Elmarie Jooste

I have started 23 years ago at Bestmed Medical Scheme as a Personal Assistant, knowing nothing about the medical scheme industry, about practice numbers, and neither ICD 10 codes nor the difference between scheme benefits and Savings account benefits. But I did understand that anyone dealing with a medical scheme representative, is either angry or scared. Emotional.

And this complicates the way one speaks to members, it determines your tone of voice, your facial expression, and even whether you ask them to wait a few seconds while you find the answer to their question on the operational system. Since then, I learned what a benefit is, what ICD codes are and what the Medical Schemes Act determines. Still, nothing is as important to a member of a medical scheme than the way the Scheme treats them when they need us the most.

Since my career started at Bestmed I gained experience in:

• Call center management (5 years)
• Designed, implemented, and managed the Corporate Client Service offering for approximately 150 participating employer groups throughout the country (10 years)
• Developed, implemented, evaluated; corrected or changed the Scheme's wellness offering aimed at both individual and corporate members (10 years).
• Designed and implemented the service strategy, Personally Yours, ensuring that all contacts members or other stakeholders may have with the scheme, are remembered, and experienced in the same positive way (5 Years).
• Expanded the Scheme's footprint in the country and represented the scheme as executive attending member meetings during which members were provided the opportunity to tell us what we are doing wrong (and right). 
• Got to know the answers to most of the questions members can ask, know the answers to those we cannot say yes to, and ensure that my team does the same (20) years.
• Product development and benefit design (3 years).

Incomplete

• 2021 to 2024 MPhil (Corporate Strategy) GIBS 

Completed:

• 2000 MBA University of Northwest Province (Potchefstroom)
• 1995 BA Hon. Political Science University of Northwest
• 1993 BA Hon. Public Administration University of Northwest
• 1990 BA Political Science