Collaboration will let select plan members on disability potentially reduce wait times
Medavie Blue Cross has announced a partnership with Medical Confidence, a part of CloudMD, to give certain plan members on disability the chance to reduce the time they spend waiting to see a specialist.
Through MedExcellence, a personalized healthcare navigation service that’s aligned with the Canada Health Act and provincial healthcare systems, Canadians on disability who are waiting for an appointment can potentially get earlier access to a specialist for their condition. Plan members on disability may work with Medavie Blue Cross disability managers, who’ll help them access the service based on appropriate circumstances and referral criteria.
“From what we are seeing, Canadians may now need to wait even longer to get an appointment with a specialist,” said Rebecca Smith, director, Group Life and Disability Services at Medavie Blue Cross. “We believe this will help many of our plan members in seeing the best possible health outcomes and potentially seeing a quicker recovery from their disability.”
MedExcellence taps a network of over 27,000 specialists across Canada, allowing those who use the service to gain access to a specialist 220 days sooner on average than they otherwise would’ve been able to. Disability insurers who have leveraged the program have also reportedly seen the duration of disability cases reduced by an average of six months. Three quarters (75%) of clients who have used the service also reported improved levels of employee satisfaction.
“The majority of Canadians do not know what to do or where to turn when faced with a serious medical condition,” said Medical Confidence President Angela Johnson. “The ever-increasing wait times have become the norm, made worse by COVID-19's impact on our healthcare system … Through our innovative navigation platform, we will provide Medavie plan members a customized and caring approach to obtaining the right treatment at the right time.”
Aside from providing access to MedExcellence, Medical Confidence also works to help eligible individuals understand their health-related circumstance, and become actively engaged in decisions regarding their treatment and recovery.
