Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital is offering a new way to access emergency care: through a video call.
A virtual appointment can be booked for non-life-threatening but urgent health concerns, such as a mild fever, headache, sprains and urinary tract infections, according to the hospital.
Dr. Joel Turner, chief of the hospital’s emergency department, said the initiative is the first of its kind in Quebec, but similar programs are available in Ontario and Alberta, as well as the U.S. and Australia.
“I think this is kind of the future of urgent care in the province,” he said in an interview Friday with The Gazette.
The hospital’s Virtual Urgent Care program ramped up at the beginning of October after it was tested slowly over several months, Turner said.
There is an administrator to help co-ordinate and register patients and one emergency room physician available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. Expansion is possible, depending on the public’s response to the service and staffing abilities.
“Obviously, if we can expand, there will be a second doctor for another shift. It will be like a four-hour shift for each physician,” Turner said.
The service is meant for patients who need timely medical assessments but can’t otherwise get “a prompt appointment with a family doctor or nurse practitioner,” according to the hospital’s guidelines.
“We have now this website where we have very clear indications of what type of cases we should see but also cases that we are not supposed to see,” Turner said.
The virtual emergency consultations are designed to address acute problems. The VUC, he said, isn’t just limited to “seeing” patients — the doctor can prescribe medication, order blood work and X-rays and make follow-up appointments and referrals to specialists.
“There are systems in place for us to continue the investigations if needed, thereby avoiding them coming to the emergency department,” he said.
While the start was slow with a physician only seeing four to five patients per shift, Turner said there have been 18 to 20 patients per four-hour block in the last few days.
It’s far too early to tell if there are fewer people coming to the JGH’s physical ER as a result, he added, though he believes the service will help with patient access alongside other means like 811, traditional ERs and primary-care doctors.
“This is just one more access that some patients, hopefully, will be able to benefit from,” he said.
Who shouldn’t book an appointment?
Patients experiencing critical health concerns — such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulties and stroke symptoms — should go to their closest ER or call 911.
The VUC is also not for non-urgent issues, Turner said, like needing an off-work note or having a persistent cough for six months. The hospital’s website said the service does not offer “renewals of long-term medication for chronic conditions, nor do we perform annual checkups.”
“It really is for an acute problem that is written on the website,” Turner said.
The JGH’s guidelines also note the patient must be present and able to participate in the video call. They are also required to be physically in Montreal at the time of the appointment.
“Assessment cannot be provided to someone else who attends on the patient’s behalf,” the JGH says on its website.
Patients who are 18 years and older and who live in Montreal are eligible for the service. They must also have a valid Quebec health insurance (RAMQ) card.
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