Read the Conversation
EF: What mission did you set for yourself upon your appointment to this role?
GW: The transition in leadership is a team effort. We're bringing together executives from within the company and talented individuals from Sanlam and the broader industry. Our vision is to unite a diverse group of outstanding individuals who believe in the future potential of AfroCentric Group. This signals our ambition. Mobilising talent from within and outside the company sets us on this new path. Under this collective leadership, there is great promise. We'll continue our mission to improve access to quality healthcare services. We'll also strengthen our partnerships, bridging the gap between private and public sectors, funders, regulators, and policymakers. Our goal is universal access to affordable healthcare, regardless of socioeconomic status. However, we plan to differentiate ourselves by leading in technology and digital platforms. We will also utilise our extensive clinical expertise and invest in communities to drive healthcare initiatives. By innovating products and services, we aim to combat rising healthcare costs and enhance member experiences. Ultimately, we want to empower individuals to take ownership of their healthcare journeys, paving the way for a sustainable healthcare ecosystem. This is the vision and ambition I bring to my new role in leadership.
EF: What are you bringing to your leadership style?
GW: I may have yet to gain direct healthcare experience, but I bring 19 years of expertise in financial services, emphasising strategic management and leadership. Since joining the healthcare sector, I've been fully engaged, learning from and interacting with industry experts and healthcare professionals, inside and outside the company. This fresh perspective, combined with the strong leadership within our team and industry, presents exciting opportunities for innovation and growth. My values and principles drive me. Integrity is crucial- I aim to lead by example, fostering a transparent culture built on honesty and ethics. Trust is essential in our relationships with staff, clients, regulators, and all stakeholders. Strong leadership means ensuring everyone in the company, not just the CEO, understands and meets these expectations, ultimately bringing us together as a cohesive team. I encourage my teams to think creatively and outside the box and find better ways to do things. Collaborating, empathizing, and serving others are key aspects that energize our business. Individuals and teams need to understand expectations clearly and focus on achieving outcomes. We strive to execute tasks effectively, consistently delivering results to create value for all stakeholders.
EF: How can we ensure health remains a top priority during transition periods following the national elections held this year?
GW: This year presents unique challenges, particularly in healthcare. We have private and public healthcare systems, with government policies heavily influencing priorities and spending. While regulatory reforms like the National Health Insurance are significant, our commitment to universal health coverage should remain unwavering. Regardless of the political situation, we must address healthcare concerns daily. Our stance on universal healthcare aligns with our purpose-driven approach. We aim to provide high-quality, affordable, accessible healthcare, regardless of governmental changes. Active engagement is vital. We participate in discussions to influence practical outcomes that prioritise members' interests. We focus on creating sustainable policies that lead to healthier outcomes and reduce costs. This approach ensures a well-functioning healthcare system, benefiting policymakers, healthcare providers and clients. It's about being practical and proactive in addressing current challenges.
EF: How is AfroCentric leveraging data to revolutionise healthcare delivery and improve efficiency in the industry?
GW: AfroCentric recognises the transformative power of data in healthcare. By systematically analysing data from managing 15 medical schemes and processing over 12.5 million claim lines monthly, we are driving efficiencies and cost-effectiveness in healthcare delivery.
Our value-based care model focuses on five key pillars - access to care, cost of care, health quality outcomes, patient experience, and provider experience. This model allows us to differentiate ourselves and achieve balanced outcomes across these critical areas.
Data serves as the intelligence behind our operations, driving efficiencies and transforming the healthcare industry, particularly in South Africa. With over 24 million touchpoints monthly, 81% of which are digital and automated, we harness the power of predictive modeling to optimise our processes and enhance efficiency opportunities.
Our impressive statistics, such as a 98.45% Claims Straight Through/Automation Processing rate on our associated provider claims and 85% First Contact Resolution Rate in customer service, showcase our commitment to delivering care and services at the moment and customer satisfaction. Additionally, our Health Risk Management Initiatives have resulted in significant savings of R5.9 billion annually (2023) for our scheme clients, enabling us to maintain competitive premium increases and enrich member benefits.
Looking ahead, data will remain a cornerstone of AfroCentric's approach to healthcare. We are dedicated to investing in cutting-edge technologies and data management practices to ensure the highest quality care for our patients while driving efficiencies and reducing costs. We want to partner with tech companies, doctors, insurers and other stakeholders to create a complete care ecosystem. This shift moves us from transactional to value-based care, focusing on better health outcomes and lower costs. It's a win-win for everyone. By harnessing the potential of data and insights, we are confident in our ability to revolutionize the healthcare industry and contribute to a healthier South Africa and the continent as a whole.
EF: Are there any initiatives you’re excited about that will help shift the conversation to value-based care, or do you have more preventive approaches in mind for South Africa in 2024?
GW: Our organisation recently went through a strategic refresh to determine if it will help us achieve our long-term goals. We identified opportunities and promise areas that we can leverage. We focus on preventive care and are working on proof of concepts to bring this to the market. We have identified two clinical areas where we can prove these concepts and are talking to anchor hospital groups to make it happen. However, before we can move forward with these transformative initiatives, we acknowledge that there have been several operational and system instabilities over the last two years that have impacted our business performance. Our focus is on stabilising our core IT operations, governance, distribution and human capital areas to address this. This will enable us to execute our transformative initiatives and deliver strong financial performance, giving us the breathing space to pursue all our other goals.
In 2024, our big focus is getting the most out of our diverse assets, like AfA and Klinikka. We aim to integrate and leverage these diverse assets to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and provide highly effective administration and managed care services to our members. Our priority is to align and integrate the various parts of our business behind the servicing mindset. This will significantly affect how we show up compared to our competitors. We are also excited about the opportunities of being the majority-owned subsidiary of Sanlam, the continent's largest non-banking financial services group. We plan to leverage this opportunity to unlock a winning health offering. We must focus on future-proofing our business and participate in the discourse around NHI to ensure a meaningful role for us as the private sector to deliver universal health for all. We also plan to use our scale and diversity to carve out new opportunities for ourselves as a key service-enabling business in the post-NHI environment. This will make AfroCentric Group a leader in the future of healthcare.
EF: In August, what achievement will you celebrate along with completing your first year in AfroCentric?
GW: Implementing a strategy refresh will bring clarity and focus to our business and the market. This will be the first step in empowering our employees to embrace change and contribute to the growth of our company by utilising their unique skills, expertise and perspectives. By creating an environment where people understand the company's strategic ambition and their role in achieving it, we can shift the culture to one that encourages exploration, collaboration, and creative thinking. This approach will inspire new ideas and solutions to drive our company towards our goals. I hope to see this cultural shift take place before my first anniversary.
Beyond research and development, we are building valuable partnerships with technology providers and academic institutions to stay at the forefront of healthcare innovation. In addition to this, we'll also foster a culture of experimentation and continuous learning. This means trying new things, learning from them and adapting our approach based on what works. It's all about creating value and success in the long term. We can become a true servant leadership organisation by focusing on our people, encouraging innovation, and putting the customer first. This means empowering our employees, creating solutions for real problems, and ultimately becoming the kind of company people want to work for, work with, and be served by.
EF: Do you have any final topic or message you would like to deliver to our audience, the sector, and all the stakeholders in the healthcare industry?
GW: I want to emphasize the importance of putting the patient at the center of everything we do. By doing so, we can define the kind of organisation we want to be in the long term, shape our culture, establish our strategic priorities and focus on our diversified model. Managing diversity can be challenging, but if we keep our customers at the forefront of every decision, it gives us the focus we need while still leveraging our strengths. Our people are one of our key strengths, and investing in them is crucial to our future success.
Additionally, our continued focus on technologies such as big data, AI, and machine learning will make us more efficient and competitive over the medium and longer term. This translates to better value for our members and lower costs. As a result, we can redefine how we share in the value we create, moving away from a transactional service-for-fee model and toward a more sustainable approach. Overall, we're committed to transforming healthcare through innovation. We want to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for everyone. We'll achieve this by exploring new care models, using technology wisely and partnering with like-minded organizations. Bold moves and a willingness to look beyond traditional approaches will be crucial to our success.
