TELUS Health, Canada Life and Innomar Strategies pilot the first electronic prior authorization solution in Canada
GlobeNewswire
Today, TELUS Health,
Canada’s largest health IT company; along with Canada Life, a leading insurance,
wealth management, and benefits provider; and Innomar Strategies;
together announced the launch of Canada’s first electronic drug prior
authorization (ePA) solution. In a pilot program that will assess the value and
potential benefits for users, the companies will test the digitized process to
fulfill prior authorization submissions for real prescription cases and evaluate
its impact on process efficiency, consistency of adjudication results and the
overall plan sponsor and member experience.
Prior authorization is applied to certain prescription medications to determine if a benefits plan member is approved to receive coverage for that specific drug. Digital ePA solutions, which are available in other countries, help to unlock system efficiencies and productivity gains, resulting in decreased time spent fulfilling prior authorization submissions. With submissions in Canada expected to grow due to the increased utilization of specialty medicines, and even more coming to market, the TELUS Health ePA solution is set to make a significant impact across the country’s health benefits industry.
“As the demand for specialty medications increases in Canada, it’s critical to improve the process of how patients, physicians, and payers interact with Patient Support Programs,” said Sandra Anderson, senior vice president of Commercialization and Strategy. “At Innomar, we continue to invest in technology and digital solutions that help enhance the patient experience and meet our customers’ evolving needs. As such, we are excited to collaborate with TELUS Health and Canada Life to test the value of a new digital tool that may help to streamline the PA process and accelerate patient access to therapy.”
“As the demand for specialty medications increases in Canada, it’s critical to improve the process of how patients, physicians, and payers interact with Patient Support Programs,” said Sandra Anderson, senior vice president of Commercialization and Strategy. “At Innomar, we continue to invest in technology and digital solutions that help enhance the patient experience and meet our customers’ evolving needs. As such, we are excited to collaborate with TELUS Health and Canada Life to test the value of a new digital tool that may help to streamline the PA process and accelerate patient access to therapy.”