WATERLOO, ON, May 5, 2006 – Clarica advisors are offering Canadians access to 50,000 medical specialists worldwide to help them identify the medical professionals who are most qualified to meet their specific medical needs. Clarica is associated with the Sun Life Financial group of companies.
The Best Doctors Service Card program is a first of its kind in Canada, helping members find their way through the maze of medical information and health care choices in the event of a serious medical condition. Clarica advisors are offering the Service Card as a way to significantly expand the scope of medical information and choice that is currently available to Canadians. The Best Doctors Service Card is available from a Clarica advisor for $90 a year for individuals or $180 a year for families, and offer unlimited lifetime access to Best Doctors services for as long as the membership is maintained.
Best Doctors is a world leader in connecting people with the best medical care. With the Best Doctors Service Card, the member has access to a Personal Advocate if they suspect they have one of 18 listed medical conditions. Best Doctors will perform an in-depth review of the member’s medical files to assist in the development and confirmation of the diagnosis and to help develop a treatment plan. Members and their physicians will have access to the latest technologies and opinions of world-class specialists. The Personal Advocate will engage doctors affiliated with Harvard Medical School to help explain the member’s options and determine the best care provider for the specific condition. While the member is receiving medical care, the Personal Advocate will review the necessary information provided by the medical specialists involved and will continually monitor the treatment process to help ensure the member’s medical priorities are met.
Diana Deverall-Ross, Vice-President, Retail Health Insurance, Sun Life Financial Canadian Operations said “Our partnership with this world-renowned service provider means Clarica advisors can go beyond helping Canadians manage financial risks with a combination of life insurance, wealth accumulation and industry-leading products like Critical Illness Insurance and Long Term Care Insurance. Now, with Best Doctors, they are able to help Canadians manage health risks as well.”
The Best Doctors Service Card complements the leading-edge health insurance products Clarica offers, but it can also be purchased separately. More information about the Best Doctors Service Card is available from Clarica advisors. The “Find an Advisor” function on clarica.com connects users who don’t already have a Clarica advisor with one in their community.
“With the Clarica brand being all about clarity, and making the complex understandable, they’re an excellent fit with the services Best Doctors provides its members. We’re pleased to be working with such an organization that has such a strong presence across Canada,” said Don Thomson, General Manager, Best Doctors Canada.
About Best Doctors, Inc.
Best Doctors is a world leader in connecting people with the best medical care. Using its renowned database of over 50,000 doctors recognized as the best by top specialists, Best Doctors provides immediate access to the best medical knowledge and peace of mind to millions of people around the world when faced with a serious medical condition. Best Doctors services are available worldwide serving more than 10 million individuals in 30 countries.
About Sun Life Financial and Clarica
Sun Life Financial helps individual Canadians achieve lifetime security by providing investment, life and health insurance solutions through approximately 4,000 Clarica managers and advisors located across the country. For more information on Clarica visit www.clarica.com
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of wealth accumulation and protection products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Tracing its roots back to 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the US, the UK, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2004, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of CDN$370 billion. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under ticker symbol SLF.
