Canada Life Introduces Online Health Coaching for Members

Need to Know

• A new program from Canada Life and Shoppers Drug Mart will help Canadians with chronic health conditions manage their health remotely.
• The program, led by Health Solutions by Shoppers, is delivered online by pharmacists, nurses, and dietitians.
• Canada Life and Shoppers launched a diabetes management program in 2013; this new program is an extension of that.

Analysis

Canada Life and Shoppers Drug Mart have partnered to offer a remote, digital health coaching program that will help participants prevent and manage chronic health issues, the two companies announced on February 24.

The new health coaching program, which is led by Health Solutions by Shoppers, was launched partly in response to the need for remote, contactless telehealth solutions brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Shoppers and Canada Life will give patients remote access to pharmacists, nurses, and dietitians. Health Solutions by Shoppers helps employers and their benefits providers—like Canada Life—deliver health benefits, with the ultimate goal of improving employee well-being and health outcomes.

“At Canada Life, we’re always on the lookout for programs and initiatives that support the financial, physical and mental well-being of Canadians,” says Ryan Weiss, vice president of product and experience for group customer, Canada Life.

“The health coaching program evolved from a successful diabetes management coaching and medication counselling program that we launched together with Shoppers Drug Mart in 2013. By expanding that early program, we aim to build on that earlier success by tackling some known care gaps and empowering plan members to better manage their health.”

Barbara Carnegie, vice president of Payor Partnerships at Shoppers Drug Mart, said that the new program’s goal is “providing the tools they need to successfully manage their overall health.”

“Now more than ever, Canadians need convenient access to resources that help them navigate their health challenges,” she continued. “Through participating employers, our pharmacists, nurses, and dieticians from our health coaching team can provide the support required to help employees and their dependents both prevent and manage their conditions more effectively.”

Canada Life has been boosting its telehealth offerings throughout the pandemic, having earlier partnered with Montreal-based Dialogue Technologies to offer virtual healthcare solutions to clients, shortly after onboarding virtual healthcare giant League. Shoppers Drug Mart, too, has been diversifying its remote healthcare offerings, launching free virtual healthcare early last March, just as the pandemic hit North America. Its parent company, Loblaw, introduced PC Health, an all-in-one digital healthcare solution, last year.