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Cira Medical Services Sparks Discussion on Canadas $51 Billion Price Tag During Mental Health Awareness Week

May 6, 2013   by SCM Insurance Services

Cira Medical Services

Cira Medical Services Sparks Discussion on Canada’s $51 Billion Price Tag During Mental Health Awareness Week

Launch of White Paper on Mental Health in the Workplace and Health Assess™, Cira’s Mental Health Workplace Solution

Toronto—Cira Medical Services (Cira), a Canadian market leader in clinical risk management, invites Canadians to join in on the discussion as it shines the spotlight on major issues facing employers regarding mental health in the workplace with its white paper release today during Mental Health Awareness Week.

Cira’s white paper, Balancing Workplace Mental Health Issues and Employee Privacy Rights, ignites a discussion with Canadians on what the World Health Organization has approximated as a hefty $51 billion price tag that Canadian employers are bearing in terms of mental illness impacts on the Canadian economy, the costs of health care, and lost productivity. According to Statistics Canada, approximately 500,000 Canadians are absent from the workplace due to mental health conditions on any given work day. The paper addresses the impacts of mental health for employers and focuses on the specific role that independent medical evaluation (IME) providers can play in helping employers deal with workplace mental health issues.

“The steady climb in medical claims associated with mental health, coupled with rising costs and a lack of protocols aimed at the early diagnosis and detection in the workplace, is an ongoing concern for employers,” says Karen Seward, President of Cira Medical Services and author of the white paper. “IME providers, including Cira, are perfectly positioned to help employers create more effective pathways to diagnosis and treatment, and to help employees balance work and personal health. The bottom line is that early intervention by employers will actually help reduce costs.”

The paper also introduces Cira’s newest IME product offering, Health Assess™, a professional diagnostic tool that is specifically designed to assist employers in better managing their workplace health and productivity objectives and aims to mitigate the mental health in the workplace magnitude. Health Assess™ is focused on helping employees achieve optimal mental and physical health outcomes. The paper addresses a number of key issues confronting employers, including:

  • –  Understanding the business risks associated with mental health. Organizations face the urgent need to address their privacy policies and other risks associated with managing medical disclosures in the workplace. 

 

  • –  Closing the gap. Employers need to close the gap that often exists between the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions, especially in the context of workplace support mechanisms.

 

  • –  The business case for third-party medical assessments. An IME can serve as a highly effective tool to support workplace mental health goals, including effective employee engagement, return-to-work plans, and the promotion of a healthy workplace.

 

 

  • About Cira Medical Services
  • Cira Medical Services is a leading provider of independent medical evaluations and clinical risk management services for the corporate, insurance, and medical legal industries across Canada. With an unparalleled roster of physicians and regulated health professionals and a deep breadth of insurance, corporate, and medical expertise on staff, Cira delivers defensible and accurate reports, backed by expert advice. Visit www.ciramedical.ca to learn more.

 

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  • For more information please contact:

 

  • Bikram Daulay
  • Vice President of Marketing & Communications
  • SCM Insurance Services 101, 5083 Windermere Blvd. SW, Edmonton, Alberta T6W 0J5
  • T: 7809305321
  • E: bikram.daulay@scm.ca

 

http://www.ciramedical.ca

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