product is a layered risk assessment tool that has been designed to enable business travel within a pandemic, and to provide instant assessments of the medical and logistical risks posed by each and every unique proposed travel itinerary.

Healix International Chief Medical Officer, Dr Adrian Hyzler explained: "We know that in this incredibly challenging time, all businesses need to be supported in resuming operations and providing an increased duty of care to their travellers. This tool allows any organisation to have the confidence to deploy employees safely and with the knowledge that those travelling do not pose a high medical risk of severe disease."

The 'COVID Travel Safe' tool works to protect employees and organisations as follows:

LAYER 1: 'COVID Travel Safe' online tool

The platform experience begins with the user answering a number of questions about their intended trip alongside a COVID-19 specific medical questionnaire. The 'COVID Travel Safe' tool will then generate a medical risk assessment. This assessment combines information about an individual's medical risks with data around the local pandemic conditions and logistical factors in the country of destination. This information is incorporated into an instantly available risk assessment document that the traveller can download.

Healix International's unique methodology measures a range of sub-risk factors including pandemic trend and COVID testing access, alongside practical concerns such as travel bans and curfews. Developed in-house by the Healix International panel of medical experts, the online tool calculates a medical 'risk score' for each individual. Behind the scenes, Healix International's team of medical and risk professionals closely monitor the science, government restrictions and logistical risk environments around the world. This ensures that the information driving 'COVID Travel Safe' is up to date and representative of the pandemic's evolution.

The online tool will provide an automated summary assessment of whether the traveller should proceed with their intended trip. This determination is delivered in the form of a 'traffic light' system of Red, Amber and Green. In the event that the traveller receives a Red assessment, risk factors warrant the individual reconsidering their need to travel. 'Green' indicates that the tool has not identified any major concerns with the intended trip, therefore booking can proceed. In the case of an 'Amber' result, a follow up consultation with Healix International's medical and/or logistical risk teams is recommended.  

LAYER 2: Personal Assessment

For those travellers who flag as 'Amber' there is the option to automatically integrate an escalation to the Healix International in-house medical and logistical risk teams for a personal assessment. The company's experts can review the report and provide customised advice on the associated risks. This advice then enables the traveller to make a more informed decision about the medical risks and the potential logistical complications. If required, Healix International can also work with employees to arrange pre-deployment COVID-19 tests and navigate unique logistical complexities. This layered approach provides the convenience of an easy-to-use online tool, seamlessly integrated with a more personalised expert service.

Further Customisation

The 'COVID Travel Safe' tool is highly customisable and able to sit on an organisation's own systems, conveniently integrating the risk assessment and trip approval workflow. Risk managers are given access to a separate login that allows them to track the requests and manage traveller support services where required. Healix International is also able to integrate travel policy rules, manager approvals, security information and ground support request forms to ensure that travellers can transition through the entire risk assessment and approval process in one efficient visit.

Employers can schedule a demo by contacting Healix International at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Traveller Assist Ltd. has announced today the sale of its assets and intellectual property for an undisclosed amount.

Included in the sale is international payment and insurtech platform, Payr, that was launched by Traveller Assist in 2018 to facilitate local currency transactions to network providers in complex regions around the world, and to-date has paid over £7 million in claims payments on behalf of insurers, employers and educational institutions.

In a separate agreement signed in May, Traveller Assist agreed to sell its MENA contracts and assets, including its ‘Defense Base Act’ operations, to a separate privately owned company.

Traveller Assist has been a leading medical and security assistance provider with a niche focus on complex environments, employing 37 staff and retaining a further 30 ground agents around the world, with annual combined revenues of £13.7 million.

Shareholders, Danny Kaine and Jonathan Bancroft have exited the company.

“We are humbled to have received several offers of interest to acquire Traveller Assist over the past 12-months, and I am extremely pleased to have agreed a buyout by an insurer who recognises and understands the key for travel insurers to survive and thrive in a volatile market is to control their own assistance and claims capabilities; increasing both profits and customer satisfaction.” said, Danny Kaine. “I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all employees. Your efforts, hard work and loyalty over the years helped to position the company as a market leader, build trust with clients and expand our capabilities and market share. We are very grateful for your commitment to excellence and wish you all of the success in the future as you embark on a new career with an excellent employer.”

Jonathan Bancroft commented, “I am proud of all that we have achieved over the past five years and grateful for the unwavering trust our clients have placed in us on some truly exceptional and challenging requests in remote and hostile environments around the world. Our team have never once failed to provide a suitable outcome to any assistance request and in over fifty thousand case activations, all but three were successfully answered within fifteen minutes of receiving them. I am confident that our processes, methods, systems and staff will continue to produce excellent results and give the purchasing company the edge in a competitive market.

Contracts have been exchanged and completed in relation to these acquisitions.

This deal is one of several the purchasing company are making as part of their growth strategy and due to the commercial sensitivity of these acquisitions, they will be making their own announcements in due course.

Charles Taylor Assistance has been awarded a Commercial Aviation Medical Escort Accreditation from the European Air Medical Institute (EURAMI) - as a standalone accolade.

EURAMI's mission is to promote high quality aeromedical transfers throughout Europe and the world via fixed wing or rotor aircraft. It spent two days assessing Charles Taylor Assistance's global patient transfer capabilities before awarding the accreditation: testing every area of its operations, from personnel and safety, to quality and medical management.

Charles Taylor Assistance provides repatriations and transfers all over the world – often from hostile and remote areas - and works with a network of global partners to offer end-to-end patient management.  

Its Chief Medical Officer Dr Lynn Gordon says, "This accreditation is testament to our ability to offer global expertise in patient transfers, gained over our 47+ years of service. It is also testament to the hard work and dedication of our highly experienced teams of medical escorts, assistance specialists and in-house doctors and nurses.

"In these unprecedented times, it further reassures our clients that we are fully committed to putting patient welfare first."

Dr Firas Alayash, a highly-experienced medical assistance doctor and occupational health physician, has joined Charles Taylor Assistance; boosting the global assistance and travel risk management provider's considerable in-house medical expertise.

Charles Taylor Assistance manages over 50,000 medical cases every year for insured and non-insured individuals, including those in the energy, charity and corporate sectors; often in remote and challenging global destinations.

The award-winning provider is set to benefit from Dr Alayash's extensive experience of (among other areas) onshore and offshore medical assistance and occupational health, remote and aviation medicine, cruise assistance, and mental wellbeing.

Trained in Spain, Wales, Switzerland and Germany, the multilingual Dr Alayash has worked all over the world; including in the oil, gas and mining sectors. He also has extensive experience of carrying out risk assessments and medical site reviews in developing countries; not least Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and South Sudan.

Dr Lynn Gordon, chief medical officer for Charles Taylor Assistance, comments, "We're constantly developing our services to retain our place at the forefront of global medical assistance - and are confident that Dr Alayash's wide-ranging skills will enhance our client offering the world over. We're delighted to welcome him to our in-house medical team."

As Coronavirus becomes increasingly important to manage from a personal perspective, with the first human-to-human transmission of the virus happening in Germany yesterday, businesses should be taking measures to ensure the employees they serve are as protected as they can be.

Simon Worrell, Global Medical Director at Collinson, told iPMI Magazine, “While the first priority must continue to be the protection of people, Chinese businesses are also starting to feel the impact of the spreading Coronavirus. The impact on businesses globally will only worsen as the Coronavirus spreads further into Beijing and around the world, with supply chains and offices at risk. Businesses must be thinking about business continuity plans and ensure that they have Infectious Disease Protocols in place. 

These plans should account for when someone presents ill, where they go and who looks after the process, as well as logistical matters, like cleaning and closing canteens. Businesses can be fundamentally affected by infectious diseases such as this, altering organisational function, culture, and decimating both upstream and downstream processes, which is why preparation is key.”

Healix International, the global travel risk management and international medical and security assistance provider, has assessed the current medical and security risk landscape and is predicting the outlook for 2020 in its Risk Oracle 2020 insight report.  Designed to give HR, Risk and Security Managers the best insight into areas around the world that present the greatest risk to employees and operations, the 2020 report identifies security, medical, political and operational risk factors.

“2019 will be remembered as one of the most unpredictable from a political risk perspective”, said Mike Webb, CEO, Healix International. “But the fact of the matter is that business still needs to be done and technological advances have meant the world is a smaller place for corporations, with employees working in ever more far flung regions, as well as travelling further for face to face meetings.

“In this context, it is vital that employers have a full insight into the security and medical risks employees may face so that the right mitigation measures can be taken. And our Risk Oracle 2020 report provides valuable topline insight for this purpose.

“During 2019, in the security and operational risk space we saw more of a continuity and evolution of longer standing risks that continue to dominate the headlines and shape the way in which businesses operate. For this reason, alongside identifying the major risks organisations should consider, the Healix Risk Oracle 2020 has also focused on some of the lesser known risks, as well as providing advice on helping organisations take a broader view of their most valuable asset - their people.”

The Healix International Risk Oracle 2020 highlights eight political, security, operational and medical risks to watch in 2020:

1. THE MARCH TOWARDS PROTECTIONISM

Some major powers have taken steps towards protectionism in 2019, moving away from more globalised and frictionless trade markets. This was seen most prominently in the escalation of the trade war between China and the US. Uncertainties regarding the future relationship between the UK and the European Union will remain prevalent in 2020.  Protectionism, tariffs and trade disputes are becoming increasingly politicised debates, and Healix International expects this to continue into 2020.

2. IDENTITY POLITICS AND TURBULENT TRANSITIONS

Identity politics continues to grow as an influencing factor in many political spheres, with individuals increasingly demonstrating a tendency to favour political parties and movements associated with a particular religion, race or other self-identifying factor. For example, in India in 2019, President Narendra Modi focused upon issues of national security and identity politics during the presidential campaign, courting the majority Hindu vote and marginalising the Muslim minority. US President Donald Trump has used identity politics to appeal to his base, largely based on immigration and trade, which is likely to continue during the 2020 presidential election campaign.

3. TRANSNATIONALISM OF THE FAR-RIGHT

The risk of far-right extremism has been steadily growing across the Western world, with high-impact attacks in Christchurch and El Paso demonstrating the increased intention of extremists to pursue aggressive actions. One of the most concerning trends is the internationalisation of the far-right threat. Extensive far-right communities have developed using online forums and messaging sites, largely masquerading under the guise of ‘free speech’ forums. These interactions are facilitating radicalisation and recruitment. Social media has made it easier to fuel a cycle of violence worldwide, with radicalised individuals inspired by the actions and words of others. With the online space notoriously difficult to police, further attacks by far-right extremists in the Western world inspired by the growing global movement are likely in 2020.

4. A GULF IN STRATEGIES

Tensions between the Gulf States have continued to dominate diplomatic and military considerations in 2019. And although direct conflict between a combination of US, Saudi Arabia and Iran has been avoided, notwithstanding the ongoing proxy war in Yemen, further developments are highly likely in 2020, and the situation remains fluid and unstable.

5. RECESSION WORRIES

An old proverb states that “when America sneezes, the world catches a cold”, and nowhere is this more true than in the global markets. Economic indicators are causing analysts to speculate over the potential for the US economy to enter a recession. Globally, advanced and developed countries have demonstrated weak growth and a UN report has warned the global slowdown raises risks of a recession in 2020. Red flags such as trade wars, Brexit, protectionism and fluctuations in interest rates have contributed to the global slowdown.

6. SHORTAGES OF SUPPLIES

Although the reasons for shortages of goods can be myriad, 2019 demonstrated the impact supply shortages can have on national stability. This was especially apparent in the Latin America region.  As a consequence, violent anti-government protests have taken place in numerous countries, with activists blocking roads with burning objects and rioting. Shortages of basic goods are unlikely to be a worldwide issue in 2020, but Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti are examples of how significantly domestic operational risks can increase exponentially due to internal and external shocks.

7. MEASLES

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease and yet remains a global killer that is here to stay – at least for the next few years. Due to vaccination neglect by many countries and the spread of the ‘anti-vaxx’, or anti-vaccination message, fuelled by social media, childhood immunisation programmes are being eroded away and this makes measles a real medical risk globally.   It is the scattered groups of unvaccinated people that threaten the ‘herd immunity’, the general level of immunity in the country that serves to protect the majority. As such, it will be years before the many countries that were previously deemed free of measles are able to satisfy the World Health Organisation that they have again reached eradication status.

8. DENGUE FEVER

Dengue fever causes the greatest disease burden of any virus transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks or other insects, with an estimated 100 million infections per year, according to the World Health Organisation. There are an estimated 10,000 deaths from dengue every year. While the first vaccine for dengue has recently been licensed, its use is limited. It is hoped that among other vaccines still in trial, a solution will be discovered that will be more universal in distribution and will have a greater impact on the disease demographics.

The Healix International Oracle Risk Report 2020 can be downloaded from https://info.healix.com/risk-oracle-2020