It all started with a mechanical bull and too much tequila. Mike McClenahan wasn’t initially sold on virtual physiotherapy when he first met with Phzio, a telerehabilitation provider, back in 2018. But after a client’s Christmas party at a country and western bar that involved too much liquid courage, the then-managing partner of Benefits by […]
Medavie Blue Cross is making a virtual diabetes care management program available to its plan members. In partnership with Roche Diabetes Care Canada and Ellerca Health, the digital program integrates personalized coaching, home delivery of test strips and glucose monitoring to support plan members living with diabetes, pre-diabetes, high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol. The […]
Canadian employers are making ongoing changes to their pension and benefits offerings as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey found almost one in five (18 per cent) employers offering prescription drug coverage have extended the time allowed under prior authorization periods, […]
Manulife Financial Corp. is making Phzio Canada’s virtual physiotherapy platform available to its plan members, noted a press release. Approximately one in five employees will experience a musculoskeletal condition annually that impacts their ability to perform in the workplace, resulting in an increased need for treatment programs, accommodations and time away from work, said the […]
The best way to learn is by doing. And since March 11, 2020, when a pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization, we’ve all certainly learned a lot by doing things we never thought we’d do. Over the past 13-plus months, I’ve done everything from lining up to buy toilet paper to doing yoga […]
For years, digital offerings played second banana to in-person options for many employers aiming to connect with and support employees. Not anymore. As employers and employees face down year two of the coronavirus pandemic, digital supports have moved from understudy to centre stage. “The pandemic has changed the environment significantly, as we all know, and […]
When Leona Guenette comes down with a bad case of bronchitis, she knows exactly what antibiotics she needs. Normally for Guenette, the pension and benefits administrator of the Sagkeeng First Nation, that meant scheduling an appointment with her local doctor to get a prescription. But as of June 2020, when Sagkeeng and 350 other First […]
The pandemic has taken a dramatic toll on the well-being of Canadians, but one of the most notable trends has been its impact on employees with pre-existing mental-health challenges, said Lanie Schachter-Snipper, registered psychotherapist and national director of outpatient services for EHN Canada, during Benefits Canada’s 2021 Chronic Disease at Work conference in late February. […]
Public companies that invest in their people have three times’ the return on their stock price of those that don’t, making a clear case for investing in plan members’ health needs and disability prevention strategies, said Tyler Amell, adjunct faculty at Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences, during Benefits Canada’s 2021 Chronic Disease at […]
When Dialogue Health Technologies Inc. made its Toronto Stock Exchange debut this week, there was no traditional market opening with staff packing a room cheering and hugging amid a shower of confetti. The Montreal telemedicine company’s first day of trading was instead marked with a pre-recorded video of workers applauding from their home — a subdued […]