"You might have a sick child or have concerns about a health condition and you can ring up our nurses and they can triage your health needs and recommend treatment and recovery options." Medibank, which with subsidiary AHM enjoys the largest market share of 25 per cent, already employs more than 1200 health professionals, including nurses, GPs and other primary healthcare workers. Medibank wants to become a 'broader health company'. Credit:Reuters It has two trials under way – one where nurses give "meaningful" health advice over the phone and another where nurses answer health questions, such as how to manage symptoms, online via Nurse Webchat. It also has "health champions" stationed at eight retail stores around the country to connect customers with Medibank's health programs, such as CareComplete, and local services in a bid to help them get value from their cover.

Mr Koczkar said Medibank wanted to help customers navigate a confusing health system and hoped to assist each of its 3.7 million members in the next three years. Dr Tony Bartone, federal president of the Australian Medical Association. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "We want to complement the health professionals. We respect the relationships that individuals have with their health professionals," he said. But the development has angered health groups, with Tony Bartone, GP and president of Australian Medical Association, warning it may complicate and further fragment healthcare. "What's important is GP-led, multidisciplinary, patient-centred care. There needs to be a leader overseeing that whole envelope of care and, when you start having multiple people pulling in multiple directions without any coordination, you’re going to get, at best, duplication and at worst, cross-purpose intervention in their healthcare," he said.

While he recognised Medibank's desire to be proactive and improve their members' health, Dr Bartone said health advice must be consistent. "A patient might be double, triple handled unnecessarily ... so we must be the first point of call," he said. Loading Dr Harry Nespolon, president-elect of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, said helping patients navigate the health system was a "good thing" but Medibank couldn't substitute GPs. He described Medibank's plans as "good marketing", as it was probably trying to make members feel like they were getting some value for their money.

In "crass terms", he said Medibank was likely attempting to reduce the number of unnecessary hospital visits, which costs it money. He was dubious about whether Medibank's trials would succeed, pointing to a past government-run program that encouraged people to call nurses and had later crumbled. "About five years ago the government tried to run a similar system ... but almost everyone ended up in casualty, because the problem is you've actually got to lay eyes on and examine people," he said. "If someone rings up and says 'I've got a rash', it could be anything from dermatitis to meningococcal disease, and while a GP can give personalised advice, the nurse on the phone will direct you to a hospital," he said. "There's a place for this advice but there's a limit." Medibank eyeing My Health Record

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) have maintained that insurance companies cannot access a patient's My Health Record. But health insurance companies haven't concealed their desire to access this treasure trove of data, with NIB openly saying it hoped to get permission from its members. Loading Asked three times whether Medibank was making any moves to get its hands on the My Health Records of its members, Mr Kocskar did not deny it. "We’ve been looking at the debate about the health record and I think anything that can support improvements in health for customers, we would support," he said. "But obviously there’s a long way to go with that and we will watch and see what happens."