How we can help?

You can expect a seamless, thoughtful experience. Please ensure you have filled out your questionnaire that is distributed in a secure, Internet based site by our clinic for you to provide pertinent information in advance of your visit.

If you are referred for management of an existing chronic disease, such as diabetes or osteoporosis, you will be first be seen by our clinic Registered Dietician who will take a thorough interview and provide you with some information. You will then be seen by the specialist. Your visit may include some testing, such as electrocardiogram or treadmill testing, depending on the reason for referral.

If you are being referred for diagnosis of a set of symptoms that your physician is looking for help sorting out, you will likely be seen by the specialist alone and it is very likely tests will be organized. If necessary, the physician will perform a physical examination. This examination is limited to what is necessary for the evaluation and is not a “general examination” of the sort you might expect at an “annual check-up.”

Regardless of what the reason for the consultation is, if a follow-up is needed, it will be organized before you leave our offices or right after you complete your virtual visit. For chronic disease management, we may follow up with you multiple times in order to ensure you are on the right track.

Absolutely. In fact, most of our consultations have been via our easy-to-use telemedicine platform and patients from all over are loving its convenience.

Aroga Lifestyle Medicine is an innovative group of health care professionals (medical doctors and allied health care professionals) that take a different approach to the practice of medicine than what most patients and professionals are used to.
 
We focus on the emerging specialty of Lifestyle Medicine, which heavily emphasizes evidence-based non-drug related treatments – dietary, exercise, mindfulness and related realms – as the cornerstone treatment/prevention for many diseases. We practice medicine with a bias to NOT prescribe medication as a “first resort”, however, will prescribe it if this proves necessary.

Our headquarters and original brick-and-mortar clinic are located in the beautiful city of Victoria, Canada. We provide care face-to-face in our clinic, as well as care via the Aroga app through chat, voice or video for patients all across British Columbia and Canada.

Yes, if you have been referred, all of the clinicians at Aroga are fully board-certified Canadian physicians from diverse backgrounds.  All physicians are board certified in Canada through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in their respective specialties or through the Canadian College of Family Physicians for our Family Doctors.  In addition to their Canadian credentials, many of our physicians are also American Board Certified specialists.

Our Registered Dieticians, Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Occupational Therapists and Clinical Counsellors are also fully certified in Canada and regulated by their respective provincial and/or national bodies.

Medically necessary care is covered by Canadian Public Medicare for Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents (for example, Medical Services Plan BC, in British Columbia and the Ontario Health Insurance Plan in Ontario) for both Family Medicine visits as well as any medically necessary specialist consultation or visit.  This includes certain forms of virtual visits such as telemedicine.  Testing deemed medically necessary by physicians is also covered by Medicare.  
 
Some of our medical consultations may include the involvement of an allied health professional in the role of directly assisting the specialist in his or her assessment.  For this, there is no charge.

Additional services, above and beyond what is covered by Medicare, are charged at the current market rate.  For example, value-added programs where Allied Health Professionals are acting as independent professionals such as the Reversal & Prevention programs, or On-Going Monthly Care or for services such as meal-planning or personal exercise planning. Although such services may make it easier to succeed with Lifestyle treatments, they are not necessary to succeed and one can get all the necessary information through medicare-covered physician visits (which may include a component of allied health care involvement – such as with a Registered Dietitian – as part of the physician visit and for which there is no charge).

Lifestyle Medicine heavily emphasizes evidence-based non-drug related treatments – dietary, exercise, mindfulness and related realms – as the cornerstone treatment/prevention for many diseases. Generally, lifestyle medicine looks to treat the root cause of chronic disease, or illness, rather than the symptoms in which medication treats typically.

General Internal Medicine is a specialty that focuses on the field of diagnosis and treatment of adult (age 16 and up) medical disease.  These specialists are also trained in cardiac diagnostics, such as ECG, treadmill testing and 24 hour Holter Testing.  
 
General Pediatrics is a specialty that focuses on the field of diagnosis and treatment of childhood (under age 20) medical disease.  
 
Psychiatry is a specialty dedicated to mental health in persons of all ages.  There are branches of this specialty dedicated to medication (Psychopharmatherapeutics) and talk-therapy (Psychotherapy).  As you might imagine, at Aroga, psychotherapy is the preferred modality.
 
Endocrinology is a subspecialty of Internal Medicine dedicated to diseases of the body’s hormone systems.
 
Family Medicine is a specialty that is very broad and requires the coordination and management of the care of a patient, from birth to old age.  Prevention is a critical area of expertise with Family Doctors.  

and more...

Certainly.  Most of our programs, consultations, and professionals are available in-person or by Telehealth.  With a few exceptions, the choice is yours.
 
Note that during the time of CoVID-19, we adhere to provincial social-distancing mandates and, amongst other requirements, this means that all patients must wear a mask and maintain 2 m of physical distance from staff.

If you are a resident of BC, Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick or Yukon Territory, your family doctor or family clinic can refer you through the public medicare system to be seen by one of our specialists. 
 
No referral is necessary if you plan on signing-up for an Aroga Non-medicare insured private pay program.  These are available across Canada to citizens of all provinces and territories, you will likely be seen only by our Registered Dietititians / Health coach.

A complete walk-through has been created to help you on our For You page. We may need some necessary information, and all information shared with Aroga is kept strictly confidential and all clinical information is managed following the rigid electronic medical record-keeping standards required of medical clinics in the Provinces of British Columbia and Ontario. When you sign up to get referred, you will be emailed a referral form to be filled out by your doctor.

Get Referred provides you a walkthrough on the referral process, and even provides you the ability to download a referral form that you can bring to your doctor.
 
Sign Up starts the process for signing up for our private services such as our Ongoing Care and Prevention and Reversal Programs.

Our Reversal programs (not medicare covered) are designed for those looking for a strong start in making major lifestyle changes to treat and prevent disease, with options of how much support you may be looking for.

Our On-Going monthly care program allows you to enjoy active, monthly support and benefits that will keep you on track, and ensure you are getting the support in your health and wellness journey.
 
Our Annual Comprehensive Preventative Evaluation provides you with a complete check-up - not only looking at conventional measures such as labs, fitness testing, cardiac testing and cognitive testing but also focussing heavily on your lifestyle.  At the conclusion of this evaluation, you receive a customized booklet detailing all findings and recommendations for the coming year.
 
If you are still unsure, chatting to an Aroga team member can help you find that ideal program.

Each program is different and within each program there are a variety of intensities available that are curated to match you best.
 
For example, our month active care plans start at $45 per month, and our reversal and prevention program begins at $175 for a month of in-depth care and support.

If your business is interested in utilizing Aroga for your continuing health care, you can fill out the easy and quick sign up and one of our business coordinators will reach out to you and schedule a call to discuss how Aroga can best serve you.  Additionally, you’re welcome to contact us directly at +1.888.80.AROGA if you have any questions.

Absolutely not. Aroga for business is designed to be a mobile and on-demand clinic for your employees. We have nurses and doctors across the nation and can meet and discuss concerns via chat, voice or video through the secured Aroga app. 

Aroga provides your employees and their families a preventative clinic that will work with them wherever you are. Whether your employee needs a prescription while at the cottage, or your employee needs a sick note due to the flu, Aroga provides these services without the need to go into a clinic or doctors office. We save them time, and you gain a happier, healthier and more productive employee.

These assessments are an Annual Comprehensive Preventative Evaluation.  As such, you can expect a morning of being the star of the show, with a variety of physicians and allied health professionals attending to you.  
It is recommended you shower on the day of the appointment, wear or bring comfortable gym attire with running shoes and have a good night’s sleep (to ensure optimal validity of cognitive testing).
 
Please fill out the pre-visit questionnaire and ensure you have had your blood work completed ideally at least a week in advance.

Many very large international corporations have medical personnel on staff to provide employees with immediate medical care as needed.  The objective is to avoid losing hours of employee productivity per concern spent in walk-in clinics, ERs and MD offices.  This traditional in-house option is not an option for small businesses and medium-sized enterprises and often is not cost effective or practical for large distributed corporations and government entities.  
 
Our On-Demand Virtual Care solution solves the challenge and allows your business or organization to play in the big leagues at a fraction of the cost, offering employees personal access to on-demand virtual health care.
 
This means that throughout the day and evening your employees and their families can request and receive secure video or telephone consultations from qualified health care practitioners who can evaluate, provide advice and prescribe treatment for many common medical concerns.  This follows your employees all over Canada and is accessible wherever there is internet or sufficient broadband wireless available.
 
Avoiding trips to a Walk-in clinic can save many hours of productivity and prevent acquisition of viral infections in waiting rooms.  
 
You see productivity and employee satisfaction increase at the same time.  It’s a benefit you just cannot beat.