Sun Life Financial Canada is adding virtual health-care services to its group and individual insurance plans. Its virtual care referral networking will initially include three third-party providers: Toronto-based mobile health-care platform Akira Medical Ltd.; Montreal-based virtual health-care provider Equinoxe LifeCare; and online doctor, health and prescription company Maple Corp. Read: A look at video health-care visits as an option for […]
Diagnoses of mental and nervous disorders are rising along with the work leaves associated with them. And as the World Health Organization has noted, depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. According to the recently released disability claims management benchmarks survey from RGA Life Reinsurance Co. of Canada, Canadian carriers saw […]
It’s a familiar situation: An employee is feeling ill at work but is too busy to leave for a medical appointment. Or perhaps the employee’s child wakes up with a sore throat and needs to see a doctor. New apps and services are emerging to aid in those situations. Video health conferencing and telemedicine allow […]
While many Canadian organizations continue to search for solutions to rising health-care costs, most are falling short. That’s why they must investigate any opportunity to find substantial savings and then take action. One health-related cost that hasn’t gained much attention is absenteeism. As issue often linked to mental-health issues, it’s costing Canadian organizations billions of dollars in payroll costs, […]
Express Scripts Canada has won a five-year contract to process millions of pharmacy, dental, vision, mental health and medical supplies and equipment claims for Indigenous Canadians. The contract, awarded by Health Canada, includes options for renewal for up to 11 years. Read: Plan members need help with co-ordinating care: report “Express Scripts Canada is extremely pleased to have […]
Plan sponsors looking to integrate pharmacogenetic testing into their benefits plan will soon have lots of information to consider as Canada’s biggest insurance companies roll out pilot projects and research begins to shed light on the return on investment. “The market is expanding. Insurers are piloting projects. You will hear a lot about pharmacogenetics over the next 12 months,” said […]
More than half (57 per cent) of Canadian employees and managers are currently suffering from a mental-health problem or sleeping disorder, or have done so in the past, according to new research by Morneau Shepell Ltd. However, 27 per cent of employees and 32 per cent of managers surveyed said they’re able to go through their daily work […]
The Co-operators Group Ltd. is expanding its mental-health support for employees by increasing its annual coverage of mental-health services to $5,000 a year per family member. It’s also expanding the number of eligible practitioners covered by its plan, beyond psychologists and social workers to include family therapists, clinical counsellors and psychotherapists. The company is also introducing a new […]
Like many Canadians, I’ve witnessed first-hand the struggles people experience in obtaining a timely, affordable appointment with a mental-health professional. Loved ones often face lengthy wait times and disjointed care, while family members try to help as best they can. With one in five Canadians experiencing a mental-health problem or illness in any given year, […]
Keeping workplace stress in check is a job perfectly suited to the four-legged set, or at least that’s the hope of a few enterprising petting zoos and some companies. Organizations such as Squeals on Wheels, a mobile petting zoo in Potomac, Md., bring animals into workplaces for employees to cuddle, pet and hold as a break from […]