March 2, 2021
Medavie Blue Cross has partnered with Medical Confidence (part of CloudMD) to begin providing select plan members on disability with the opportunity to access MedExcellence – a personalized healthcare navigation service that can reduce the wait time to see a specialist.
Many Canadians experience long wait times to receive treatment from a specialist. From referral by a general practitioner to consultation and treatment by a specialist, the average wait time for Canadians in 2020 was 22.6 weeks.1 The pandemic, and the associated pressure placed on Canada’s healthcare system, has caused these wait times to increase further.1
“From what we are seeing, Canadians may now need to wait even longer to get an appointment with a specialist,” says Rebecca Smith, Director, Group Life and Disability Services, Medavie Blue Cross. “We are delighted to offer this opportunity to connect those on disability with a specialist sooner. 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 works in alignment with the Canada Health Act and provincial healthcare systems to get Canadians on disability, who are waiting for an appointment, earlier access to a specialist for their condition. Medical Confidence also works with eligible individuals to help them understand their health-related circumstance and become actively engaged in decisions regarding their treatment and recovery.
“The majority of Canadians do not know what to do or where to turn when faced with a serious medical condition,” says Angela Johnson, President of Medical Confidence. “The ever-increasing wait times have become the norm, made worse by COVID-19’s impact on our healthcare system We are delighted to be teaming up with Medavie Blue Cross. 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. The result is reduced wait times and improved outcomes for patients and their physicians.”
Benefits of MedExcellence:2
Medavie Blue Cross disability case managers will work with plan members on disability to access this service in appropriate circumstances based on referral criteria.
[1] Fraser Institute - Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2020 Report