Virtual Healthcare: More Beneficial Than Ever Before

Now more than ever we rely on technology to keep us connected. Whether it be through online meetings, virtual events, or even receiving healthcare in the palm of your hand. We’ve learned to come together in new ways and adapt, and technology is at the center of it all.

Through these difficult times, access to healthcare became more challenging – with long wait times and overworked medical systems. Innovations such as?virtual healthcare?are available to help us navigate health concerns from the comfort of our home or office. As a result, millions of Canadians have received high-quality medical consultations in low-risk environments and continued to support their mental and physical health.

What is virtual healthcare?

Virtual healthcare allows patients to connect with healthcare professionals using a smartphone or computer. With virtual healthcare, you can consult with an accredited doctor or nurse practitioner quickly, easily, and at any time.

GroupHEALTH’s virtual health?is powered?by TELUS Health. TELUS Health’s national and on-demand?virtual healthcare system?is a reliable and innovative option for Canadians (with services offered in both English and French).

Services like TELUS Health Virtual Care are changing the way we access and experience healthcare. By adopting and using virtual healthcare, we can help reduce visits and wait times at clinics and lessen the demand on hospitals and emergency rooms. Moreover, over half of the health concerns traditionally addressed in a doctor’s office can be handled virtually by TELUS Health Virtual Care.

Five Benefits of Virtual Healthcare:

1. Convenient

Say goodbye to waiting hours at your local walk-in clinic or weeks for an appointment to see your healthcare provider. With?TELUS Health Virtual Care, you can choose the best time and place that works for you to connect online with a nurse practitioner or doctor in seconds.

2. Absenteeism

With virtual healthcare, medical appointments can be done from an office or private space, giving employees more flexibility and reducing the need to take time off for appointments or in-person medical visits. Because of this convenient 24/7 access, employees are more likely to have their health concerns addressed (especially if they don’t currently have a family doctor) and are less likely to miss work to do it.

3. Talent acquisition

By offering virtual healthcare to employees in your benefits plan, you signal to the marketplace, and your own employees, that you care about their health and wellbeing and provide popular and progressive services. In particular, younger employees (who are less likely to have a family doctor) or employees in rural locations may appreciate the convenience of virtual healthcare.

4. Travel

Whether your employees are travelling for pleasure or business, they have access to amazing healthcare anywhere in Canada or abroad.?Virtual healthcare?provides employees access to Canadian healthcare professionals no matter what time zone they’re in. It’s a cost-effective and convenient way to access medical professionals while away from home and helps keep your out-of-country medical costs down.

5. Mental health support

With TELUS Health Virtual Care, you have access to 24/7 access to support with a quick text or phone call. This is hugely beneficial for employees experiencing mental health issues that may be reluctant to seek help. Employees may find it easier to text a healthcare professional or speak to a stranger, rather than talk to their family doctor, and virtual healthcare allows them to do that.

Good Advice is Key

Virtual healthcare can have a lot of benefits for both you and your employees. Interested in making TELUS Health Virtual Care part of your benefits plan? Review your options with one of our licensed advisors on the phone or in-person 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.