GreenShield says integrating insurance and healthcare can boost access to treatment, equity and health outcomes for Canadians. The assessment of Canada’s healthcare landscape is based on aggregate data from the seven million members supported by GreenShield. The resulting report, entitled Measuring Better Health for All, looks closely at the impact of integrating insurance coverage and patient care.
The report notes that one in six Canadians, about 5.4 million people, don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner. They say timely telemedicine appointments resolve 92 per cent of health concerns in the first appointment.
The report looks in depth at telemedicine, saying even those with access to primary care can wait days for an appointment to address minor concerns. “Younger adults are particularly affected, with 35 per cent of those aged 18 to 29 and nearly a quarter of those aged 30 to 49 without primary care,” the report states. They add that 44 per cent of GreenShield telemedicine consultations occur outside of traditional office hours while 77 per cent of virtual consultations prevented an in-person visit to an emergency department or walk-in clinic.
The report also looks at comprehensive mental health supports (60 per cent of people using these services are between 25 and 44; those over age 55 contribute 10 per cent to overall utilization), at digital cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), at chronic disease management, at pharmacy and pharmacist integration in a plan member’s healthcare and examines the growing impact of specialty medicines, breaking down the top medication classes by drug cost in 2024. Overall, they say growing demand and faltering access to care is driving the need for innovation.
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