OTN, Novari to pilot ‘free’ virtual visits

Novari Health, ministries of health, regional health authorities and patients both across Canada and internationally, are recognizing the efficiency and convenience of seeing their general practitioner or another available physician via a computer or mobile device. Unlike other virtual care solutions, in which patients pay out of pocket, the Novari eVisit™ technology was designed as a tool for publicly funded healthcare systems and at no cost to patients.

The first proof of concept is now underway in the Central West Local Health Integration Network (CW LHIN), north-west of Toronto.

“We’re excited to pioneer an initiative that enables patients to connect with their family doctors from the comfort of home,” said Dr. Ed Brown, CEO, OTN. “Novari Health’s intuitive, customized platform is delivering on our vision of extending the reach of our world-class primary care physicians and publicly funded healthcare system.”

The Novari eVisit™ technology allows patients and physicians to engage each other via secure messaging, audio call and video call.

The easy-to-use system is designed for physician visits that meet certain medical criteria, like simple health questions, chronic disease management, and prescription renewals, and is not appropriate for any type of emergency care.

Recognizing the importance of continuity of care, the Novari eVisit™ module can send the electronic case notes of each patient physician virtual care appointment back to the patient’s family physician. The system has robust security and privacy features to protect patient medical information.

Novari eVisit™ is a cloud-based solution leveraging the Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure, and as such is highly scalable and can serve any population size.

“Enabling patients to see a general practitioner from their laptop or mobile device is transformational to how healthcare will be delivered in the very near future,” said John Sinclair (pictured), president, Novari Health. “Imagine the convenience for patients, who for some appointments, can now have a visit with their doctor from home, the office or anywhere on the go. The convenience is extended to physicians who will be able to see some patients for some types of appointments from computers or mobile devices in their offices and clinics, or even from a kitchen table.”

About Novari Health

Based in Kingston, Ontario and with satellite offices in Sydney, Australia, Vancouver and Boston, Novari Health specializes in designing, building and deploying enterprise scale software solutions that improve access to care for patients and at the same time the delivery of healthcare. Its Novari Access to Care® integrated software platform includes modules that enable eReferrals, coordinated care, telemedicine, eBooking, wait list management and air traffic control-like functionality, that helps patients get the right care at the right time by the right provider.