Air Doctor, the Israel-based company that connects travelers to local medical practitioners while abroad, is now offering its co-branded service for mobile operators to recover lost roaming revenue caused by the global halt of tourism and business travel.
In a post-COVID-19 world, the mobile industry will need to add more value-added services to encourage people to “roam” back into traveling. For some mobile operators the reduction in international travel means lucrative roaming revenues are reduced, but more use of hotspots to enable home working means many are using networks more with many users migrating to higher data packages as a result, so a net benefit to operators – both fixed and mobile.
Integrating Air Doctor will help operators improve the customer experience and retention by providing a global, non-emergency medical assistance solution to their clients.
Adding Air Doctor as a value-added service enhances roaming package offerings, delivering a seamless digital customer journey to increase the bottom line. It allows operators to differentiate themselves in a competitive market by providing a more holistic solution for their roamers.
A simple click on the co-branded Air Doctor link provided by the mobile operator will enable travelers to use the web or mobile app and ease the process of finding and scheduling an appointment with one of thousands of vetted, licensed general practitioners, specialists, and even dentists in countries across five continents. Air Doctor gives travelers an intuitive and accessible platform to find the right doctor for their needs wherever they might be, often in their native language.
“Mobile operators know exactly where their clients are traveling to, so they can very easily customize how their travelers use the service,” said Jenny Cohen-Derfler, Air Doctor co-founder and CEO. “Before COVID-19, travelers generally didn’t think about getting sick when traveling, now, many will be preoccupied by this possibility as they leave quarantine. Mobile operators can enhance their customers’ peace of mind by ensuring that they have access to doctors no matter where they travel. Being sick or injured while travelling is frightening and stressful, even more so when you don’t know the culture or speak the language.”
With Air Doctor, it’s easy for travelers to make appointments with the best doctors near them. They simply select a doctor based on specialty, location, language and other clients’ reviews, book an appointment with a few simple taps, visit the doctor’s clinic or book a home visit, and get an invoice to their email, which they can send to their insurance company.
“The strongest we are is in Europe,” Zimerman added, saying Air Doctor’s network has grown from 500 doctors a year ago to over 8,000 today. “France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Western Europe we have covered. Thailand and Australia, also very strong. Mexico too. We’re just been building up the United States in the last month, and we’re also starting in South America.”
Air Doctor is a complementary service, so travelers can use it with or without insurance.
Paying for Air Doctor
If your home health insurance covers you for travel, look on Air Doctor’s site to see if they work directly with the app. If so, payment is as easy as walking in the door, once you’ve submitted your insurance information.
If your insurance company doesn’t work with Air Doctor, you’ll have to pay upfront. But keep the invoice and if you’re covered, your insurance company will reimburse you.
If you don’t have travel insurance as part of your general health insurance, you may want to look into it or get special travel insurance for your trip. Consulting Air Doctor’s list of providers before leaving might help you streamline that process too, but it’s not necessary.
