Virtual visit app CloudMD launches in Ontario

VANCOUVER, B.C. – CloudMD Software & Services Inc., a company focused on digitizing the delivery of healthcare, has expanded its direct-to-consumer telemedicine app, CloudMD, to service Ontarians.

The app, which is free to download and use, allows people to book same-day appointments with a licensed physician in their own province. A roster of Ontario physicians has been onboarded to address Ontarians’ health concerns via secure, real-time videoconferencing on the app.

There has been growing demand for digital healthcare, as demonstrated by the positive reception CloudMD received from its launch in British Columbia earlier this year. Then came the coronavirus pandemic. As Canadians settled into their self-isolation routines, they have shown more motivation to seek medical advice virtually, preferring to avoid emergency rooms and clinics.

According to the team of physicians behind the B.C.-based telehealth platform, CloudMD has been averaging more than 110 consultations per day since the start of the coronavirus self-isolation period. In fact, in the past two weeks, CloudMD has seen a 69 per cent jump in patient consultations. Last week, patient consultations were up by 83 per cent compared to the first week of March.

Earlier this month, the province of Ontario announced an emergency telemedicine billing code, allowing patients to be billed through OHIP. Telemedicine provides a vital service because it increases capacity at hospitals that were already operating beyond capacity pre-coronavirus. It also provides convenient access to physicians for all Ontarians covered under OHIP.

Dr. Essam Hamza (pictured), CEO of CloudMD, sees the quick response of provincial governments to adopt telemedicine consultations as a positive reinforcement for the future of digital healthcare.

“The coronavirus pandemic has transformed public behaviour faster than ever before, and in response we’re seeing government move at uncharacteristic speed to adapt to this “new normal” we find ourselves in,” explains Dr. Hamza. “With many global forecasts predicting the coronavirus crisis will last until spring 2021, this is our opportunity to show the benefits of telemedicine, and how it can be used effectively to receive timely care and reduce strain on hospital resources, while minimizing the outbreak’s spread.”

CloudMD is now available free to download at the App Store and Google Play.

Quick facts about CloudMD:

• The app is now available to 20 million patients in B.C. and Ontario.
• Service is available seven days a week, Monday to Friday 9 am – 7 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am – 5 pm.
• The number of patient consultations on the app has increased by over 69 per cent in just the last two weeks.
• There has been a 71 per cent increase in app downloads since the start of the coronavirus self-isolation period in Canada.

About CloudMD Software & Services Inc.
CloudMD is digitizing the delivery of healthcare by providing patients access to all points of care from their phone, tablet or desktop computer. The Company offers SaaS-based health technology solutions to medical clinics across Canada and has developed proprietary technology that delivers quality healthcare through the combination of connected primary care clinics, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence (AI). CloudMD currently has a combined ecosystem of 315 clinics, over 3,000 licensed practitioners and almost 3 million registered patients.