Health Financing Startup Kenko Health Launches QR-Based Cashless OPD with Kenko Pay

Subscribers can pay their consultation fees by scanning the UPI QR code deducting it from their Kenko benefits, similar to a standard UPI transaction. They can also simplify things by uploading bills and prescriptions for future Kenko benefits.

Kenko Health, a health financing startup, has unveiled Kenko Pay, a QR-based cashless OPD service, intending to modernise healthcare financing in India. This solution is poised to help Kenko subscribers manage their medical expenses by offering cashless transactions using their subscription benefits, eliminating the need for out-of-pocket spending. 

Aman Priyadarshi, head of Product at Kenko Health, said, "Our primary focus is to develop tech-driven solutions that effectively address the healthcare financing needs of Indians. Traditional health financing companies often fall short in prioritising the customer experience, burdening individuals with a cumbersome claims process designed to combat fraud. With Kenko Pay, we've significantly enhanced the customer experience, making benefit utilisation as simple as regular payments, all while reducing the risk of fraud to an unprecedented level within the industry. This starts an era in health care financing where claims are a thing of the past."

The Kenko Pay system is accessible through the Kenko mobile app to locate nearby healthcare facilities, including pharmacies, clinics, and diagnostic test centres.

The startup said that subscribers can scan the UPI QR code following a medical visit at the healthcare provider's establishment. The consultation fee is then automatically deducted from their Kenko benefit, with the payment instantly received by the healthcare provider, resembling a standard UPI transaction. Moreover, subscribers have the option to upload bills and prescriptions for future Kenko benefits, streamlining the process even further.

Kenko Pay leverages AI technology during transactions. It utilises the user's GPS location, facility coordinates, and QR code details to verify the transaction's legitimacy, ensuring secure and accurate processing within 60 seconds. Post-transaction, machine learning models digitise user-uploaded bills for future use of Kenko benefits.

Currently, this feature is available at over 15,000 doctors' offices spanning 16+ specialities across 500 cities in India.

Kenko Pay also allows subscribers to add their family doctors to Kenko's network if they are not already on it. By submitting their doctor's details through the app, Kenko's team claims to add the doctor within 24 hours. This is to ensure enhanced accessibility and convenience for subscribers, allowing them to continue receiving care from their trusted healthcare professionals.

After a doctor consultation, subscribers can visit one of the 100,000 pharmacies across India. Here, they can pick up prescribed medicines by scanning UPI QR codes and settling their bills cashlessly using the Kenko app.

Furthermore, per the startup, every Kenko Pay transaction generates valuable insights into usage patterns across India's healthcare facilities, which have traditionally operated offline. This benefits subscribers and can potentially revolutionise the healthcare industry by helping healthcare facilities increase their business while proactively addressing their working capital needs.

Established in 2019 by founders Aniruddha Sen and Dhiraj Goel, Kenko Health aims to create a comprehensive Health Management Organisation (HMO) that not only encompasses healthcare costs but also addresses the medical needs of its customers.

In a similar development, Star Health and Allied Insurance introduced a user-friendly payment option using UPI QR codes for policy purchases and renewals, simplifying the customer process.

The companies stated that this personalised solution streamlines the customer purchase experience, making it a seamless process with just a few clicks.