Telus’ new personal healthcare records service will not butt heads with Canada’s universal healthcare system, according to Telus Corp. CEO Darren Entwistle.
The subscription service, dubbed Health Space, has the look and feel of a social networking site.
It’s designed to help Canadians maintain and monitor their healthcare and to stay connected with physicians and other caregivers.
Telus invested $800 million into the new service, which was built on a Microsoft platform.
Twelve healthcare organizations, including the Asthma Society of Canada and the Canadian Diabetes Association, have signed up to use the service in order to communicate online with patients.
Entwistle said Telus is willing to work with provinces, healthcare providers and insurance companies to grow the system and build the critical mass of information and members required for the social networking site to be successful.
He believes Canadians are willing to pay for Health Space even with the country’s universal healthcare as a backdrop.
“So long as it presents compelling value, I think people will pay for it,” he said. “We live in the era of the super-powered consumer. And they are driving political outcomes and driving regulatory outcomes. We’re recognizing that reality and saying ‘why don’t we leverage the era of consumerism to help [consumers] drive better healthcare outcomes.’”