Middlesea second opinion option

Middlesea Insurance plc has signed an agreement with Arzt Partner Almeda AG in Germany for the provision of second medical opinion services to clients insured under Middlesea Insurance health schemes. ArztPartner is fully owned by DKV AG and is a full-service disease and case management provider based in Munich.

DKV, is the largest private health insurance company in Europe, and has a been in the business for over 70 years. With offices in nine countries, Arzt Partner manages customers with over 23 million insured members. By means of this agreement, insured clients under some Middlesea Insurance health schemes are able to obtain a second medical opinion from an international panel of medical experts.

"This is a service which provides our health insurance customers with added value," explained Simon Anastasi, chief officer responsible for health insurance at Middlesea Insurance. "We are sensitive to a patient's immediate needs in difficult times. Often, patients resort to obtaining further opinions in a time of crisis and such opinions may come at a very high cost. At such moments, time is crucial, and if a second opinion is required, it will be needed within the least time possible."

This service will be available to eligible existing and future holders of Middlesea Insurance health insurance policies. It is applicable to a number of named eligible medical conditions, like cancer, including leukaemia, malignant tumairs and benign brain tumours, coronary heart disease, major organ transplant, stroke, paralysis from injury, complications of diabetes mellitus, asthma, complications of hypertension, severe burns, slipped vertebral disk, major trauma, and other serious medical conditions.

The service will be based on an analysis of an eligible individual's medical condition by a Vip Med expert whose skills are appropriate for the particular case. The Vip Med Expert Network consists of acknowledged international specialists in many different medical fields and are qualified to deliver the second medical opinion to the best advantage of the patient.

Mr Anastasi pointed out that as a result of Malta's high level of expertise, it is a possibility in the future to include a number of local medical specialists in the Vip Med international panel.