Ralmed funds hospital and medical care for international clients and manages the treatment from start to finish. We settle the accounts directly with the hospital and the treating specialists, and we run the case day by day, so an insurer abroad is never paying upfront or managing a patient from a distance.
At a glance
The service
Healthcare funding means Ralmed settles the hospital and medical bills on behalf of our international clients and provides dedicated case management throughout the episode of care. The insurer or the client deals with one organisation, and the hospital deals with us.
In most cases the treatment itself is delivered by Ralmed's associate specialists, who hold admitting rights at all major specialist hospitals. The team that arranges the funding therefore knows the clinicians treating the patient, and can act on what they report.
From the moment care begins we provide real-time case management: we monitor clinical progress, manage the documentation and arrange direct settlement of accounts. That protects international medical insurance clients from the pressures of upfront medical payments and the complications of remote case management.
Who it is for
The organisations and people who ask us to fund a case are usually dealing with a patient in South Africa and an account they cannot easily settle or oversee from where they are.
Medical insurers covering members who need treatment in South Africa, who would rather not pay hospitals upfront or chase documentation across time zones.
Assistance and case management companies that need a local partner to admit the patient, watch the case daily and settle the accounts.
Doctors and hospitals sending a patient on for specialist treatment, who need the admission, the specialist and the funding arranged together.
Individuals and families arranging treatment in South Africa who want the hospital account handled and the case managed by one team.
What we handle
We take the case from the first enquiry through to the final account, and keep the insurer or the client informed at every stage.
| Stage | What Ralmed handles |
|---|---|
| Before admission | We review the medical reports, confirm the specialist and the hospital, and set out the expected costs so treatment can be authorised. |
| Guarantee of payment | We confirm cover to the hospital and the treating specialists, so an admission is not held up while a payment guarantee is arranged. |
| Admission | The patient is admitted under an associate specialist with admitting rights at the hospital, and the admission is confirmed back to the insurer. |
| During treatment | Real-time case management: clinical progress monitored, reports and authorisations kept current, and the insurer updated as the case moves. |
| Accounts | Hospital, specialist and ancillary accounts are settled directly by Ralmed, then reconciled into one clear account for the client. |
| After discharge | Discharge summaries, final accounts and any follow-up care or journey home are arranged and documented. |
How it works
01
Call or WhatsApp with the patient's details, the medical reports and the cover in place. Whatever you already have is enough to start.
02
Our medical team reviews the reports, confirms the right specialist and hospital, and sends the expected costs for authorisation.
03
Once cover is confirmed we guarantee payment to the hospital, and the patient is admitted under the treating specialist.
04
We manage the case while the patient is in hospital, settle the accounts directly, and send the documentation through.
Have a patient in South Africa who needs funding and a team on the ground? Talk to ours.
One team for funding and care. The organisation that pays the account also manages the case, so nothing is lost between a funder and a clinician.
Specialists with admitting rights. Our associate specialists admit to all major specialist hospitals, so patients are placed quickly and treated by people we work with every day.
No upfront payments. Clients are protected from the pressure of paying hospitals in advance and reconciling it long afterwards.
Real-time reporting. Clinical progress, documentation and accounts are tracked while the case runs, not reconstructed at the end. Travel is handled by our international patient service.
Cost
Each funded case is quoted separately, because the cost follows the treatment the patient actually needs and the hospital they are admitted to.
These are the things that shape a funded case:
Hospital and specialist fees are settled by Ralmed and reconciled into one account for the insurer or client, so there is no separate bill to chase from each provider.
Your options
Insurers and families arrange treatment in South Africa in different ways. This is how the common ones compare when the patient is a long way from the people paying for the care.
| Option | Who arranges it | Suits | Things to weigh up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ralmed healthcare funding | Ralmed admits the patient, manages the case and settles the accounts | Insurers and clients who need care arranged and paid for from a distance | One account and one point of contact, with clinical oversight included |
| Paying each provider directly | The insurer deals with the hospital and each specialist itself | Funders with staff in South Africa and hospital agreements already in place | Upfront payments, several accounts to reconcile, and no clinical oversight on the ground |
| The patient pays and claims back | The patient settles the hospital and submits the account afterwards | Short, planned treatment for a patient who can carry the cost | The patient carries the risk, and reimbursement depends on the documents they collect |
Get started
Send us what you have on the case, and we will confirm what can be funded and what the treatment is likely to involve. A person answers the line 24 hours a day.
Head office
89 Impala Road, Kelvin View, Sandton
Johannesburg, South Africa.
If the patient still has to travel to South Africa, our international patient service arranges the flight, the transfers and the admission alongside the funding.
Questions
Ralmed funds hospital and medical expenses for international clients while overseeing the full course of treatment. Care is typically provided by our network of affiliated specialists with admitting privileges at leading private hospitals. We handle continuous clinical monitoring, documentation and direct payment of accounts from the start of treatment. This approach shields overseas medical insurers from the burden of advance payments and the challenges of managing cases from a distance.
It is for international clients: medical insurers, assistance companies, referring doctors and private patients from outside South Africa whose members or patients need treatment here. The common thread is a patient in South Africa and an account that has to be settled and overseen from somewhere else.
Yes. We arrange direct settlement of hospital, specialist and ancillary accounts, then reconcile them into one account for the insurer or client. That is what removes the upfront payment from our client's side.
In most cases Ralmed's associate specialists, who hold admitting rights at all major specialist hospitals. Where a patient is already under a particular specialist or hospital, we work with the treating team instead.
Through real-time case management. We monitor clinical progress while the patient is in hospital, keep the documentation and authorisations current, and report back as the case moves rather than after it ends.
Yes. If the patient has already been admitted, or is here and needs to be, send us the reports and the cover details and we will pick the case up from where it stands.
Nothing to the hospital. Ralmed guarantees payment and settles the accounts, and the insurer deals with one reconciled account from us instead of advance payments to several providers.
Yes. Flights, transfers, admission and the journey home are handled by our international patient service and our own air ambulance, planned alongside the funding for the treatment itself.
Our associate specialists hold admitting rights at all major specialist hospitals, so the patient is placed at the hospital that suits the treatment rather than the one nearest to us.
Call 086 1725 633 or send a WhatsApp with the medical reports, the patient's details and the cover in place. A person answers 24 hours a day, and we will confirm what can be funded.
Related services
Travel and admission for patients coming from abroad are handled by our international patient service, flights by air ambulance, and treatment by our doctors and associate specialists.
Send the patient's details and the medical reports, and we will confirm what can be funded and what happens next. One number, 24 hours a day.
Head office based in Sandton, Johannesburg, Ralmed established in 2013, specializes in comprehensive medical and occupational health services in South Africa, dedicated to compassionate, cost-effective care. Call Ralmed Emergency Medical Services today.