Mayo Clinic, Assured Diagnosis Inc. Announce Two New Private Health Insurance Products for Canadians

ROCHESTER, Minn., April 16 -- Mayo Clinic issued the following news release:

Mayo Clinic and Assured Diagnosis Inc. (ADI) of Calgary, Alberta, announced today the launch of two new health insurance options that will provide more Canadians access to Mayo Clinic's expertise and care in the event of serious illness.

The two new offerings, MyCare Health Benefit Option (HBO) and MyCare Advantage Insurance, are now available to companies and associations as an addition to their benefit packages. Like the original MyCare plan, designed for individuals and families, these two new products are available nationwide in Canada, initially excluding Quebec.

"The May 2011 launch of the MyCare Insurance program for individuals and families was very well received and we were inundated with requests from employers and associations to provide a similar product for their groups. MyCare HBO and MyCare Advantage insurance are in direct response to that need," says Jim Viccars, president and CEO of ADI.

MyCare HBO assists members in obtaining a diagnosis of serious illness and providing diagnostic scans and necessary specialist assessments. This provides more service than the traditional second opinion products attached to many group benefit programs.

MyCare HBO members will have access to Mayo Clinic expertise delivered remotely via an electronic medical opinion consultation, and will have the option to upgrade to MyCare Advantage Insurance at group rates for on-site care at Mayo Clinic campuses in Jacksonville, Fla., Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz., and Rochester, Minn.

"MyCare Health Benefit Option and optional upgrade to MyCare Advantage Insurance were developed to remove barriers to obtaining required medical services for plan members and their families," says Viccars.

"Mayo Clinic has provided hope and solutions for tens of thousands of Canadians for more than a century," says Mikel Prieto, M.D., medical director of the International Office at Mayo Clinic. "We strive to build meaningful relationships with our patients at home and abroad, serving them not only when they are ill, but anticipating their needs before they become ill. We look forward to the opportunity to extend our expertise to Canadians through the latest MyCare offerings."

ADI also has announced that it engaged the services of SOS Resource Group of Ontario to help grow the business across Canada. "We are very pleased to be working with ADI," says Don Thomson, president and co-founder of the SOS Resource Group and former president of Best Doctors Canada. "Helping patients and providers get an initial diagnosis sooner and providing them with access to such extensive medical expertise at Mayo Clinic via the MyCare offerings will be extremely valuable to employers, employees, family members, and the medical community."

The MyCare products are unique in Canada and work to complement and not replace existing Canadian health care systems. Mayo Clinic has many long-standing relationships with patients and providers in Canada. Canadians have been traveling to Mayo Clinic for care since the early 1900s. In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral.

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