The contracts for the administration of Member and Claims Services and performing Clearing House services were awarded after an extensive and transparent tender process. The new term takes effect on 1 January 2012.
An elated Nick Rudston, managing director of the administration business of Metropolitan Health, welcomed the appointment, which he said would provide significant opportunities for job creation as the scheme continues to grow.
"This means that GEMS members will continue to benefit from our proven track record and the world-class administration and cost-effective managed care solutions that we offer to the clients under our administration," Rudston said.
GEMS was established with the aim of providing all public service employees with equitable access to affordable and comprehensive healthcare benefits.
It is the fastest growing medical scheme in the history of the South African medical scheme industry, with a membership of more than 580 000 families to date.
The tender process for the full range of medical scheme administration services started in June this year and was overseen by independent auditing firm Deloitte. All accredited medical scheme administrators were afforded the opportunity to submit bids for the administration contract, based on an extensive request for proposals from the GEMS Board of Trustees.
"It is a privilege to have been part of the extraordinary journey that is GEMS. Their unprecedented membership growth and innovative approach to providing healthcare benefits displayed by the GEMS Board and management team have allowed us to be a partner to many groundbreaking initiatives and a fresh direction in the medical scheme industry," Rudston added.
