New virtual service connecting N.L. patients with doctors already easing ER stress, says representative

At a time when thousands of people in Newfoundland and Labrador are going without a family doctor, a new company offering virtual medical appointments says the service is already cutting down on unnecessary emergency room visits.

ProActive Wellness Centre's new on demand service went live a month ago. At the moment, the service is focused on handling acute ailments for people who can't get in to see their family doctor and those who don't have one.

"We all know people, hear stories daily or weekly of people waiting in the ER 12-plus hours for simple things that they don't need to be there for. But they essentially are left [with] no choice," Evan Parsons, the company's medical services coordinator, told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

According to a new poll, the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association estimates 163,000 people in the province are without a family doctor. As a result, many people end up going to hospitals for non-urgent care.

Parsons said he'd like to see ProActive help address the ongoing primary-care problem in the province long-term. He said the issue doesn't have a simple solution.

For now, anyone in the province with a valid MCP can use ProActive's on demand service. The current wait time between signing up and getting an appointment is between 24 to 48 hours.

"One of the best things is to sort of remove all the barriers as much as possible. So we allow people to book almost right at the point of care," said Parsons.

Telehealth emergence

A year ago, the provincial government unveiled a $22 million two-year contract with U.S.-based virtual-care provider Teladoc.

Following the announcement, advocates voiced their concerns about using private companies to virtually connect people with doctors and the possibility that it would steal N.L. doctors, who already had clinics, for more lucrative virtual work.

According to the Health Department, as of September there are 50,380 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians registered on Patient Connect N.L., a provincial list of individuals who self-identify whether or not they have access to "primary care" as opposed to a family doctor.

According to Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, as of November more than 17,500 people have attended approximately 19,000 Teladoc virtual appointments.

In the House of Assembly on Monday, PC Leader Tony Wakeham brought up the challenges that residents face when trying to get access to a family doctor.

Health Minister John Hogan touted the success of Teladoc since its introduction a year ago.

"I'd just like to take a minute to talk about the feedback that NLHS has received with regard to Teladoc. I think the satisfaction is like 80, 85 per cent," said Hogan.

He said people have overwhelmingly returned to use the service.

However, Wakeham wasn't satisfied.

"When the emergency rooms are closed, when you can't get access to a primary-care physician, I guess people have no choice but to call the number, and that's unfortunate," said Wakeham.

Under umbrella

ProActive Wellness Centre has clinic locations in the St. John's region and as far as Clarenville. They house massage therapy, physiotherapy, psychiatry, family doctors and other health-care services.

Parsons said the virtual service isn't acting as a family physician, though.

"It's underneath the Proactive Wellness Centre umbrella. And one thing that I always tell everyone is that when you come to ProActive you're not attached to a single provider, not attached to a single physician or a single physiotherapist. You're attached to the whole team," he said.

If an in-person appointment is necessary, he said it can be arranged.

Some places in Newfoundland and Labrador have spotty internet service. Parsons said, so far, that hasn't been an issue when connecting with patients.

"We would try to do whatever possible or even see if we can bring them in-person because, I mean, it's bound to happen, but thankfully not yet."

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