Boston, June 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the world begins to re-open and we all continue to reel from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are countless questions being asked. For organizations, many of those questions center around how to keep employees safe and well while simultaneously resuming global operations and maintaining profitability.
Simply put, businesses cannot operate via virtual conference tools forever. Business-critical travel needs to resume, and for many, that needs to happen now. However, employee expectations and legislation have drastically changed in the wake of COVID-19. Organizations across every industry are faced with the difficulty of demonstrating their duty of care obligations to their employees in an incredibly complex operating environment, particularly when it comes to weighing the risks of international travel.
The Healix Internationa/HX Global team fully understands that COVID-19 has turned the entire concept of travel risk on its head. For the first time in a generation, risk is highest in parts of the world that have historically been considered the safest, and these countries account for more than 90% of global business travel.
Logistical and operational restrictions across the world are changing by the day. Information related to COVID-19 and necessary measures to reduce transmission remain vast, ambiguous, highly complex and often incomplete. Even the most well-resourced organizations are struggling to stay on top of the magnitude of information that is published each day.
To enable organizations to rise to this challenge, Healix International/HX Global is launching “COVID Travel Safe.” This one-of-a-kind product is a layered risk assessment tool that has been designed to enable business travel within a pandemic, and to provide instant assessments of the medical and logistical risks posed by each and every unique proposed travel itinerary.
Healix International/HX Global Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Adrian Hyzler said, “We know that in this incredibly challenging time, all businesses need to be supported in resuming operations and providing an increased duty of care to their travelers. This tool allows any organization to have the confidence to deploy employees safely and with the knowledge that those traveling do not pose a high medical risk of severe disease.”
Read on for details of how the “COVID Travel Safe tool works to protect your employees and your organization.
LAYER 1: “COVID Travel Safe” Online Tool
The platform experience begins with the user answering a number of questions about their intended trip alongside a COVID-19 specific medical questionnaire. The “COVID Travel Safe” tool will then generate a medical risk assessment. This assessment combines information about an individual’s medical risks with data around the local pandemic conditions and logistical factors in the country of destination. This information is incorporated into an instantly available risk assessment document that the traveler can download.
Our unique methodology measures a range of sub-risk factors including pandemic trend and COVID testing access, alongside practical concerns such as travel bans and curfews. This tool has been developed in-house by our panel of medical experts and calculates a medical “risk score” for each individual. Behind the scenes, our team of medical and risk professionals are closely monitoring the science, government restrictions and logistical risk environments around the world. This ensures that the information driving COVID Travel Safe is up to date and representative of the pandemic’s evolution.
The online tool will provide an automated summary assessment of whether the traveler should proceed with their intended trip. This determination is delivered in the form of a “traffic light” system of Red, Amber, and Green. In the event that the traveler receives a “Red” assessment, risk factors warrant the individual reconsidering their need to travel. “Green” indicates that the tool has not identified any major concerns with the intended trip, therefore booking can proceed. In the case of an “Amber” result, we recommend a follow-up consultation with Healix International’s medical and/or logistical risk teams.
LAYER 2: Personal Assessment
For those travelers who flag as “Amber,” there is the option to automatically integrate an escalation to our in-house medical and logistical risk teams for a personal assessment. Our experts can review the report and provide customized advice on the associated risks. This advice then enables the traveler to make a more informed decision about the medical risks and the potential logistical complications. If required, our teams can also work with your employees to arrange pre-deployment COVID-19 tests and navigate unique logistical complexities. This layered approach provides the convenience of an easy-to-use online tool, seamlessly integrated with a more personalized expert service.
Further Customization and Compliance
The “COVID Travel Safe” tool is highly customizable and able to sit on your organization’s systems, conveniently integrating the risk assessment and trip approval workflow. Risk managers are given access to a separate login that allows them to track the requests and manage traveler support services where required. We are also able to integrate travel policy rules, manager approvals, security information and ground support request forms to ensure that travelers can transition through the entire risk assessment and approval process in one efficient visit. “COVID Travel Safe” is GDPR and HIPAA compliant.
To schedule a demo, please send an email to enquiries@hx-global.com.