A VALUED BENEFIT: VIRTUAL HEALTHCARE AND PHARMACY

Employee benefits are constantly evolving. New benefits, coverages and processes help improve the employee benefits experience for you and your employees. Virtual healthcare and pharmacy are two great examples. They are now an important part of many employee group benefit plans.

Virtual Healthcare

Virtual healthcare is a way to connect with a healthcare professional virtually. At GroupHEALTH, we have partnered with Telus Health to offer Virtual Care and Virtual Pharmacy as employee benefits. Telus Health has a network of 800 medical professionals across Canada that can support your employees in achieving better health.

Access

Employees can access virtual healthcare services using a smart phone, tablet or computer. They can connect with a doctor or nurse practitioner via encrypted chat or video. The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It’s real time and it can be accessed from anywhere in Canada.

The good news is, no appointment is needed, and employees using the service are usually connected with a healthcare professional within just a few short minutes.

Healthcare

Telus Health Virtual Care services can effectively handle the majority of issues that are typically addressed in a traditional doctor’s office. This means diagnosing and treating medical concerns, including:

• Cough or cold
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Hypertension
• Gastrointestinal issues
• Skin conditions/insect bites
• Mental health
• Nutrition

As well as diagnosing and treating medical concerns, Telus health professionals can offer many other important services such as:

• Prescribing medication
• Ordering bloodwork
• Referrals
• Providing medical documentation
• Facilitating in-person care

Virtual healthcare is also great for continuity of care. The team at Telus Health has access to medical notes and prescription information from previous virtual visits. This provides a more complete picture of your employee’s health, which isn’t always available if visiting a walk-in clinic.

Virtual Pharmacy

Telus Health Virtual Pharmacy is a full-service pharmacy that delivers prescription medication to patients. If included in your employee benefits plan, your employees would enjoy the convenience of having their prescription medication delivered to their door.

Patients set up an online account for the virtual pharmacy, then have their doctor fax or e-prescribe the medication directly to the pharmacy. Shipping is free, and in most areas the medication arrives within one day.

Patients can connect with a pharmacist via phone or video call if they have questions or if they are being prescribed a new medication. Refill and renewal reminders are available, so your employees never run out of their medication. It really is the ultimate in convenience.

Discounts on extended health rates and/or credits may be available when including virtual pharmacy as part of your benefits plan.

A Valued Employee Benefit

In today’s technology-driven world, many of your employees are already familiar with purchasing products and services online and interacting with others using technology. Virtual healthcare and virtual pharmacy are an extension to this, and most employees are more than ready to embrace it.

Feedback on Virtual Health and Virtual Pharmacy is very positive – most employees really value both services as part of their group benefits plan. The main reason is convenience. Employees don’t have to wait until a clinic or doctor’s office is open in order to access healthcare. They don’t have to travel to a doctor’s office or pharmacy, and they can access healthcare according to their schedule.

Virtual Health and Virtual Pharmacy are both important ways to elevate the benefit plan offering – they are just another way to make your employee benefits plan (and your company) more desirable.

Supporting Employees

In addition to being convenient and valued by employees, Virtual Health and Virtual Pharmacy are both valuable ways to support the health of your employees. They are both tools to facilitate better access to healthcare.

For many people, there are numerous barriers to accessing healthcare. Taking time off work and travelling to a doctor’s office may discourage an employee from seeking medical advice. A busy after-work schedule may mean booking a doctor’s appointment is a low priority. The same goes when visiting a pharmacy to have a prescription re-filled. It can get overlooked.

The other common challenge is not having a family doctor. Many Canadians don’t have one, which means they bounce around to various walk-in clinics. This can have a negative impact on continuity of care and may mean employees don’t get medical attention when necessary.

Virtual Health and Virtual Pharmacy are both ways to support the health of your employees. By making it easy to access medical services and prescriptions, employees are more likely to get medical attention. The result is healthier employees. Employees who are having their health needs met can focus on their work, so they’re more productive – and that’s good for business.

Good Advice is Key

Your employees want access to employee health benefits that are valuable to them. Virtual Health and Virtual Pharmacy are just two examples of benefits that can make a world of difference to the overall health of your employees. If they’re not already part of your benefits plan, it’s time to change that. Explore your options with one of our licensed advisors on the phone, or contact us for a comparison quote.

Whether you’re looking for extended health and dental coverage, disability coverage, or life and critical illness coverage, GroupHEALTH has affordable benefits packages that work as hard as you do.