Alberta virtual care redirects patients from EDs

EDMONTON — A Primary Care Alberta (PCA) service that connects Health Link 811 callers with a physician for phone or secure Zoom assessments has now assisted over 100,000 callers. Virtual MD was introduced in 2022 to lower the number of potentially needless ER visits. A registered nurse or clinical staff member conducts an examination when Albertans call Health Link 811 to ascertain whether they require additional evaluation from a doctor.

The Virtual MD program refers an average of 125 Health Link callers to a doctor every day.

“Virtual MD has proven to be an innovative solution to provide Albertans with the care they need, often at home or in their community, easing pressures on our emergency departments,” said Adriana LaGrange (pictured), minister of health.

According to Alberta Health Service (AHS), of the first 100,000 patients assessed by a program physician, about half were able to manage their condition at home with self-care. Other patients were referred to other forms of in-person care or follow-up that best suited their needs, such as urgent care centres, family medicine practitioners, other community-based programs and emergency departments.

“Virtual MD is there for patients when they need it at critical points in their healthcare journey,” said Patricia Chambers, executive lead of patient navigation and system integration with PCA. “To reach this milestone shows us how critical this program is in innovatively meeting the healthcare needs of Albertans, no matter where they are.”

90 doctors participate in the program, which is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

“The virtual option to meet with patients enables us to connect with pockets of Albertans who may struggle to access these services: those with mobility or transportation issues, individuals in rural areas or those who have limited access to care,” said Dr. Genelle Dingeldein, a virtual MD physician. “We can provide immediate advice in real-time and help patients navigate how to self-manage their symptoms or when to seek higher levels of care when appropriate.”