nib developed Whitecoat in response to demand from our customers for information to help them choose dentists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, podiatrists, osteopaths and other ancillary providers.

Whitecoat will be particularly useful for people who, have moved to a new area or need treatment for a specialist service for the first time or wish to change their provider.

This development is consistent with the proliferation of consumer choice and social media websites that provide consumers with greater transparency, more freedom and ultimately more power in their decision making.

The point of difference of Whitecoat from other consumer comparison websites is that nib has developed and will strictly manage the process for obtaining, reviewing and publishing both data and comments regarding each provider. This will enhance the credibility and accuracy of the website’s information when compared to other sources.

While there are a number of websites that provide comments and testimonials regarding ancillary providers such as google.com.au, truelocal.com.au and nobledentist.com.au; nib’s whitecoat.com.au provides a significant point of difference in that nib adopts processes to enhance the credibility of the information provided. nib has developed and will strictly manage the process for obtaining, reviewing and publishing data and comments on Whitecoat.

In establishing the profiles on the site, nib will include the name and location of each ancillary provider, along with an ancillary provider’s Average Service Charge Score, nib Likelihood to Recommend Score and comments (where data is available).

Ancillary providers can log on to the site to update a range of profile details including name, gender, practice hours, services offered, facilities, languages spoken, payment options, contact details and online appointment booking facilities (if available within their own site).

An nib Likelihood to Recommend Score will be generated for each provider as long as nib has received at least one completed survey on that provider.

An nib Average Service Charge Score will be generated for each ancillary provider that has performed a minimum number of services (varies among specialities) for nib customers in a 12 month period.

nib customers will receive a survey regarding their provider service experience when they visit an ancillary service provider and make a claim with nib within three days from the date of service. However, nib customers can only be surveyed on one individual ancillary provider per practicing location twice in a 12 month period.

nib has written to ancillary providers registered with nib informing them of our development plans and also to invite them to be part of a pilot phase for Whitecoat prior to launching the service to the public. nib has also met with the majority of the allied health national peak bodies to discuss our plans for Whitecoat.

The pilot phase was launched in January 2011 and carried out over three month period with the aim to work in collaboration with ancillary providers and peak health bodies to improve the website. During the Pilot Phase of the project we will review all aspects of the site based on the feedback we receive from ancillary providers and their peak bodies.

During the pilot phase a feedback mechanism was in place to allow ancillary providers and their peak bodies to ask questions, identify issues and submit comments on the website’s content and functionality.

Based on the feedback received, we have made a number of changes to improve the site’s usability and functionality. All aspects of the site have been reviewed based on this feedback to ensure that it provides a fair, meaningful and balanced service.

If you have any questions or feedback on the site, you can email them to whitecoat@nib.com.au.

There are over 200,000 ancillary providers represented on the site.

When an ancillary provider logs on to the site, they can view their individual profile and update a range of details including name, gender, practice hours, services offered, facilities, languages spoken, payment options, contact details and online appointment booking facilities (if available on their own site). Ancillary providers can also view their individual Average Service Charge Score, nib Likelihood to Recommend Score and nib customer comments.

As part of the feedback received during the pilot phase, we have made a number of additional functional and usability changes to the site based on the feedback we have received from registered practitioners. These changes include the ability for a provider to display details regarding their level of experience and qualifications and ability for a provider to add a short bio about themselves and their practice.

We are confident that if Whitecoat operates as a forum for nib’s customers to exchange their own views about their overall service experience, health practitioners will not be considered to be engaging in advertising contrary to the law. We are aware of allegations that some customer experience websites contain false testimonials - either glowing reviews from people associated with the business under review or negative feedback placed by competitors. With Whitecoat, comments will only be sourced from nib’s customers who have had a direct experience of treatment by the health practitioner. Whitecoat will make it clear that the comments are made independently and are not endorsed by the provider or nib. Please also see “Flagging of comments by providers as inappropriate”. Of course, nib is not in the business of giving legal advice and, if you are concerned, you should speak to your lawyer and consult your health registration board.

In developing Whitecoat, nib is aiming to provide as much information as possible on ancillary providers. If your registered address information is publicly available (e.g. in a phone directory or accessible somewhere else on the internet) then it will be displayed on Whitecoat. However, if it is your private address that is not publicly available (e.g. you are a mobile provider who travels to your clients) then only your suburb will be displayed. Functionality has been added to the site to allow you to flag if your address details are private. You will need to login in to Whitecoat to access this functionality.

In developing Whitecoat, nib is working to deliver a meaningful and valuable online customer service portal that that is recognised by ancillary providers as being fair, meaningful and balanced. To achieve this outcome we believe that it is important that the website features information on all ancillary providers.

Ancillary providers are not required to register to be part of Whitecoat. nib recognised providers will be included on Whitecoat. To date, this represents over 200,000 ancillary providers.

The registration code allocated to each provider allows them to access their profile on whitecoat.com.au to review and update business details, as well as also review nib scores and customer comments.

To achieve a successful and balanced outcome for both customers and providers, we believe that it is important that the website features information on all ancillary providers. Accordingly, at this stage we have not included a function on the site that allows providers to opt-out of the service.

The Average Service Charge Score is a 1-5 rating displayed as dollar signs ($), with one dollar sign representing a low average service charges compared to their peers, while five dollar signs represents a high average service charge compared to their peers. The Average Service Charge Score will be calculated based on data for claims paid by nib on behalf of our customers for commonly utilised services performed by each individual provider. A provider must have performed a minimum number of services (varies among health specialities) for nib customers in a rolling 12 month period to receive an Average Service Charge Score.

nib has preferred ancillary provider agreements with dental practitioners and optical dispensers at nib Dental & Eye Care Centres and Pacific Smiles Dental Care Centres. However, the number of ancillary providers preferred by nib represents just 0.2% of all providers who have an Average Service Charge Score published on Whitecoat.

Preferred ancillary providers are more likely to receive a lower Average Service Charge Score on Whitecoat due to the discounted rates nib has negotiated with these ancillary providers. Preferred ancillary provider status for nib customers will be published on the site.

nib understands that there may be a number of extraneous factors that may influence individual Average Service Charge Scores. This is noted within Whitecoat and users are advised that this score is to be used as a guide only.

The nib Customer Advocacy Score displays how likely nib customers are to recommend an ancillary provider health specialist. This score is calculated based on feedback received by nib customers via an email survey. The survey asks the nib customer to rate from 0-10 how likely they are to recommend the health specialist to family and friends in the next 12 months.

The ratings of 0-10 are classified into three groups based on level of likelihood to recommend:

• 9-10 'extremely likely to recommend'
• 7-8 'likely to recommend'
• 0-6 'less likely to recommend'

The number of responses within each category are then displayed on a time period scale:

• 1 month;
• 6 months; and
• 12 months

This approach allows for fairness within the methodology, isolating anomalies and showing positive or negative change over time.

A summary of the likelihood to recommend is also displayed on the site as a positive feedback percentage of the total responses. For example, responses that fall into the categories of ‘extremely likely’ (9-10) and ‘likely’ (7-8) will be added up and shown as a percentage across responses.

nib customers are also given the option of providing comments in addition to their score and can opt to allow them to be used by nib and related partners for marketing purposes, including publishing on whitecoat.com.au.

This methodology was chosen as a simple and transparent representation of our customer feedback on their likelihood to recommend an ancillary provider.

A customer is not expected, nor qualified, to provide feedback on clinical services.

The purpose of the nib Likelihood to Recommend Score is to provide a rating on the overall service experience.

When surveyed, nib customers are given the option of providing a comment in addition to their score. They can also then opt to allow their comments to be used by nib and related partners for marketing purposes, including publishing on Whitecoat.

These written comments allow customers to provide more personalised feedback regarding their service experience, which can assist other customers visiting the website to make more informed decisions regarding service providers.

When responding to a survey, nib policyholders are asked not to submit comments that may contain personal or sensitive information. Comments published on Whitecoat will be made anonymously.

Yes. All comments submitted by nib customers are reviewed by nib prior to being published on the website. This is to ensure comments are fair and balanced, and will also prevent any sensitive or defamatory comments being posted.

Comments however, will not be edited or taken out of context when published. It is our aim to promote transparency and clarity with respect to comments.

There are two levels of moderation in place to review comments for publication on Whitecoat:

1. nib has established a key word filter through which all comments are passed. If any inappropriate terms are found, the comment will not be published.
2. Every comment that passes through the first level will then be reviewed by nib staff using a set of 10 guiding principles developed for Whitecoat.

If comments do not meet all 10 principles, they will not be published.

Ancillary providers and the general public can report comments posted on Whitecoat that they consider inappropriate. Once reported, these comments will be flagged to the site’s administrator and reassessed using a set of 10 guiding principles. During this assessment period the comment will cease to be published. If the comment is deemed acceptable against these set of principles, it will be republished. If an ancillary provider or user still feels that a comment is inappropriate, the matter can be referred to nib’s provider relations team.

A right of reply function has been added to the site following feedback from individual providers and their associations requesting the ability to respond to customer comments. As an example, a customer may publish a comment regarding the extended period they were required to wait before seeing their specialist. There may been a legitimate reason why this occurred, such as the specialist was responding to an emergency appointment. Using this function the specialist can provide a response to such comment. nib does not believe that the function breaches health ethics nor provides an avenue for individual providers to breach patient confidentiality. All comments published on Whitecoat are strictly anonymous with no reference to a patient’s name.

The nib provider relations team can be contacted at whitecoat@nib.com.au.

Ancillary providers will be issued with a registration code that will allow them to access their profile on whitecoat.com.au, review and update personal and business details, as well as also review nib scores and customer comments.

These details include:

• Update personal details: name, gender, languages spoken, Twitter details, Facebook page, LinkedIn account.
• Update business details: Opening hours, services and facilities provided, payment options, contact numbers, email address, postal address, web address and online booking details (if applicable).
• Review nib Scores: Service Charge and nib Likelihood to Recommend Scores including nib customer comments (if data is available).

Ancillary providers that practice in a number of locations will have a profile for each location, which can be managed using the same login and access code. Ancillary providers can also list other locations where they practice on each specific profile.

Ancillary providers who work at multiple locations can choose not to list other practice locations on each individual profile page. nib will only list additional practices if requested to by the ancillary provider.

A basic search function will be located on the Whitecoat homepage that will allow users to search for an ancillary provider by two compulsory criteria:

• Modality: a drop-down menu featuring a pre-set list of selectable modalities.
• Location: a freeform search box that will allow users to type in city, state and postcode or full address. An ‘include surrounding suburbs’ functionality can be checked to include suburbs within a pre-defined radius in the search results.

The search results will be displayed in the following default order:

1. Location requested.
2. Number of ratings recieved.
3. nib Customer Advocacy Score – highest to lowest likelihood to recommend.
4. Service Charge Score – highest to lowest.

Users of the site can influence the search results order by choosing to sort by any one of the four search variables.

If you have an issue with your profile, please contact nib’s provider relations team via email at whitecoat@nib.com.au.

It is important to note though, that ancillary providers who have been deregistered or suspended by nib will not appear in the search results. An ancillary provider can become deregistered or suspended by nib for a number of reasons including no longer being registered with their association or peak body, or having let their insurance lapse.

nib preferred ancillary providers who could offer nib customers a special deal will be highlighted.

A Google map will be present on the page and will point out the locations of the top results.