MediCall announces certifications, evolving healthcare services delivery

(Manila, Philippines, August 22, 2011) – Medicall, a firm that has provided healthcare-related services to global clients since 2003, announced that it is certified in two categories by healthcare services quality accreditation organization URAC, the only company in the Philippines to receive such accreditation.

URAC is one of the fastest-growing independent healthcare accreditation agencies in the world. MediCall is certified in two categories, Workers Compensation Utilization Management (International) and Health Utilization Management (International). It was originally certified in 2008. URAC was established in the 1980s to provide independent certification of professional processes and education and to establish quality measures for the entire healthcare industry.

According to MediCall president Jeff Williams, MediCall is the first healthcare services provider to receive URAC accreditation outside the United States, as well as in the Philippines. “We were the pilot project for international certifications,” he said.

The company is currently undergoing its third URAC certification.

The company has also submitted itself to the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE 3402) evaluation, another first for a Philippine location. MediCall remains the only healthcare services firm with operations in the Philippines to have URAC certification and to be evaluated by ISAE. MediCall opened its first facility in Makati in 2004, and last year opened a second facility in Cebu. It employs nearly a thousand licensed registered nurses who provide medical management services.

Registered nurses and other medical professionals deliver an evolving suite of services, including medical workers’ compensation and pharmacy support services, primarily to clients in the United States. Williams said his company pioneered the delivery of these services from the Philippines and characterized them as complex, high-value services. From its inception, the company has almost exclusively hired highly paid Filipino medical professionals to serve its clients.

“From the beginning, we wanted to leverage Philippine nursing skills to help the US healthcare market,” said Williams.  “We saw an opportunity long before others for a highly intelligent, motivated workforce that we can work with to create a new healthcare services sector.” Williams said they chose the Philippines because “We were impressed with the impeccable work ethics of Filipinos,” as well as high educational levels.

The company started with only three Filipino professional mecial staff.  Today, virtually the entire workforce is composed of nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals—with the exception of Williams and two cofounders.  Katheryne Gutierrez, MediCall vice president for clinical quality and compliance, was one of the company’s first hires. Starting as an entry-level nurse eight years ago, Gutierrez is one of a handful of senior executives. She credits MediCall’s supportive working environment for her development.

“We keep an open-door policy. It helps us strengthen the relationship between employees,” Gutierrez said, explaining that aside from offering regular training programs, MediCall endorses its Philippine-licensed nurses to the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), supports their continuing education, and subsidizes NCLEX fees. “Our employees are healthcare professionals. And they should always be treated that way,” Williams said.

“We were the first healthcare services company serving an international market in the Philippines to employ nurses, the first and so far the only one to receive independent international certification, and the first to provide above-average remuneration and differentials. And we’re proud of that,” Williams said.