Health811 expands its range, adding AI and appointment scheduling

TORONTO – Ontario’s Health811 service, which evolved from the province’s traditional, nurse-led telephone service, Telehealth Ontario, has rapidly expanded its range of capabilities since launching in 2022. It continues to offer access to nurses via telephone, but it’s now also providing a host of computer and smartphone-based options, including chat and video.

“It’s like a busy digital highway,” said Dr. Sacha Bhatia, a cardiologist and senior vice president, Population Health and Value-Based Health Systems, at Ontario Health. He notes Health811 is getting people connected to the right resources faster than ever before, thanks to the new slate of digital resources.

“We’ve added roads that connect people to towns and cities, so to speak,” said Dr. Bhatia. There’s an increasing variety of resources and tools available, giving consumers much more choice.

Ample choice also extends to language preferences, as Health811 is fully available in English and French, both by phone and through its digital offerings, and provides on-demand translation support for its phone line in more than 150 languages.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies are quickly expanding across the health tech space, and Health811 is no exception. Now, not only can a mother concerned about her toddler’s symptoms go to Health811’s website to chat online with a nurse, but she can also use an AI symptom assessment tool to get a quick opinion. Powered by ADA Health, the evidence-based system is the world’s leading program of its kind. It can tell users whether they need medical attention immediately, if it’s safe to wait for an appointment with a primary care provider or, if appropriate, how to manage their symptoms at home.

“If you’ve got chest pain, you always go to the emergency department right away,” said Dr. Bhatia. But for problems like fevers, rashes and minor aches and pains, the symptom assessment tool could very well advise the patient to go to a walk-in clinic or wait for an appointment with their primary care provider.

Usage of the symptom assessment tool is averaging over 2,000 completed assessments each month, while, unsurprisingly, the bulk of Health811’s interactions still stem from phone calls and online chats – on average, the service fields a combined total of around 70,000 calls and chats per month.

Impressively, anxious callers don’t have to wait long on the line before their call is answered. “There’s a high level of responsiveness,” said Michael Hillmer, assistant deputy minister with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long-Term Care. “Ninety percent of calls and chats are answered in under 90 seconds.”

He said ample credit should be given to Health811’s industry partners, who include Orion Health, for creating the platform solutions that tie together the various components of the service and provide fast responses.

“Our ongoing work with Ontario Health in the Health 811 initiative highlights the importance of making healthcare and health information more accessible,” said Andrea Tait, SVP patient empowerment and equity at Orion Health. “By integrating digital tools and streamlining appointment scheduling, we’re working to simplify the healthcare journey and enhance access and equity across Ontario.”

Though Health811 is intended to support non-urgent health concerns, nurses can refer people to a hospital, in the event the situation could be an emergency, or to a Ministry of Health-funded virtual urgent care centre. These virtual urgent care centres are operated by hospitals and receive guidance and support regionally through Ontario Health.

With the current combination of nurse help lines, the symptom assessment tool, chats and the option of video visits, Health811 is providing more avenues to care.

Dr. Bhatia observed that over 80 percent of the encounters at Health811 are still phone calls to nurses. “But, as people really start to understand all that Health811 offers, we’re seeing more interest in the other services and resources provided,” he asserted.

Once they’re online with Health811, those accessing the service soon see that a variety of resources are available to them –including a health services directory, medical library and connections to mental health lines, addiction services, cancer screening information, registered dietician supports, resources for equity deserving communities and more.

“Every Ontario Health Team (OHT) has collaborated with Health811 to ensure that local services are showcased,” said Dr. Bhatia. OHTs are clusters of acute, primary and community care providers that have been organized by the Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care.

Dr. Bhatia said that while the ‘main roads’ of the Health811 are now working, the Ministry is constructing more services to add value.

Hillmer noted that Ontario has created a provincial electronic health record (EHR) that includes components such as lab results, diagnostic imaging, drugs and more. It’s accessible using a viewer, and many doctors use it extensively.

“Now that more Health811 information is being captured, we’re looking at how to add it to the provincial EHR,” said Hillmer.

On another front, to solve the problem of access to a doctor, Health811 has been working with healthcare providers to tie their booking systems to Health811.

In the future, patients will be able to see, manage, and book appointments with their healthcare providers from one convenient place. This work will be happening over the next few years.

This new form of scheduling is designed to remove a serious pain-point for many patients.

“We’ve got a lot happening on the horizon,” said Dr. Bhatia. “And the plan is to keep adding value.”