MDA National is one of Australia's leading providers of premium medical indemnity insurance and medico-legal services for over 95 years. A core pillar of strategy for MDA National is to service and support it’s Junior Doctor Members in a highly competitive Medical Defence industry - members who genuinely pursue the highest standard in medical practice. However, Junior Doctors today face increasing customer expectations and pressure, leading to burnout. On top of this, MDA was looking for an edge against their larger, more resourced competitors. 

MDA National recognised the importance of adapting their service experience to help Junior Doctors meet these increasing pressures while continuing to uphold their purpose-driven mission of improving the standard of medical practice in Australia.

CEC were engaged to uncover true customer insight from Junior Doctors that would translate into a game changing value proposition so MDA National could build loyalty and better serve and support the Junior Doctors as lifetime members of the brand.

We conducted extensive qualitative research with Junior Doctors across Australia whose insights became the foundation for MDA National’s Junior Doctor strategy. These insights were translated into concepts that were validated with Junior Doctors to determine those high-value future-proof initiatives that would return the most value on investment for both MDA National and it’s Junior Doctors. These concepts stemmed from MDA National’s strengths as a brand, and aligned to it’s business model. 

We helped MDA National identify strategies to orient their service experience toward the emotional un-met needs of Junior Doctors when they need it most, so Junior Doctors can practice with confidence and continue to provide outstanding patient care to the Australian public. 

Actioning these strategies, MDA National has rolled out a suite of changes to their Junior Doctor service experience and has already seen a noticeable increase in engagement. These changes will continue to be tested, and iterated upon, so MDA National can continue to measure the impact of these services on their member engagement, support, and loyalty. In September 2023, MDA National recorded a 100% increase in the number of Junior Doctor customers resulting in real, tangible commercial acquisition outcomes.

The Australia Healthcare industry demands so much from all Medical professionals. Growing workloads, staff shortages, and rising costs is leading to a decline in quality care and increase in burn-out. Everyone in Australia is affected when our doctors suffer. 

MDA National is a small organisation with a big aspiration to do more for its members and increase the quality of medical practice in Australia in the process. Their services support Junior Doctors to feel more confident and capable of handling industry challenges, and Doctors who are more supported, resilient and equipped in their formative years will provide better healthcare to all Australians for generations to come. 

“CEC were engaged to help us create something that would resonate with the unique needs of our Junior Doctors operating in the healthcare sector, and that is what they have delivered! The process the team follows is disciplined and anchored in identifying and responding to deep customer insights derived from CEC’s unique approach to research and strategy formulation.” – Steve Sheppard, Chief Operating Officer, MDA National

In 2023 the work was awarded an Australian Good Design Award for Design Strategy in recognition for outstanding design and innovation.  

The Good Design Awards Jury commented: “This project expresses the timeless importance of human-centred design in a very important area — brilliant work. The Jury commends the design team for this outstanding project and for setting the bar for good design in this category. Well done.”