Virtual Care Puts Your Health in Your Hands
Posted by Medavie Blue Cross on May 3, 2024
Virtual Care Puts Your Health in Your Hands
Posted by Medavie Blue Cross on May 3, 2024
Has this happened to you? You’re woken up in the middle of the night by a child with body aches and fever chills. Or maybe your asthma flares up, a bladder infection recurs or you have symptoms of strep throat. It’s too late to visit the after-hours medical clinic or ring your family doctor, and the emergency department may or may not be an option.
As a last resort, you could go to the emergency room of your local hospital, but there’s no guarantee, even after a lengthy wait, that you will be seen by a physician. Plus, you risk exposure to other illnesses. So, what do you do? Where or who do you turn to for diagnosis and treatment?
Enter virtual care. The delivery of medical services using your phone, smartphone, tablet or computer. Using your phone, tablet or computer, you can connect with a health professional virtually for a medical consult, fill a prescription, or get a checkup – all from the comfort and convenience of your home – day or night.
Your health is in your hands with virtual care.
Think of it as an in-home digital healthcare clinic. It provides fast, timely access to healthcare – on your terms – and is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
- Describe your symptoms. A healthcare provider will review your request and respond within minutes.
- Have a consultation with a doctor via text, video or audio chat.
- Get a diagnosis and prescription, which can be sent to your pharmacy of choice or delivered directly to your door, depending on the service you receive.
Virtual Care Benefits
Here are just a few of the benefits of virtual care.
Greater Access to Care
Before the advent of virtual care, Canadians had to rely on walk-in clinics or ERs if their caregiver was unavailable to meet in-person or if a medical emergency occurred outside their office hours. Today, thanks to advancements in medical technology, Canadians can connect with licensed health care professionals at the touch of a button, ensuring they receive continuous, equitable access to healthcare.
Time, Money, Savings
Receiving healthcare where and when you need it means you don’t have to travel, take time off work or worry about other responsibilities. This saves you time and money on gas, parking and other costs related to in-person care. A report by Canada Health Infoway showed that virtual care can save patients, on average, $50 per visit in travel costs, and $43 per visit in lost productivity during working hours.
Convenient Support
According to a national survey, 6.5 million people in Canada (more than one in five Canadians), don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner they can see regularly. Sixty per cent of those who do have access to a primary care provider can’t get a same-day or next-day appointment, even for a strained muscle, urinary tract infection or other “minor” health problem. Virtual care removes that barrier. It’s also easier to have family members or caregivers around you when you visit a doctor virtually. They can join in your appointment and help you follow the doctor’s advice. In addition, there’s no risk of exposure to a virus or other illness when healthcare is accessed online.
Quality Care
The majority of participants in the Benefit Canada 2021 Healthcare Survey were satisfied with the quality of care they received online. In fact, 88% of those who accessed virtual care through their benefits plan described it as excellent or very good. That is consistent with results of similar research studies. Moreover, timely access to treatment is directly linked a faster recovery to health and return to work.
Our Virtual Care Services
Here are just a few examples of how Medavie Blue Cross is putting health care at the fingertips of Canadians.
Connected Care: Our digital storefront draws on the latest technologies and innovations to offer plan members premium access to the best, most immediate care possible – wherever, whenever they need it – and at preferred pricing. Our suite of services includes:
- Live and digital therapy (iCBT): Enables plan members to access clinically proven treatment for mild to moderate anxiety or depression from the privacy of their homes.
- Personalized medicine (pharmacogenetic testing): Determines the safest, most effective medication for plan members based on their DNA.
- Online Doctors (virtual doctor visits): Members can skip the waiting line and connect with a doctor in minutes for consultation and treatment, using their computer or mobile device.
- Total 360 Care Program: Provides personalized care, including virtual coaching for members living with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension or who need help with weight loss.
- Health Connected: A platform that gives members an overall snapshot of their health, identifies risk factors, and provides the member’s adjusted health-based age according to the assessment.
To learn more, visit Connected Care
Plan Member Centre and Blue Cross Mobile App: These all-in-one digital tools help members to make the most of their benefits – and take charge of their health – wherever and whenever it is most comfortable and convenient for them.
Fast, easy and secure, both the portal and the app enable members to:
- Easily submit their claims and review their claims history.
- Connect with health specialists in their community for counselling and education services.
- Get reminders to take and refill their medications, with targeted messaging about the importance of medication adherence.
Visit the Medavie Blue Cross Plan Member Centre
Download the Blue Cross Mobile App
Rx Home Delivery: Allows members to access the medications they take on a regular basis, also known as maintenance drugs, through our home delivery services; free of charge to members and their families.
Learn more about Rx Home Delivery
Health Coaching and Chronic Disease Management: Offers expert support to self-manage asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, hypertension, smoking cessation and menopause symptoms. The benefit connects plan members with accredited health professionals for one-on-one coaching and education services.
Learn more about Health Coaching and Chronic Disease Management
Visit medaviebc.ca to learn more about our virtual care and online services. If you’re insured under a Medavie Blue Cross group plan, log on to the Member Services Site or the Blue Cross Mobile app to use your personalized dashboard or download a PDF of your plan booklet to explore your coverage and maximize your benefits.
Sources: Infoway, Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute’s Forum 2021, Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey
Medavie Blue Cross is a premier all-in-one carrier that provides health, dental, travel, life and disability benefits and administers federal and provincial government-sponsored health programs. Together with Medavie Health Services, we are part of Medavie, a health solutions partner committed to improving the wellbeing of Canadians. We are in the...