Sun Life Financial and TELUS Launch Nationwide eClaims Solution for Extended Healthcare Providers Across Canada

TELUS' web-based eClaims service enables physiotherapists, chiropractors, optometrists and opticians to electronically submit claims directly to Sun Life on behalf of patients.

TORONTO, Sept. 20, 2012 /CNW/ - Extended healthcare providers across Canada registered with the TELUS Health eClaims web portal service can now submit claims electronically on behalf of their patients who are plan members with Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. TELUS' eClaims portal is specifically designed to accelerate and simplify claim processing. It enables extended healthcare providers the ability to process patients' claims at their point-of-sale, giving providers more time to deliver the best possible patient care.

This electronic process allows physiotherapists, chiropractors and visioncare providers to submit claims on behalf of patients who are Sun Life plan members, accelerating payment and reducing time spent processing insurance paperwork. Plan members are protected by Sun Life's anti-fraud technology on e-claims which provides advanced monitoring to detect unusual claims patterns to decrease the risk of loss from fraud.

"The initial launch in the Atlantic provinces of the eClaims service in July was well received by plan members and sponsors," said Stuart Monteith, Senior Vice-President, Group Benefits, Sun Life Financial Canada. "We are excited to offer this service nationwide and are confident healthcare providers will recognize the benefits of electronic claims submission and will actively use and promote it to their patients. Our plan members benefit from the service as it minimizes out-of-pocket expenses as they pay only the balance not covered under their benefits plan - and there are no paper claim forms to fill out and submit."

Healthcare providers already registered with TELUS eClaims are eligible to submit claims directly to Sun Life. Supporting Sun Life's paperless initiatives to reduce waste and provide quicker service, payments to providers will be made via electronic funds transfer. To receive payment electronically from Sun Life, providers simply submit their banking information to TELUS by completing a form found on the TELUS eClaims portal.

"We are excited to continue our partnership with Sun Life and extend the eClaims service to its members across Canada," said Luc Vilandre, Vice-President, Health Benefits Management, TELUS Health Solutions. "TELUS Health Solutions continues to deliver targeted solutions that simplify the eClaims submission process so healthcare providers can spend more time taking care of their patients. Our strong relationships with insurance customers and allied healthcare providers across Canada enhance the patient experience and help to achieve better health outcomes for all Canadians."

TELUS is a leader in Canada's claims and benefits management sector, providing drug claims processing for over 10 million Canadians. TELUS Health eClaims web portal service, launched in 2010, and has since experienced rapid adoption by the extended healthcare community with close to 12,000 providers now on board.

About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2012, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $496 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

About TELUS Health Solutions
TELUS Health Solutions, represents a unique set of technology, expertise and resources to help transform how information is used in the healthcare industry. TELUS Health Solutions has years of expertise in successfully implementing healthcare applications and information communication technology processes through industry leading solutions and consulting services to customers in Canada and around the world. It is backed by more than 1,500 TELUS Health Solutions team members including healthcare professionals. For more information, visit telushealth.com.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.6 billion of annual revenue and 12.8 million customer connections including 7.4 million wireless subscribers, 3.5 million wireline network access lines, 1.3 million Internet subscribers and 595,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.2 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Fourteen TELUS Community Boards lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.

Note to Editors: All figures in Canadian dollars.

SOURCE: Sun Life Financial Inc.