Empire Life enhances group disability management services, signs agreement with Medaca

Empire Life has signed an agreement with Medaca Health Group, Canada’s leading psychiatry-focused workplace treatment service. With this new service provider relationship, Empire Life will be better able to help people who are on disability leave due to a mental health problem, by providing fast access to diagnosis and treatment.

“Delayed access to appropriate treatment can be devastating for individuals and their families,” says Vanessa Lycos, Vice-president of Group Product and Marketing at Empire Life. “When conditions like depression and anxiety are left untreated, everyone suffers—at home and at work. We’re delighted to be adding this service to our disability management toolkit and believe it will provide enormous value—both to plan members and plan sponsors.”

Plan member claims are sent to Medaca as soon as possible in the disability period. Each individual’s case is carefully reviewed and, if an appointment with a psychiatrist is recommended, the individual will be seen within nine business days. According to Medaca, six to 12 months is the traditional wait time to see a psychiatrist in Canada—and Medaca psychiatrists believe this has worsened with the pandemic.