Hygeia, Clearline, Multishield top list of 39 newly re-accredited HMO

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has finally released the comprehensive list of 39 newly re-accredited Health Management Organisations (HMOs).

Hygeia HMO Limited, Clearline International and Multishield Nigeria Limited, among others, topped the table of HMOs that were able to meet all the NHIS specifications by the August 31, 2014 deadline.

HMOs are private or public incorporated companies registered by the NHIS to manage the provision of health care services through health care facilities accredited by the scheme. NHIS is the regulatory body of all the HMOs in the country.

BusinessDay findings had earlier revealed that out of 77 HMOs in the country, only 15 were re-accredited while seven were placed on provisional accreditation. Maayoit Healthcare, Premium Health, Total Health Trust, Healthcare International and United Healthcare International, among others, were earlier found to be on the list.

Similarly, it had been gathered from informed sources that Bupar Healthcare, Redcare Health, Doma Healthcare, Avon HMO, Reginix Healthcare, Well Health Network and Police HMO were the HMOs placed on provisional accreditation.

But NHIS had on Tuesday, September 9, uploaded the list of 39 (out of 77) HMOs that were able to scale through the hurdles of re-accreditation. It was found that Marina Medical Services HMO Limited, KBL Healthcare Limited, Integrated Healthcare Limited, Sterling Health Managed Care and Mansard Health and Limited, among other HMOs, also made the list. In addition, the seven HMOs earlier gathered to have been on the provisional list are now part of the comprehensive list.

“In accordance with the perspectives of the management of NHIS on building a new scheme that is responsive and responsible, the organisation engaged the services of PricewaterhouseCoopers Limited (PwC) for a fair and credible assessment of the strength and potentials of its accredited HMOs,” said an abridged statement of Ayo Osinlu, head of media and public relations, NHIS, in the release, BusinessDay gathered.
A reliable industry source told BusinessDay that the list initially reported involved first set of HMOs that were successfully processed and accredited. According to him, the NHIS list of 39 HMOs is an updated list of all the HMOs that scaled through the first accreditation as well as others which were subsequently cleared.
While reacting to the re-accreditation success of the firm, Ramesh Kurup, chief executive officer, Hygeia HMO, expressed his appreciation to the firm’s clients and other stakeholders for remaining calm and unperturbed despite concerns in recent days with regard to the company’s state after the re-accreditation exercise.