As the landscape of Canadian drug plan management continues to evolve, several programs are being implemented by insurers and pharmacy benefits managers to help plan sponsors manage costs. Speaking on a panel at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum on Dec. 3 in Toronto, Ned Pojskic, leader of pharmacy and health provider […]
The Canada Life Assurance Co. is eliminating plastic drug plan cards, with an aim to move to a completely digital experience for group plan members by 2021. Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, the insurer will begin encouraging its group benefits plan sponsors to opt out of providing plastic drug cards to members. With advancements in digital […]
The combination of preventative medicine and pharmacists can be powerful. Through a collaboration between the University of British Columbia’s pharmacists clinic and its human resources’ health, well-being and benefits division, researchers sought to improve the cardiovascular health of staff members, including those who didn’t realize they might be at risk. “In British Columbia, part of […]
The requirement to measure and report on the quality of the health-care services delivered by providers is growing, alongside the redefined nature of the relationship between payers and health-care providers, such as pharmacy, said Ned Pojskic, leader of pharmacy and health provider relations at Green Shield Canada. “This system . . . is designed in its very nature […]
Plan sponsors and plan members are unaware of the key differences between private and public drug plans, according to the 2019 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Both employer and employee respondents said they believe private and public prescription drug plans cover close to the same amount of medications. Plan members estimated about 6,600 drugs are covered under private […]
Health Solutions by Shoppers Drug Mart is launching a health coaching program for plan sponsors to include in their benefits plans. Aimed at employees with chronic diseases, particularly diabetes, heart disease and obesity, the coaching program will connect plan members with nurses, pharmacists or dietitians through phone or video chat. These specialists will help create […]
Express Scripts Canada is appointing Michael Roszak as chief operating officer. Roszak will oversee operations, customer services, marketing, sales and clinical services. Since 2008, he was vice-president of business development for the public sector at Telus Health. “Mike is the right person to lead ESC’s operations into the future,” said Dr. Dorian Lo, president for Express Scripts Canada, in a […]
As a job title, ‘drug case manager’ can imply different things across the health-care and benefits industries. In Canada, a drug case manager may be part of a drug manufacturer’s patient support program or an insurance company’s preferred pharmacy network, while hospitals have case managers at various levels, says Suzanne Nagy, drug consulting leader for […]
Treating mental health with medications is very different from treating an infection, so why do many people, and many employers, treat them like they’re one and the same? When enhancing communications around wellness programs, plan sponsors should seek innovative ways to support employees with how they use medications and help them understand the interactions between drugs and mental […]
Express Scripts Canada is appointing Dr. Dorian Lo as president following Michael Biskey’s retirement from the position in the first quarter of 2019. Lo is a Canadian physician with international experience in health care, pharmacy and pharmacy benefits management. He’s currently managing director of group strategy and health care at Rajawali Corp., an investment holding company in […]