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If
you are ever faced with a serious medical condition, Best
Doctors can help you find your way through the maze of medical
information and healthcare choices. Finding and accessing
the right medical information and the best doctor for your
medical care can be potentially life-saving. |
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| - Vancouver Sun |
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| - Dr. Brian Smith,
editor of The New York Times |
If you have any questions please contact us:
Telephone: 416-484-9921 Toll
Free: 1-877-624-4559
email: covermelife@mcgillfinancial.com
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30 days
after closing the case, a Best Doctors Personal Advocate will
contact the member to follow up and to offer additional assistance. |
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| BEST DOCTORS®
SERVICE CARD |
| Program |
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Yearly renewable membership |
| Membership |
Individual: One adult
Family: One or two parents and an unlimited number
of their dependent children under age 18 |
| Enrollment |
One page application with no medical
questions or examinations |
| Issue Ages |
18 – 65 |
| Renewability |
Membership may be renewed each
year, for life |
| Best Doctors Services |
InterConsultation™
FindBestDoc™
FindBestCare® |
| Best Doctors Services
are available if a Member’s doctor suspects the
Member may have any of the following Medical Conditions1 |
AIDS
Alzheimer’s Disease
Blindness
Benign Brain Tumour
Cancer
Cardiovascular Conditions
Coma
Deafness
Kidney Failure
Loss of Speech
Multiple Sclerosis
Major Organ Transplant
Major Trauma
Motor Neuron Disease
Parkinson’s Disease
Paralysis
Severe Burns
Stroke |
| Access to Best Doctors
Services |
Members can access Best Doctors
Services for an unlimited number of the listed Medical
Conditions. Best Doctors services are provided as
often as the member wants, for life, as long as
they remain a Best Doctors Service Card member. |
| Cost per year |
Individual: $90.00
Family: $180.00 |
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| SERVICES |
Members will have access to
a Best Doctors Personal Advocate for any one of
the Services.
The Personal Advocates are responsible for liaising
with the doctors who are reviewing the member’s
case, keeping the member informed of the progress
and providing them guidance in their time of need.
INTERCONSULTATION™
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 . With a fast and detailed turnaround
of results, the InterConsultation process can
reduce potentially serious complications that
can result from a misdiagnosis and help the member’s
treating physician determine the proper course
of action.
FINDBESTDOC™
A customized search across a constantly updated
global database of over 50,000 specialists who
are best qualified to meet the member’s specific
medical needs. Members will have access to a Personal
Advocate, who will work with physicians affiliated
with the world’s leading medical institutions,
to help explain their options and determine the
best care provider for the member’s specific condition.
FINDBESTCARE®
While the member is receiving medical care, Best
Doctors 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.
If the member travels away from home to receive
treatment, Best Doctors will assist with reservations
and accommodation for the member and family. This
can help reduce the stress of receiving the care
the member needs while away from home.
This is not an insurance product.
1 If the member was diagnosed with any of the
listed Medical Condition(s) during the twenty-four
(24) months prior to the effective date of the
Best Doctors Service Card, Services will not be
provided for the same Medical Condition(s) for
twelve months following the effective date of
the Card.
Best Doctors, InterConsultation, FindBestDoc,
FindBestCare, Information When It Matters Most
and the Star-in-cross logo are registered trademarks
of Best Doctors, Inc. in the United States and
other countries. |
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COSTS |
| Individual |
$90 annually |
$7.50 monthly |
| Family |
$180 annually |
$15.00 monthly |
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Q: Is there a monthly modal factor
applied to the annual fee? |
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| A: No. The annual fee is simply
12 times the monthly fee. |
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| Q: What is the difference between
the individual and Family membership? |
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| A: The individual membership is
designed for those who wish to purchase a membership
only for themselves. The Family membership includes
the member's spouse and all their dependent children
under the age of 18. |
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| Q: How many times can I access
Best Doctors services? |
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| A: members can access Best Doctors
services for an unlimited number of medical conditions.
Best Doctors services are provided as often as the
member wants, for life, as long as they remain a
Best Doctors Card member. |
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Q: Since the Best Doctors Service
card is renewable annually will Best Doctors notify
me of the renewal? |
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| A: No. The renewal will be automatic.
If you wish to cancel your membership, you should
contact Best Doctors through the toll-free number. |
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| Q: How can I pay for the Best
Doctors Service Card? |
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| A: There are three ways to pay
for the Best Doctors Service Card: monthly by pre-authorized
payment only, or annually by either cheque or pre-authorized
payment or credit card. Best Doctors will notify
you of the withdrawl on the annual pre-authorized
payment method only. |
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Best Doctors® was founded
in 1989 by renowned professors of medicine affiliated
with Harvard Medical School and by a 16-year survivor
of a serious illness. This unique partnership
of medical expertise and patient insight created
a company committed to providing services to help
people with serious medical conditions.
Today, Best Doctors is the 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. Best Doctors services
are available worldwide, serving more than 10
million lives in 30 countries.
Delivering the Best When you
Need it Most
Through access to top-ranked hospitals,
the latest technologies, opinions of world-class
specialists and personal care management, Best
Doctors can help your clients make informed decisions
about their healthcare when it matters most. |
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Best Doctors
Reputation
At Best Doctors, we are proud of our reputation
for quality and independence. Our unique story,
consumer focus, unrivaled medical expertise, and
uncompromising integrity have brought us an unprecedented
level of attention from the media around the world.
"All advisors should offer
Best Doctors services to their clients."
- Financial Adviser Protection
Extra (UK)
Best Doctors: "It's changing
the face of American medicine"
- CBS "60 Minutes"
"The leading referral service
in the country."
-CNN, "Headline News"
"…but the real jewel
in the crown is called Best Doctors. This feature
provides information and access when the clients
need it most, and it could be the difference between
coping and recovering."
- Money Marketing Magazine
(UK) |
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Q: Who is Best Doctors? |
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| A: Best Doctors is a world leader
in connecting people with the best medical expertise.
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. |
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| Q: What does Best Doctors offer? |
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| A: Healthcare decisions can be
the most important decisions of your life when you
are faced with a serious medical condition. Through
access to the latest technologies, opinions of world-class
specialists, top-ranked hospitals and personal care
management, Best Doctors services can help you make
the most appropriate choices surrounding your healthcare. |
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| Q: How long has Best Doctors
been in Canada? |
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| A: Best Doctors first entered into
Canada in the late 1990s. In 2002, we established
a Canadian Medical Advisory Board, comprised of
some of the most prominent physicians across the
country. These renowned experts advise Best Doctors
on all aspects of the Canadian medical community
to help ensure our services continue to be of the
greatest value to you and your treating physician(s). |
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| Q: How many Best Doctors physicians
are in Canada and around the world? |
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| A: The Best Doctors database includes
the top 3% to 5% of specialists in each country
where Best Doctors is present. Over the last decade,
Best Doctors has developed a database of over 50,000
specialists in more than 30 countries around the
world, in 40 specialties and over 400 subspecialties
of medicine. In Canada, Best Doctors surveying and
research has identified more than 600 of the best
physicians. Even though this number represents less
than 3% of the leading specialists in Canada, our
goal over the next few years is to identify at least
an additional 200 Canadian physicians considered
to be among the elite by their peers. |
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| Q: How does Best Doctors determine
who are the “best” doctors”? |
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| A: Best Doctors believes that physicians
are the most qualified to evaluate the experience
and skill sets of other physicians. The Best Doctors
survey asks physicians: “If you or a loved one needed
a doctor in your specialty, to whom would you refer
them?” The responses form the basis of the Best
Doctors’ global database, which has been consistently
recognized by doctors, patients and the public for
its quality and integrity. |
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| Q: Isn’t asking “If you or a
loved one …” a little simplistic? |
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| A: Actually, by presenting this
question Best Doctors is mimicking the informal,
peer-to-peer referral process that doctors themselves
use to determine the most appropriate physicians
for individual cases. Best Doctors’ evaluation process
is much more complex than this initial question.
Every year, a new survey is sent to physicians in
the Best Doctors database. Specialists complete
surveys on other doctors in their specialty. For
example, cardiologists will complete surveys, which
ask very specific questions about other cardiologists.
Doctors also can use the surveys to nominate and
provide information on other physicians whom they
think should be included in subsequent rounds of
surveying. The surveys are submitted and tabulated
over a nine to twelve-month period, so the database
is constantly being updated. |
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| Q: How can Best Doctors avoid
reflecting personal bias in the database? |
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| A: There are enough doctors participating
in the survey each year to prevent this from happening.
Also, Best Doctors’ survey expands beyond urban
areas to ensure physicians don’t see their colleagues
voted in year after year. |
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Q: Does Best Doctors pay physicians
or can physicians pay Best Doctors to be included
in the database? |
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| A: No, Best Doctors does not pay
physicians to be in the database. Conversely, a
doctor cannot pay to be part of the database. The
only way a physician can be listed in the database
is to receive a high enough overall score through
the peer review polling process. |
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| Q: How can my local treating
doctor benefit from Best Doctors services? |
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| A: By conferring with the physicians
recommended by Best Doctors, local treating doctors
have an unprecedented opportunity to consult with
some of the world’s top medical specialists regarding
their patients. Best Doctors panel of physicians,
affiliated with Harvard Medical School, will review
the patient’s file, in turn drawing from the opinions
and expertise of the medical specialists in the
global database. A report from these specialists
is sent to the treating physician in a matter of
days. |
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| Q: What is the nature of the
cases reviewed by Best Doctors? |
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| A: The majority of cases are critical
and complex in nature, often in the areas of oncology,
cardiology, neurology, transplant and rehabilitation. |
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| Q: Isn’t Best Doctors promoting
a two-tier health care system in Canada? |
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| A: Best Doctors provides information
to individuals suffering from a serious medical
condition that may be helpful to them in their recovery.
Best Doctors does not take a position on the Canadian
healthcare system or the healthcare systems of any
of the other 29 countries in which it does business.
Particularly today, with the increasingly rapid
pace of change and specialization in medicine, having
access to the most up-to-date information can be
the most important tool an individual has available.
Best Doctors’ mandate is to support - not replace
- existing doctor/patient relationships and to help
individuals and their physicians make informed healthcare
decisions. |
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| Q: How have Canadian doctors
reacted to Best Doctors? |
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| A: Best Doctors has received a
warm response from the Canadian medical community.
Thousands of doctors across Canada have participated
in Best Doctors’ surveys, and Best Doctors has been
honoured to earn the support of some of the country’s
most respected physicians on our Canadian Medical
Advisory Board. |
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| Q: Can Best Doctors arrange for
an individual to “jump the queue”? |
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| A: No. Individuals who have access
to Best Doctors will not move to the top of the
waiting list to see a specific Canadian specialist,
nor will it result in quicker admittance to a Canadian
facility. However, by using Best Doctors services
these individuals will have better access to medical
information regarding which doctors in Canada have
the highest level of skills and expertise for treating
their medical condition. They will be assured that
they are in the right queue for their particular
condition. |
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| Q: Isn’t asking Best Doctors
to provide an in-depth review of an individual’s
medical files insulting to the local treating physician? |
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A: This has not been our experience.
In fact, in more than a decade that Best Doctors
has been providing its services, we have found
that the opposite is true.
More than ever, doctors are dedicating their
professional lives to the treatment of very specific
illnesses. By consulting with these specialists,
Best Doctors makes available to local treating
physicians the most up-to date knowledge and information
that may otherwise be difficult to obtain. |
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