update 2/14

update
For people insured under
Sanitas Corporate Private Care
2/14
Do you wear glasses or contact lenses? With a third of the population either long- or short-sighted,
you’re in good company. The dream of being able to see without vision aids goes back to the 1930s.
Major experiments in the 1970s produced mixed results, and it wasn’t until the late 1980s that
operations on the cornea got more professional and reliable. The most recent procedure, LASIK, has
been in use since 1990. Laser eye surgery costs several thousand francs, and has to be paid privately.
Read more on page 2.
Health apps are springing up all over the place. We talked to the experts about the quality of these
apps and how to use them intelligently to avoid the pitfalls (page 3). And on page 4, as always,
you’ll find news from the world of Sanitas, including an exciting competition.
Yours sincerely
Jürg Kufer, General Manager, Corporate Private Care
Contents
> Laser eye surgery: honing
your vision
> The pitfalls of “Dr Smartphone”
> Online customer portal
and competition
> Straight to a specialist
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ible an
Deduct xplained
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in a vid m/
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www.sa o-en
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Honing your vision
Say goodbye to glasses and contact lenses with laser eye surgery?
More and more people are having an operation to improve their
vision. What do you have to consider? Are there risks involved?
What does surgery cost? > Page 2
The pitfalls of “Dr Smartphone”
The market is being flooded with health apps ranging from pacemakers and weight loss coaches to cancer diagnosis tools. But they
can involve considerable risks and side-effects. Experts warn of
the perils of not using these digital aids properly. > Page 3
Online customer portal
Every week around 1,000 new users sign up for the
Sanitas online customer portal. Are you one of them?
Sign up now and you could win one of five Weber
kettle barbecues. > Page 4
Straight to a specialist
Do you have private insurance and need quick,
straightforward access to specialists and high-end
medical care? Just leave it to us. Under our Priority
Access service, your personal advisor at Sanitas will
arrange everything for you in next to no time. > Seite 4
Sanitas Preference Centre, Länggassstrasse 7,
P.O. Box 7820, 3001 Bern, Tel. 058 344 50 00,
[email protected]
Laser eye surgery
Honing your vision
Correcting defective eyesight
Short-sightedness (myopia):
up to –8 dioptres
Long-sightedness (hyperopia):
up to +3 dioptres
Astigmatism:
up to 4 dioptres
Say goodbye to glasses and contact lenses with laser eye surgery? More and more
people are having an operation to improve their vision. What do you have to consider?
Are there risks involved? What does surgery cost?
For some time 29-year-old actress Maria
K. has been unable to wear contact
lenses. They irritate her eyes and make
them water. But on stage she can’t wear
glasses. So she’s opted for the same
solution chosen by between five and
seven thousand people in Switzerland
every year: she’s having laser surgery to
improve her vision. People have many
reasons for choosing this route, from
chefs whose glasses are constantly
fogging up, to footballers and other
sportspeople who want to be able to train
and compete without the worry of losing
a lens. Young people have also laser
surgery; people over forty have it to correct
presbyopia (age-related vision loss)
combined with other vision impairments.
Basically there are two types of eye
surgery. The first is LASEK/trans-PRK
surgery, which involves mechanically
removing the epithelium that forms the
outer layer of the cornea. The epithelium
regrows in only a few days and closes the
superficial wound. LASEK/trans-PRK
surgery costs less, but it takes several
months to heal, much longer than with
LASIK, the most modern and popular
type of laser eye surgery. LASIK surgery
involves using a precision cutting
instrument called a microkeratome
Special offer from Laser Vista
Laser Vista, directed by Dr Eduard Haeﬂiger, has clinics in Basel, Zurich, Pfäfﬁkon
SZ and Chur. They have been using state-of-the-art technology to correct defective
eyesight for more than 20 years. With ISO and LASIK-TÜV-SÜD certiﬁcation,
Laser Vista meets the highest standards of quality and safety. Laser Vista gives
people insured with Sanitas Corporate Private Care a 15 per cent discount on
their initial examination and laser eye surgery (people in training or education
get a 20 per cent discount). Just give your insurance number when you arrange
your appointment. www.laservista.ch
or a femtosecond laser to make a tiny
incision in the cornea to create a corneal
flap. This flap is then peeled back, and
a laser is used to remove an amount of
the underlying corneal tissue calculated
depending on the degree of vision
impairment. LASIK is an outpatient
procedure that takes around 20 minutes
to perform. It doesn’t require a general
anaesthetic, just eye drops to numb the
surface of the eyes. After one or two days
the patient can see again clearly. The
main problem that can crop up after
surgery is dryness of the eyes.
So what about the risks? People can
experience night vision disturbances such
as glare. Their vision may also be over- or
undercorrected, but this can be remedied
in a follow-up procedure. Occasionally
vision can deteriorate again, partially or
completely. This generally happens in the
first year after surgery. But thanks to the
precision instruments used, the complication rate is very low at around 0.1 per
cent. By way of comparison, the risk of
infection for people who wear lenses is
0.2 per cent per year.
Because defective eyesight doesn’t
constitute an illness, patients have to
pay for surgery themselves. It costs
around CHF 2,100 per eye for the
LASEK/trans-PRK procedure, and around
CHF 3,800 to 4,000 per eye, depending
on who does the surgery, for LASIK.
People insured under Sanitas Corporate
Private Care have an exclusive 15 per
cent discount with Laser Vista (see box).
Preventive health
The pitfalls of “Dr Smartphone”
The market is being flooded with health apps ranging from pacemakers and weight
loss coaches to cancer diagnosis tools. But they can involve considerable risks and
side-effects. Experts warn of the perils of not using these digital aids properly.
Health apps are booming. There are currently estimated to be around 200,000
on the market, with new ones added every
day. You’ll find apps to create a personalised diet to help you achieve your dream
figure, apps to count your steps, and apps
raining plans if you
to conjure up detailed training
want to be as fit as an Olympic athlete.
at know how to
There are even apps that
ure, orr
lower your blood pressure,
fy
that will help you identify
skin cancer in its early
a on
stages using the camera
your mobile phone.
In Germany, apparently,
y, one
ses one or more
in five people already uses
health apps. The figuress are likely to
d But how can
be similar in Switzerland.
you tell whether an app is serious and
reliable? How can you find the right app
in the bewildering variety on offer? And
what happens to the personal data you
reveal when you sign up? These are all
very good questions that even experts
can’t always answer with any certainty.
One of the few specialists in the field of
health apps is Prof. Viviane Scherenberg.
Since April 2011 she has headed the prevention and health promotion department
Prof. Thomas
Rosemann, Director
of the Institute of
General Practice and
Health Services
Research at Zurich
University Hospital
Dr Rosemann, can you understand
why more and more people are using
health apps?
Yes. I think that there are certainly
suitable apps to be found, especially
at the Apollon Hochschule der Gesundheitswirtschaft (university of healthcare)
in Bremen. Viviane Scherenberg distinguishes between two basic types of apps:
those that are aimed at prevention, providing tips, guidance and measurement tools
related to nutriti
nutrition, exercise and sport,
aand those designed to
diagnose diseases.
“Basically all apps in
Europe, including
Switzerland, are subject
to a disclosure requirement,” explains Viviane
Scherenberg. In other
words the user has to be
a
able
to tell who created
the app and who is responsible for its
content. In addition to checking that this
information is provided, before downloading a health app she also advises users to
make sure that it meets the relevant data
privacy requirements. Otherwise, other
people may be able to read how many
calories you’ve eaten today, or what
medication you have to take when.
Once you’ve downloaded an app, you also
have to use it properly. Viviane Scherenberg encourages users to be responsible
when it comes to ﬁtness, training,
nutrition or monitoring heart rate or
blood pressure, that can help and have
some value.
But don’t apps often give a false
sense of security?
You can never rule out measurement
errors entirely. So it’s advisable not to rely
on an app alone if you’re dealing with
something sensitive like high blood
pressure. Especially not if you suspect you
have a serious illness. There’s also the
danger that you overdo the monitoring
Short check
Planning on downloading a health app?
First check to see whether the following
information is provided:
f Information on the author:
who’s behind the app?
f Information on sources: from whom
or where do the information and
recommendations come?
f Data privacy: how is data
privacy organised?
You’ll ﬁnd brief information on the app
and the app provider in the App Store or on
Google Play, from where you can also go
direct to the provider’s Internet site. This
type of information should be easy to ﬁnd
on a well-made website, often in a bar at
the bottom of the page.
Useful links
f www.myhealthapps.net:
This site takes a close look at 370 health
apps in 47 languages and 150 categories.
f www.appcheck.de:
The Deutsche Zentrum für Telematik im
Gesundheitswesen (ZTG) has investigated
various diabetes apps, and has made its
ﬁndings available to consumers on this site.
f www.healthon.de:
An evaluation of 138 health apps by category,
methodology, transparency and provider.
and use their common sense. “Diagnosis
apps in particular can never – and I mean
never! – be a substitute for the knowledge,
experience, empathy and technical
infrastructure a doctor can rely on.”
and end up more or less dependent
on the permanent ﬂow of data on your
smartphone. This can also lead to a lot
of mental strain for sensitive people
with a high degree of body awareness.
And create unnecessary worry?
Maybe. So it’s better to ask your
doctor for advice ﬁrst. Most doctors
are familiar with the business of apps,
and may even be able to help you
choose.
Top service
Every week around 1,000 new users sign up for the Sanitas online customer portal. Are
you one of them? Sign up now and you could win one of ﬁve Weber kettle barbecues.
We’re constantly developing the online portal on your behalf. For example it now
contains the following functions:
f If you have to submit an accident report, you can now do it on screen and
send it to us direct. Naturally your data are sent to Sanitas in encrypted form.
f We’ve also completely redesigned the inbox. It now has a preview for messages
and documents you click on, such as claims settlement advices. And there’s
a sort and ﬁlter function to help you ﬁnd documents quickly.
The customer portal enables you to keep constant track of your insurance
affairs – any time, any place, securely and for free. Find out more at
www.sanitas.com/kundenportal [site in German].
Sign up now and you could win a barbecue
Sign up for the customer portal by 18 July 2014 and you’ll
S
automatically be included in our summer competition.
With a bit of luck you could win one of ﬁve Weber Model
One Touch Premium 57cm kettle barbecues, including
a set of grilling tools. You’ll also win Migros gift cards
worth CHF 300, for a really great grill party with
yyour friends!
Si
Sign up now at www.sanitas.com/anmelden [site in German].
B
Best of luck!
Claims paid more quickly
From now on you’ll be getting your money paid back even
n more quickly.
To make this possible we’ve optimised our processes. Ourr ambitious goal is
rking days – from
to be able to reimburse you for your bills within seven working
the moment we receive the invoice from you. Since the beginning of this
year we have met this goal in an excellent 90 per cent of cases. But what
about the remaining 10 per cent? Read more online at
www.sanitas.com/scpc/update.
Straight to a specialist
Do you have private insurance and need
quick, straightforward access to specialists
and high-end medical care? Just leave it to
us. Under our Priority Access service, your
personal advisor at Sanitas will arrange
everything for you in next to no time.
It’s very easy. You tell your personal
Sanitas advisor what you need. They make
sure you get an appointment with a
specialist nearby – within no more than
three days.
Thanks to partnership with the prestigious Hirslanden Private Hospital Group
and Winterthur Cantonal Hospital,
you’re in the best of hands, with fifteen
facilities in German- and French-speaking
Switzerland covering more than 50 areas
of specialisation.
The benefits for you as a Sanitas
Preference customer:
f Priority Access: guaranteed access to
a specialist within 3 days.
f Uncomplicated access to high-end
medical care
f Less bother and administration
for you.
f No additional cost to you.
This service is for people with private
insurance. It's an interesting addition to
the services available to customers with
private insurance who already have access
to the Hirslanden Healthline. And all other
insured people who currently have access
to the Hirslanden Healthline can continue
to use it as before.
Publisher’s information: concept & design: denise schmid
communications; graphic design & production: Mediafabrik AG,
photos: Thinkstock, Sanitas, pad; Alessandra Leimer,
weber.com, printing: KROMER PRINT, Lenzburg
UPSCPC 06.14 en
Win a prize with the customer portal

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