PPMC software: running pre-policy medical checkups
A practical guide to pre-policy medical checkups (PPMC) for operators: the steps, where turnaround is lost, and what PPMC software should handle.
Updated November 2026
A pre-policy medical checkup (PPMC) is the health check an insurer asks for before it issues a life or health policy above a certain age or sum assured. The insurer, or the TPA working for it, sends the case to a medical operator. The operator visits the proposer at home or books them into a centre, fills the medical examination report (MER), collects samples, gets the tests done at a lab and sends everything back.
Insurers judge operators on two things: turnaround time (TAT) from case to report, and the quality of the MER. A slow or incomplete medical delays the policy, and a proposer kept waiting may buy elsewhere.
The steps in a PPMC case
- Case received with the proposer's details, the medical category and the tests the insurer wants.
- Appointment fixed with the proposer, usually an early-morning fasting slot.
- Examiner or phlebotomist assigned to the visit, or a centre booked.
- MER filled with history, vitals and declarations, and signed by the proposer and the examiner.
- Samples collected and taken to a partner lab that runs the package.
- Reports and MER delivered to the insurer, then invoiced.
Where turnaround is lost
- Unconfirmed appointments. The examiner reaches a locked door because no one checked the slot the evening before.
- Manual assignment. A coordinator rings round to find someone free near the pincode.
- Paper MERs. Missing answers, illegible handwriting or a missing signature send the case back.
- The wrong lab. The sample goes to a lab that doesn't run one of the tests, or misses its cut-off.
- No shared view. Nobody can see which cases are close to the insurer's target until it is missed.
What PPMC software should do
| Need | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Several insurers and TPAs | Each client's own packages, rates, MER format and TAT target |
| Field team | A phone app with today's visits, route, MER and sample photos, and automatic assignment |
| Appointment confirmation | Calls or SMS that confirm the slot and record the answer on the case |
| Partner labs | Rate cards per lab and package, and a rule for picking the lab |
| Turnaround | TAT on every case against the client's target, with warnings before it is missed |
| Money | Client invoices with GST, lab payables and cash collected, from the same records |
How Prechq handles PPMC
Prechq was built for operators who run medicals for several insurers at once. Each insurer or TPA is a client with its own packages, MER format and lab rule. Visits are confirmed by an automated call, assigned to the nearest free examiner, and the MER is filled and signed in the field app. Samples go to the partner lab the client's rule picks, and turnaround shows on every case. See all features or pricing.