What happens when your employee gets sick abroad?

When an employee is travelling, or working abroad, an important safety factor for both the employer and employee is that he or she is able to get immediate help if something should happen. To ensure a global presence at all times, If cooperates with assistance partners who can help the insured persons wherever they are. These assistance partners offer a variety of services but the most important is the medical assistance.

When an employee needs medical assistance abroad it is crucial that it is easy to get help, which they get via the helpline that is open 24/7.

Being in need of medical care in a foreign country can be challenging, but assistance partners are able to serve the person in the Nordic languages, and can provide information about both the local medical practices as well as local facts and habits.

Medical partners

If's partners have a wide network of cooperation hospitals all over the world where they guide the insured to get the best possible treatment. Consequently, these hospitals and clinics are carefully selected to ensure the quality of the treatment. Assistance partners have also negotiated prices with these hospitals.

Some serious injuries might be critical for days and require larger efforts from the assistance partner. In these cases, the assistance partner always has doctors on call who can collaborate with the clinic doctors. The case handler in If will also follow the situation closely and give needed support to the assistance partner who is operatively managing the case.

If the injured's medical status is life threatening, it is also possible to send the next of kin. The assistance partner will arrange the plane tickets and hotel accommodation. When the medical status is stabilized, the next step is to arrange the transportation of the injured. The employer can even send a colleague to replace the injured in order to continue the work. All these services are included in the insurance cover.

The role of If in medical cases abroad

• checks the cover and makes the final claims settlement decision
• gives assistance and guidance to the assistance partner, insured, employer, next of kin, brokers etc.
• handles the claim application received from the claimant
• follows the quality of customer satisfaction and handles customer feedback
• develops and manages the joint cooperation with the assistance partners

The role of the assistance partner in medical cases abroad

• guides the insured to the right kind of clinic if needed
• informs If about the case and asks about the cover if needed
• keeps If updated about the case handling
• arranges the treatment and gives the payment guarantees to the hospital
• communicates with the hospital about the medical issues related to the insured
• communicates with the insured about the treatment plan
• handles the invoicing and documents with the clinic

​Tiina Isoniemi & Henrik Hederberg