Concordia faculty and staff health benefits now include telemedicine

As Concordians continue to adjust to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding time to seek out clinical care may prove difficult for some. That’s why Sun Life, the university’s insurance provider, is now offering two new resources to help faculty and staff connect with health-care professionals from home.

In partnership with Lumino Health and Dialogue, Sun Life is introducing Lumino Health Virtual Care. It’s a virtual clinic that allows users to chat with a nurse or doctor about their physical and mental health, or to receive a diagnosis or prescription.

Faculty and staff covered by the Concordia Health Plan have access to the telemedicine service at no extra cost. The telemedicine feature offered through Lumino also extends to dependents.

If a Concordia employee has single coverage, they can register one additional email address with Lumino Health Virtual Care. Those with family coverage can add up to four email addresses.

Sun Life estimates that about 70 per cent of walk-in clinic cases are suitable for Lumino Health Virtual Care.

How it works

The virtual clinic uses chat, messaging, interactive audio and video technologies to provide health-care services at a distance. The aim is to encourage individuals to stay at home and stay healthy during the pandemic.

The service is available 24/7 for individuals residing in Canada, but some offerings are only accessible during regular hours, including filling a prescription. The virtual clinic’s regular hours for all Canadian time zones are:

• Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Internet Explorer does not currently support Lumino Health Virtual Care.

To register, Concordians must provide their Sun Life member ID and contract number. Faculty and staff can access this information by logging into their Sun Life account and selecting “Coverage information.” From there, they can find their member ID and contract numbers by clicking on “Print my coverage card(s)” in the Resources section.

What about privacy issues?

To ensure patient privacy and confidentiality, Lumino Health Virtual Care only uses secure methods to communicate information such as an end-to-end encrypted platform and fax.

While the virtual clinic will communicate basic information for lab tests and prescriptions, only patients have the power to request that the service shares their personal file with non-Dialogue Care Team members.

Lumino Health Community

Another resource available to all Concordians is Lumino Health Community, a one-stop shop where individuals can locate trusted health-care providers in their neighbourhood.

To use the service, Concordians simply need to input their postal code and select a health-care specialty. Available categories include dental, paramedical, mental health, vision, medical supplies and equipment, pharmacies and medical care.

Faculty and staff covered by the Concordia Health Plan can also access the Lumino Health Community through their Sun Life account. By doing this, employees can verify if they have coverage for a health-care specialty before visiting the Lumino site.

Virtual appointments

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lumino Health Community has a new feature that distinguishes between providers who offer virtual appointments and those who do not. When performing a search, users simply need to look for the “Virtual visits” icon to know if they can book an online appointment.

Employees covered under the Concordia Health Plan are also eligible to submit receipts for virtual visits. Previously, Sun Life only recognized in-person appointments but have since extended eligibility for virtual ones.

By offering these two new resources, Sun Life hopes Concordians can do their part to live healthier lives and practice physical distancing.

Find out more about Concordia’s Human Resources.