Private clinics provide a team of specialists to take care of you
From the Calgary Herald – Options
Friday, September 22, 2017
By: Gerald Vander Pyl
Private health-care centres are gaining interest as people look for ways to take charge of their health and that of their families.
Most centres offer yearly memberships to clients that include a comprehensive annual medical checkup, access via telephone or email to physicians 24 hours a day, timely doctor visits and the expertise of a variety of healthcare sp ecialists.
“The Canadian system is a great blended system already between insured and uninsured services,” says Vince Danielsen, president and chief executive officer of INLIV.
“How we look at it is (private health centres) are really a strengthening of the blended system. They can really give people great choices for care.”
INLIV clients are looked after by a team led by a family physician and includes experts in rehabilitation sport medicine, fitness training, cardiovascular assessments, medical esthetics, health coaching, dietary concerns and other areas of health, Danielsen says.
“Our job here is to get a team together and really support people in the process of solving the complex medical conditions that they have,” Danielsen says.
Clients receive increased time with a physician, and can see a doctor for several conditions in a single visit, he says, “so you don’t have to come back multiple times.”
Having the additional health-care providers all under one roof adds convenience and also a sense of teamwork in solving a client’s health issue. It also allows easy communication between team members, he says.
Georgie Weeks, director of operations at Preventous Collaborative Health, says they practice good evidence-based health care, and “we are more proactive rather than reactive. We listen to people, hear what their concerns are and see people when they need to be seen.”
When people book a doctor’s appointment, they want to be seen on time and given the amount of attention they need to go over all their issues and concerns, Weeks says.
As well, if something urgent occurs, “we see them today, and that’s a huge thing for people.”
A key component of membership at most centres is a comprehensive annual medical assessment.
Weeks says their total health assessment includes having the client fill out a 10-page medical history and three-day meal log online before the day of the assessment, followed by comprehensive medical, fitness and nutrition testing.
Original article appeared in the Calgary Herald, Options Section, on Friday, September 22, 2017. Written by Gerald Vander Pyl.
