Even in cyberspace, corporations might become key players for health services if Dr. Fernand Taras gets his way. So GlobalMedic funnels its services through its corporate customers. For a few dollars more, employees can access health-assessment records and navigate through the newest trends in health insurance. For example, there is the change from defined- benefit plans to definedcontribution plans, which allow employees to pick and choose the benefits they want. People who wear glasses could pick optometry coverage, while those with persistent dental problems can stress dental care.
Insurance companies benefit because they stay competitive and employers have less to administer.
Nortel Networks and Medysis, a corporate health-services provider, already use GlobalMedic, and the company is an anchor tenant for Web portal companies AOL Canada and Altavista. The company bases that projection on the completion of a physician's Web portal and growing revenues from the corporate market, including sales it hopes to get by expanding into Europe. GlobalMedic doesn't serve consumers, except through its corporate clients. Instead, it links health care players together. For example, the physicians' portal simplifies billing, said Taras.