Employees were increasingly using digital mental-health-care options for years, but the coronavirus pandemic shifted the trend into high gear. Since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic almost one year ago on March 11, 2020, providing some health-care virtually instead of in-person has become the norm. By the end of March 2020, […]
Canada Life Assurance Co. is introducing a new health-coaching program, led by Shoppers Drug Mart Inc.’s Health Solutions team, to help Canadians prevent and manage chronic conditions. The new program will be delivered remotely by pharmacists, nurses and dietitians, allowing for employers to continue to support their employees during the coronavirus pandemic, noted a press […]
SEB Administrative Services Inc. and EQ Care are launching LifeJourney a virtual employee assistance program offering. The subsidiary of Smart Employee Benefits Inc. and the health-care platform’s new EAP provides clients everything from video-based virtual therapy to guided digital cognitive behavioural therapy, nutritional consultation and coaching, as well as legal and financial advice. Read: The […]
Following a pilot program, Unilever Canada Inc. is making its partnership with Maple to provide ongoing, on-demand virtual care to the employees of the consumer-goods company permanent. Unilever implemented the pilot program via the health-care platform in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic last spring in a bid to increase its employees’ peace of […]
The Co-operators Life Insurance Co. is partnering with EQ Care to provide the benefits provider’s plan members with virtual health-care services. “The second wave of COVID-19 is having a major impact on our plan sponsors as they continue to keep their plan members safe while also taking care of their businesses,” said Conor Quinn, vice-president […]
Green Shield Canada is teaming up with SmileDirectClub Inc. to deliver in-network coverage of virtual orthodontic care to its dental-plan members. “We continue to be a leading advocate for virtual health technologies and the impact they can have on the health care experience for Canadians, especially during the ongoing health crisis,” said David Willows, Green […]
CloudMD Software & Services Inc. is beefing up its offerings via the recent acquisitions of HumanaCare Organizational Resources Inc., Medical Confidence Inc. and Aspiria Corp. The Vancouver virtual health-care company acquired HumanaCare, an integrated, employee assistance services solution providing physical and mental-health support for plan members and their family, earlier this month. Read: HumanaCare re-launches […]
With virtual health-care visits increasing as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, telemedicine should become a permanent part of Ontario’s health-care system, according to a new report by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. It recommended the Ontario government develop a comprehensive framework for virtual care in Ontario, including support for employers’ continued investment in […]
Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy is reaching pockets of the population that had never previously accessed mental-health care and achieving clinical improvement for users, said Adam Kelly, chief commercial officer at MindBeacon Group, during Benefits Canada’s 2020 Mental Health Summit. iCBT, which is delivered asynchronously either through guided text conversations with a trained psychologist or social […]
In an art gallery, people often recognize and appreciate the arrangement of the pieces as much as the works of art themselves. When employers offer voluntary benefits, they’re hoping that employees appreciate the offering. Above and beyond that, if plan members recognize the program as a customized suite of benefits that supports their unique needs, even better. Another conclusion […]