FAQ

The Annual Health Assessment is a novel whole-person annual health check that aims to give patients the information they need to live a healthy life and avoid chronic disease. Chronic disease – like hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver, venous disease, osteoarthritis, and reflux – is one of the most significant burdens on our healthcare system and affects people’s lives in many negative ways.

Sadly, our current healthcare system is meant to detect and respond to disease after it has happened. We believe prevention is better for patients, providers and our whole population.

The Durand Annual Health Assessment is meant to take what we know from Western medicine and connect it to knowledge from other medical traditions like integrative medicine, functional medicine, naturopathic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and chiropractic medicine – to identify significant health risks and opportunities.

The Durand Annual Health Assessment uses technology not used in most doctor’s offices and connects doctors of different traditions to help make sense of the data.

To our knowledge, there is no assessment like this one available in Canada.

Unlike other corporate wellness firms, we do not believe in a marathon of tests crammed into a single day. We prefer an iterative approach to the patient consult and diagnostics rather than blindly ordering tests that are not custom to the patient. We like to take the time to convene as a confidential healthcare team and review our patient’s health goals and values to craft an annual plan that we take the time to explain. The plan evolves with achievable goals and the support needed for success.

Corporate wellness and executive health services are not new. Private care makes up at least 30% of health expenses in Canada. Companies have been providing such services in Ontario for over 30 years. Insurance companies, workers’ compensation (WSIB), and other corporations have facilitated corporate billings for decades, often through Ontario hospitals and clinics.

The Annual Health Assessment features technology and services not insured under OHIP. There is a fee for these uninsured services. This is similar to why there is a fee for dental and vision care and medications for most people as permitted under the Canada Health Act. Where a service is covered under OHIP, such services will be billed through that system.

However, most insurance companies also offer a Health Spending Account. This could be used towards the cost of an Annual Health Assessment.

Anyone aged 18 or over can consider an Annual Health Assessment. We tailor our approach to your age and stage in life and your personal health information.

Canada’s health care system has services and testing covered and not covered by provincial insurance plans. In this sense, a large part of Canada’s health care system is “private” because patients must pay out of pocket for some services and assessments.

We do not bill the patient for services insured by public benefits. Some of our tests are covered under public insurance, but not for everyone. It depends on their health and personal situation.

With our work, we navigate public insurance, extended insurance (I.e., coverage from employer insurance) and out-of-pocket expenses.

The information gathered is personal health information. This is part of your medical record, stored on our secure, HIPAA-compliant electronic health record. At the end of your Annual Health Assessment, you are given a comprehensive report. This is for your records and should remain private and confidential.

Yes, we encourage this. We will send the results to your doctor if you desire and consent. If not, the records will be kept with you and us.

We desire to collaborate with your existing care team to support you and their efforts to keep you well.

We know how stressed the current system is, especially primary and emergency care. We aim to support you and your doctors in gathering data to alleviate this pressure now and in the decades to come.

If we discover something that requires immediate monitoring and follow-up, we will review options for this. If we order a test or referral, we follow up on it as per normal expectations of care in Ontario. If we discover a new diagnosis that requires action, we will refer to the appropriate specialties and this process is usually insured under OHIP. You may choose to follow along with us in our Extended Care Program or take the monitoring back to your doctor if you have one. If you have your doctor, you will continue to see them for your regular care. We will navigate this on a case-by-case basis.

Our Annual Health Assessment is designed to identify opportunities and pathways to improved health and wellness. After the Assessment, we may recommend:

• Participation in our Durand Health multidisciplinary specialty programs, including Lifelong Personalized Weight, Burnout Prevention, Menopause or a Custom Program.

• Participation in our Personalized Team Care Program.

• Ongoing care by one of our providers, including RMT, Naturopathic Medicine, Chiropractic Medicine, Physiotherapy, Art Therapy, Psychotherapy, Sleep Restorist, Reiki and Reflexology, Personal Training and more.