TAL enhances medical capability with appointment of Specialist Advisory Board

TAL, Australia’s leading life insurance specialist, has today announced the appointment of a medical Specialist Advisory Board to complement the services and expertise of its in-house medical and health services team.

The Specialist Advisory Board was appointed to further strengthen TAL’s medical capability, driving the right approaches for TAL’s customers and the industry.

TAL Group CEO and Managing Director, Brett Clark, said, “The role of the Specialist Advisory Board is to ensure TAL stays at the forefront of medical thinking for the benefit of our customers and partners.

“As TAL’s independent expert advisory service, the Board will share updates on medical advancements and clinical protocols to ensure TAL’s approach to product, underwriting and claims reflects the latest medical best practice.

“We believe that health and life are intrinsically linked and the Specialist Advisory Board’s independent, objective medical expertise gives us confidence that we are providing our customers and partners with the best possible support.

“We are proud to be the only life insurer in Australia with this type of structure and approach to health, which contributes to supporting the health and wellbeing of Australians,” he said.

TAL General Manager, Health Services, Dr Sally Phillips, said, “Members of the Specialist Advisory Board include professors in medical fields most relevant to life insurance and customer health and we are thrilled to have such eminent and well-respected specialists involved. 

“The Board will provide TAL with guidance on new medical treatments, help undertake an annual review of medical definitions and can provide a final expert medical opinion and referral source on individual complex claims cases. 

“The Specialist Advisory Board is a crucial element of our medical due diligence and governance model.  Working with research specialists will also enable TAL to be involved in cutting edge research. This additional capability will boost our ability to continue understanding, managing and supporting the mental, physical and financial health of our customers,” she said.

TAL’s Specialist Advisory Board currently covers the areas of cardiology, respiratory conditions, neurology, oncology, endocrinology, psychiatry, neuropsychology and infectious diseases.

Specialist Advisory Board member Professor David Bryant, Respiratory Specialist at St Vincent’s Clinical School, added, “I am very happy to join TAL’s Specialist Advisory Board. From my perspective this is an innovative and worthwhile venture which should be applauded. Being involved in this initiative will bring our professions closer together for the benefit of all Australians.”

In addition to the Specialist Advisory Board, TAL also has a specialist advice panel that TAL’s Chief Medical Officer refers to for day-to-day medical opinion. The two specialist groups work with TAL’s Health Services team, which was created in 2016, to build TAL’s capability to evolve with best thinking in medical practice and preventative health.