SVP Chris Denys says online network compares and rates more than 150,000 providers
Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada believes it has addressed the “last bastion” of online networks with the launch of Lumino Health, a free digital resource with more than 150,000 providers and 6 million ratings.
The website offers details such as cost, hours of operation, languages spoken and the ability to request an appointment online. The types of nationwide providers include dentists, massage therapists, chiropractors, physiotherapists, psychologists, vision care providers, naturopaths and acupuncturists.
Luminoheath.ca is designed for people to find the best fit for their needs in seconds and providers are compared and reviewed by the community of users. It also offers insights from health industry experts on how to live a healthier life.
Chris Denys, SVP, Possibilities, Digital Health Solutions, said the success of this resource among Sun Life members led the company to open it out to all Canadians and believes nothing of this nature exists in the market.
He said: “If you were moving to a new city, for example, and you might have three or four relationships you depend on – dentists, psychologists, physiotherapists. It was hard to reset and find the best providers out there.
“You either have to go with word of mouth, which takes time and is tough and you still don’t really know, or you can Google it but then you’re left with a whole bunch of websites and you don’t have things like cost information or credible ratings. It’s not consistent; it’s work, right?”
Denys said Lumino Health provides the answer with a one-stop shop that takes advantage of a huge network of data that Sun Life has through its group benefits business.
He said: “We’re the largest group benefits insurance provider and that’s where this started about two years ago. This has been available to Sun Life clients but this is about us bringing it to all Canadians and because we have so many connections, so many claims that come through us, we are actually the largest private payer of healthcare after the government.
“We use that data and we serve it up in an easy-to-use way, together with ratings from our group members that actually use these services. You’ve got that cost and that quality assessment and it was so successful with our group members that we had about 3 million searches over a short period of time. We said we want to bring this to everybody.”
Chris Denys
