\u201cstronger\u201d<\/a> than New Brunswick-based eVisitNB.<\/p>\nA request for proposal was issued by the province last fall for virtual care services, Beaulieu told the committee, after his department reviewed 500,000 eVisitNB visits.<\/p>\n
The deputy minister didn\u2019t elaborate on what the review revealed about the current service, but he spoke of service improvements, primarily better integration between virtual care services and the province\u2019s primary care system, that the province wanted to achieve through a new contract.<\/p>\n
![\"opening](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1695845024791-TJ_-_V2.png\"\/)
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eVisitNB maintains that it showed the province its capacity to integrate with other health-care providers when it did so years ago with New Brunswick\u2019s Tele-Care 811 service.<\/p>\n
Hogan told reporters that Foundever runs Tele-Care 811 and that he isn\u2019t sure that it\u2019s a better service than eVisitNB.<\/p>\n
Launched by two New Brunswick doctors, eVisitNB has been providing publicly funded virtual health care since January 2022 after it inked a deal with the former Higgs PC government.<\/p>\n
eVisitNB\u2019s current contract with the province is set to expire on April 1.<\/p>\n
Unlike that sole-sourced contract, Liberal MLA Jacques LeBlanc said the new company underwent a \u201crigorous\u201d RFP process, \u201cso the bid is transparent and the process is accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked what message it would send to companies if the province backed out following an RFP process, Hogan said, \u201cI\u2019m a big believer that we should put New Brunswick first.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe have a New Brunswick-based company. This was developed and created in New Brunswick with 100 per cent New Brunswick investment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat should count for something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Details of the new deal have yet to be released as negotiations are underway with Foundever.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to reassure New Brunswickers that we are not ending virtual primary care,\u201d LeBlanc told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a better and improved integrated approach for all New Brunswickers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green party Leader David Coon questioned Beaulieu why Horizon and Vitalit\u00e9 health networks couldn\u2019t take over providing virtual care services.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to integrate those two things more closely, then you bring the virtual health-care services into the public health-care system, not farm it out to a private company, and worse, farm it out to a private company that\u2019s not even inside New Brunswick that doesn\u2019t know how our system works,\u201d Coon later told reporters.<\/p>\n
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Beaulieu told the committee there\u2019s a \u201ccertain level of expertise\u201d required to operate a virtual platform, and given the existing primary care challenges, \u201cdiverting the attention of the (regional health authorities) into a virtual system could be challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n
Premier\u2019s office was notified of request for proposal<\/p>\n
After public outcry about the government\u2019s decision over the weekend, Premier Susan Holt posted on social media Sunday that she\u2019s \u201cstill looking at this one and asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The premier\u2019s office was notified that an RFP was being issued at the time, Beaulieu told the public accounts committee Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe premier herself has questions about the RFP,\u201d Hogan said. \u201cSurely she should have the answers and shouldn\u2019t have to say on my Facebook page to a constituent that, \u2018I have questions about the RFP.\u2019 I think that speaks for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
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When asked why the premier would be online indicating that she had questions once her government had already made a decision, LeBlanc told reporters that \u201cFacebook is Facebook,\u201d reiterating that the RFP process was \u201copen and transparent\u201d based on what he heard from the deputy health minister.<\/p>\n
In social media exchanges with constituents over the weekend, Holt indicated that 11 companies responded to the RFP process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were evaluated, compared and shortlisted,\u201d she said. \u201cU.S.-headquartered companies were weeded out.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Foundever is headquartered in Luxembourg, Holt said that it has \u201coffices all over,\u201d and that \u201cthe bottom line is who is doing the work, who is benefitting from this taxpayer investment, who accesses the data, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking at creative options to find a win-win here as the team at eVisit has worked hard and served NB for 5+ years,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u2013 With files from John Chilibeck<\/p>\n
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Progressive Conservative health critic Bill Hogan is calling on the Holt government to end its negotiations with Foundever, a European-headquartered firm, and renew its existing virtual care contract with eVisitNB, a New Brunswick-based company. SCREENSHOTArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Telegraph-Journal\"](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.5.4\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tj.svg\"){kind=logo}
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