VUMI® earns their insureds’ trust with every case, at every touch point

As it enters its second decade, VUMI^®, VIP Universal Medical Insurance, knows that the heart of its success has been earning – and keeping – their clients’ trust. The company has proven, in each case and at every touch point, that clients can rely on the company to protect their most precious possession - their families’ health.

Established in 2012, VUMI^® now provides access to the highest levels of quality care in the U.S. and around the world. The company offers exclusive major medical and travel insurance products to private and corporate clients from its eight international offices. Part of a global healthcare group with 590 employees and more than 35 years in the marketplace, VUMI^® is financially secure with no bank debt. When insureds have a VUMI^® Plan, they know they are working with a solid company that will be there for them whenever needed.

OVERVIEW: WHAT MAKES VUMI® DIFFERENT?

The Plans: As VUMI^® expands into new regions, individual and corporate plans are crafted to meet a variety of needs and budgets for every stage of life: from young professionals, couples beginning their lives together, expats, to seniors anticipating an active retirement.

Across the globe, people are turning to private health insurance policies to protect their health. Let’s consider Canada as just one example. Statistics show that wait times for key surgical procedures in Canada are spiraling out of control. In 2021, Canadians faced an average wait time of 25.6 weeks between referral from a general practitioner to receipt of treatment. A recent respected report confirmed that this year’s wait time has been the longest in the survey’s history – 175% longer than in 1993, when the average wait time was just 9.3 weeks. The wait time for a hip or knee replacement can be up to 2 years.

An increasing number of Canadians are opting for supplemental private health insurance that can get them treatment in a timely manner so they can experience relief from constant pain, or worse yet, correct a condition that will continue to deteriorate until a reversal becomes impossible. VUMI^® Canada offers the VIP care that makes surgical wait time much more tenable, and opens the doors to centers of excellence for any condition a patient might be facing.

VUMI^® Plans are continually being refined and updated, adding new benefits in response to needs.

The Network: Our company’s worldwide network reach is composed of 800,000 providers and 7,000 hospitals located in more than 100 countries. With that kind of depth and breadth, VUMI^® insureds know that when they need care, it will be there for them.

The Service: An accident or sudden illness can happen anywhere in the world, and at any time of the day or night. VUMI^® stands by to provide multilingual assistance 24/7/365. The response is immediate – directing patients and their families to the closest facility that can handle the situation, or can stabilize the patient for transport by road or air ambulance to a center fully capable to deal with complicated conditions. VUMI’s role does not end there, VUMI^® follows a patient on their road to recovery, along each step of the way. VUMI^® handles the gathering of information required to authorize treatment and arrange direct payment to hospitals, taking this burden away from families so they can focus on their loved one’s recovery.

The VIP Philosophy – Putting Words into Action: VIP is embedded in the company’s name, and is evident in every aspect of service. For example, VUMI’s VIP Patient Concierge Service provides personalized service to patients and families in all hospitalizations and critical cases, anywhere in the world. The multilingual service includes coordination of appointments, home medical visits, (when possible), and a constant flow of communication among the healthcare provider, the patient and their family.

The Leadership: As is all too common in today’s corporate world, great ideas and innovation are often victims of “death by committee.” Not so at VUMI^®, which has always been privately owned. With David A. Rendall at the helm, the company is known industry-wide for its nimble, entrepreneurial spirit. VUMI’s senior management team keeps the focus on innovation, seeking ways to keep improving the VIP service, streamlining processes, and maximizing the utilization of advancements in technology.

ADVANCING THROUGH ADVERSITY

As 2020 dawned, no one could have predicted the upheavals that our lives – both personal and professional – would have to face. The pandemic tested us all, ripped loved ones from our arms, upended our social interactions, and permanently changed the way business would be conducted.

In March 2020, with the safety of its team at the forefront of its concern, VUMI^® staff transitioned to a remote working environment. Challenges were dealt with as they arose, and workarounds were found. Service to our insureds was never interrupted. Within weeks, new processes were in place, and VUMI^® moved forward in the strange “new normal.”

What speaks volumes about VUMI’s leadership is that, unlike other companies forced to shutter their doors or those who were grateful just to remain open, VUMI^® took careful stock of the global situation. Here’s what they saw: people everywhere were now making accessibility to the best possible care their #1 priority.

During the height of the pandemic, the company had the courage- and the foresight - to expand across the globe by opening VUMI^® Global Services, a health management company that serves the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Additionally, in 2021, the VUMI^® Enterprise Group opened the affiliated companies of VerusRx, a prescription benefits management company, and Epic Health Solutions, a one-stop that offers network solutions, healthcare management, and medical assistance for clients in the Americas.

Always evolving and growing, VUMI^® continues to add plans, processes, and technology to meet the changing needs of the marketplace. For example, as the world began to resume a more normalized existence, VUMI^® saw the need for travel programs that offered clients its iconic VIP service, extensive coverage, and access to the best care available anywhere in the world. There are now two plans available: Travel VIP provides worldwide medical and non-medical coverage that protects insureds from unexpected events that might arise during a trip. Single or annual trip coverage is available. The second plan, Travel VIP Affinity, has been designed for corporations and offers businesses the flexibility they need.

Simplifying usage for its clients is always a priority. In 2022, VUMI^® will begin issuing new ID cards for members with a QR code. Insureds simply capture the QR image with their smartphone, and they are taken to a web page containing all the information they need to file a claim, make a medical notification, etc. In this way, VUMI^® has ensured that member ID cards will never become outdated.

PRIORITIES FOR VUMI’S SECOND DECADE

Unlike corporations who manufacture goods, providing medical insurance – where and when it is needed – necessitates an entirely different level of trust. When a loved one falls ill or experiences an accident, the policyholder must have complete trust in their insurance company. They deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have the most competent partner by their side – providing access to top physicians and facilities, handling the details, following the patient as they recover. VUMI^® has earned that trust over the first ten years, and will continue to innovate and grow to meet new challenges as they arise. Every member of the VUMI^® team considers this as their job – and their mission.

“VUMI^® offers innovative, flexible healthcare solutions delivered with VIP services. This provide insureds with the peace of mind that comes with knowing they are protected anywhere, anytime.”