SSQ Insurance wants to team up with tech firms that specialize in health and wellness initiatives. It issued this call at the Canada Fintech Forum held in Montreal on Oct. 22 and 23. This appeal follows the announcement of the launch of the digital health solution, a curation platform for connected health offers.
Combatting absenteeism
“Today, thanks to smart phones, we all have a healthcare delivery platform in ours hands,” says Louis Regimbal, Vice-President of Strategy and Innovation at SSQ.
Because ““not all group plan sponsors in Canada have the same ability to support their plan members” the insurer aims to reach group plan beneficiaries directly via their smart phones. SSQ plans to offer them services that will help them meet their mental and physical health needs.
Concretely, SSQ has begun a curation initiative by grouping tech firms operating in health on the same platform, to facilitate access to its customers. The diverse digital health solutions these businesses offer all have a common goal: preventing or reducing absenteeism.
This digital platform “aligns everyone’s interests because no one benefits from becoming disabled or having an employee or insured in this situation,” Regimbal says.
Already three partners
SSQ has already selected three partners, “leaders in their respective fields”: Haleo, an online sleep clinic, BiogeniQ, a genetics laboratory and Beacon, which offers therapy online. The insurer is now appealing to healthtechs and insurtechs that can bolster its model.
“We are seeking partners,” Regimbal continues. “If you think you can contribute to our digital health solution, we invite you to contact us to collaborate and co-create.”
Rollout underway
This is the first time the insurer is making such an appeal, Regimbal said. “We have identified several suppliers of solutions that can join our digital health platform, but we are convinced that there are many more that we haven’t seen. So we want to encourage these players to approach us.”
The SSQ initiative is true to the insurer’s essence, Regimbal adds. “SSQ was formed with a view to making health services accessible to a broader population. We have not lost sight of this rationale.”
The platform was launched in mid-October for certain groups, in cooperation with plan sponsors. In parallel, SSQ recently released a new version of its Customer Centre and its mobile application, highlighting its desire “to position itself as a leader in digital services among Canadian insurance companies,” the insurance company website reads.
