Crisis Case Management
Experience in your corner
When critical incidents happen to you or people in your care, it’s important to know there are crisis specialists in your corner who will support you and help you to obtain the best possible outcome under difficult circumstances.
guard.me’s Crisis Case Management team are specialists who deal with a range of issues behind the scenes every day. We deal with rare events and situations you hope will never happen. These include serious illness, medical repatriation, and sudden or accidental death.
Our Crisis Case Management team are available around the clock, every day of the year, with access to an extensive network of reliable service providers. If our phone rings at 3 a.m. on a Sunday, we are ready to take that call and deal with whatever and whomever is on the other end.
Simplifying the complicated
Should you or someone in your care receive a diagnosis of a serious or critical illness or suffer a severe injury that requires immediate surgery or treatment, getting that urgent medical attention can mean navigating an unfamiliar setting. Our crisis experts at guard.me can simplify and clarify the entire process, explaining what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and in what order.
You can count on us. We pull from decades of combined insurance and medical knowledge to:
- Act fast
- Offer culturally appropriate advice and support
- Manage repatriation with or without family members having to travel
- Use preferred service providers that act with integrity
- Control costs and timelines
- Offer short‑term and long‑term solutions
Compassionate advice and support
With the ability to assess complex circumstances that can change quickly, Crisis Case Management can identify, explain, and manage the steps that secure the best possible outcomes. This includes compassionate service, assisting with arranging treatment closer to home, and avoiding unnecessary out‑of‑pocket expenses.
- When you check with us:
- Before scheduling surgery - we will confirm whether that surgery is covered by your policy and advise of any limits or important claim requirements.
- About using service providers - we can help you navigate our network of trusted medical providers and insulate against unwelcome individuals and organizations that may take advantage of international students.
- Before paying a bill - we will work with your medical providers to set up direct billing, where possible, and help you with your claim submissions when the time comes.
Our team has experience managing expectations with care, providing timely advice and support and ensuring the correct benefits are paid under the policy. We can also organize grief or crisis counselling through guard.me’s GuardMe Student Support Program program.
Understanding your coverage
It’s important that you—as well as your family, friends, and those who support you—know that your guard.me health insurance policy covers crisis and emergency events. We believe that it’s essential for you to understand what your policy covers. You should also be aware of situations where we can assist you and know how to contact us when you need your questions answered.
If you have been admitted to a hospital, require major surgery, or need significant diagnostic testing, you are required to contact guard.me immediately. We can provide advice, explain options, and help you make informed decisions supported by your policy. This leads to better and faster outcomes for everyone.
Automatic coverage
Crisis Case Management is included as part of your guard.me insurance policy as a specialist division of guard.me’s claims department.
Crisis Case Management
If you need assistance, please call 1‑905‑752‑6200 or 1‑888‑756‑8428
Crisis Response Membership Program
The guard.me Crisis Response Membership Program offers you immediate solutions and peace of mind if a traumatic or catastrophic travel event happens outside of Canada.
In partnership with global crisis management experts FocusPoint International, our fully funded and insured crisis response package is the most affordable and comprehensive program of its kind. Designed to eliminate the financial burden of responding to crisis incidents, it assures a timely and coordinated response to several different security-related travel risks, including:
- Natural disasters
- Political threats, riots, strikes and civil strife
- Terrorism
- Violent crime
- Wrongful detention
- Disappearance of persons
- Hijack
- Extortion
- Kidnap for ransom
- New pandemics
With just one call to the Crisis Response Center, you can activate an immediate global assistance effort.
Signing up for your membership is easy, and all members receive the included mobile app to facilitate manual check‑ins, itinerary management, and real‑time alerts and notifications. It also offers two-way communications and important know‑before‑you‑go pre‑departure information.
In case of any emergency, the app provides remote alarm capabilities designed to secure your safety.
FAQ
What types of events or situations are covered?
We provide assistance in numerous events and situations, including:
- Political instability
- Natural hazards and disasters
- Terrorism and disappearance of persons
- New pandemics
- Extortion, violent crime, hijacking, and kidnapping
- Wrongful detention
What kind of assistance can I expect?
Our emergency travel services are designed to inform and prepare travellers throughout the pre‑departure, destination, and return phases of travel.
We provide in‑country support and outreach to keep you secure and healthy, because we want to make sure you return home safely.
This assistance includes:
- Referrals to vetted hospitals and physicians
- Interpreters
- Legal referrals
- Assistance with lost documents
We will also intervene in crisis situations to organize:
- Emergency relocation
- Emergency evacuation and repatriation
- Dependent children/travelling companions assistance
- Complex and highly sensitive negotiations
- Transportation and secure escort
Who can benefit from this specialized insurance coverage?
The guard.me Crisis Response Membership Program is designed to protect students, faculty, and staff travelling anywhere outside of Canada. It is the most robust and cost-effective solution on the market for when crises and natural hazards occur.
Why do I need this type of insurance?
More and more students of all ages are choosing to embrace the benefits of an international learning experience. These experiences are transformational but come with risks that need to be managed. We believe that learning how to identify, understand, and manage these risks is an important part of the experience of studying abroad.
guard.me’s Crisis Response team can help travellers—individually or as a group—prepare for travel, manage risk, and achieve the full potential of educational travel opportunities.
What does this program have that my current health benefits do not offer?
Medical repatriation coverage in general health insurance plans often lacks coverage of security evacuations. This is especially true for young adults travelling on their guardian’s extended plan, usually from their place of employment. Our crisis response package can bridge this gap and many others, and offers flexible purchasing options.
Why choose guard.me for this type of insurance?
guard.me is a leading provider of specialty insurance options designed for students, staff, and faculty who participate in study abroad or travel internationally on business and build international partnerships.
We work exclusively with educational institutions and understand their needs. General medical insurance companies do not possess the industry expertise and knowledge that guard.me has acquired over a quarter of a century.
Who is FocusPoint International?
FocusPoint International is an international travel risk management and crisis response organization with highly specialized services. Their broad experience in crisis intervention and rescue is respected throughout the world.
guard.me’s unique partnership with FocusPoint International and their Crisis Assistance Plus program (CAP™) forms the backbone of our Crisis Response Membership Program—designed to eliminate the financial burden of responding to crisis incidents while overseas.
Our flexible purchasing options include:
- guard.me Global A travel policy that includes
- Comprehensive emergency medical and travel insurance
- Automatic extensions for unforeseen circumstances
- Crisis Response Membership
- Trip cancellation, trip interruption, and trip delay
- guard.me Global B travel policy that includes
- Comprehensive emergency medical and travel insurance
- Automatic extensions for unforeseen circumstances
- Crisis Response Membership
- Crisis Response Membership that includes
- Flat fee for travel between one day and six months, or from six months to one year
- No subscription fee or hidden costs
How can I find out more information about Crisis Response Membership Program?
To discuss a solution that suits your needs, please contact:
Tony Rogge
Director, Strategic Partnerships ‑ Canada
Mobile: 1‑204‑296‑8482
Email: tony@guard.me
Web: www.guard.me