Study shows Virtual MD effective for patient care

CALGARY – A Primary Care Alberta (PCA) service called Virtual MD effectively triages patients, routes patients to appropriate forms of care and keeps Albertans out of emergency departments, according to a new research study.

The study – published in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine – reviewed Virtual MD, which refers callers to Health Link 811 to physicians for virtual assessment. The study concludes the Virtual MD service enables patients to access more appropriate levels of care for their healthcare needs.

Since the service launched in 2022, more than half of patients who were assessed by Virtual MD physicians followed through on recommendations to seek primary care, visit an emergency department (ED) or manage their care at home, according to the study.

Patients who were referred to primary care but chose to visit an ED were more likely to present with conditions best addressed by a family physician, demonstrating the appropriateness of the initial primary care advice.

“This research illustrates what our Health Link nurses and physicians see every day: Virtual MD is effectively meeting its primary goal of giving patients an alternative to visiting an emergency department,” said Patricia Chambers (pictured), executive lead of patient navigation and system integration with PCA. “Ensuring Albertans access the right care is good for patients and reduces strain on the healthcare system.”

Virtual MD is designed to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits. When Albertans contact Health Link 811, a registered nurse or clinical staff member provides an assessment to determine whether they’re in need of further assessment from a physician.

On average, 125 Health Link callers are referred to a physician daily through the Virtual MD program.

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.

The service – available seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. – involves 90 physicians.

“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.”

Primary Care Alberta is a made-in-Alberta solution to improve access to the primary care services Albertans rely on.