Medavie Blue Cross partners with Medical Confidence to create new way to support Canadians on disability waiting for a specialist

Company partners with Medical Confidence, a CloudMD company, to provide plan members on disability with timely access to care and treatment

TORONTO, March 2, 2021 /CNW/ - Medavie Blue Cross has partnered with Medical Confidence (part of CloudMD (TSXV: DOC)) 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

• The service leverages a national network of over 27,000 specialists.
• People who have used this service have been able to access a specialist 220 days sooner on average.
• Disability insurers who have used the program have seen a six-month reduction in duration of disability, on average.
• Improved employee satisfaction – reported by 75% of clients.

Medavie Blue Cross disability case managers will work with plan members on disability to access this service in appropriate circumstances based on referral criteria.

About Medavie Blue Cross

Medavie Blue Cross is a premier all-in-one carrier that provides health, dental, travel, life and disability benefits, and administers various 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 one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures and recognized as an Imagine Canada Caring Company. As a not-for-profit organization, we are proud to commit an annual social dividend to the Medavie Health Foundation to support programs and initiatives aimed at addressing some of our country's most pressing physical and mental health care challenges.

About Medical Confidence

Medical Confidence is a pioneer healthcare navigation platform that reduces healthcare costs through achieving better health outcomes. Working in alignment with the Canadian Health Act, Medical Confidence removes the numerous causes for delay in our healthcare system to achieve optimal access to care. Leveraging its unmatched national network of over 27,000 specialists, it connects healthcare consumers to the care they need, sooner, leading to earlier recovery.  Its health outcomes are measurable and demonstrate reductions in costs associated with absenteeism and presenteeism. Medical Confidence's corporate clients report that its services have reduced their absence costs by 20%. For more information on Medical Confidence, visit www.medicalconfidence.com.

About CloudMD Software & Services

CloudMD is digitizing the delivery of healthcare by providing a patient centric approach, with an emphasis on continuity of care. The Company offers SAAS based health technology solutions to healthcare providers across North America and has developed proprietary technology that delivers quality healthcare through a holistic offering including hybrid primary care clinics, specialist care, telemedicine, mental health support, educational resources and artificial intelligence (AI). CloudMD currently services a combined ecosystem of over 500 clinics, almost 4000 licensed practitioners and 8 million patient charts across North America. For more information on CloudMD, visit investors.cloudmd.ca

SOURCE Medavie Blue Cross