Barb Haines’s health-care needs are as simple as a single cholesterol pill. But getting that prescription refilled these days is anything but straightforward.
Ever since her family doctor retired five years ago, the virtual care she received through New Brunswick’s eVisitNB program was a medical lifeline that kept her out of walk-in clinics and hospital waiting rooms.
But the New Brunswick-based service she had come to rely on, changed over to Virtual Care NB on June 30, provided by Luxembourg-based Foundever.
She said under the previous system, which used the Maple platform, she would request a prescription renewal online and someone would contact her within a few hours. But not anymore.
“It was a very disappointing experience,” she said. “The only way you could book an appointment is you had to go through 811, which I called and was on the phone for an hour and a half… before I got through.”
“Then I was told that I would have to go to either a pharmacy or walk-in clinic to renew my prescription, which is totally ridiculous.”
‘Not impressed’
Haines said she eventually received a call back from someone who booked her an appointment for later this week. But that’s a week longer than she would have waited previously, and for that, she said she’s “not impressed.”
“I’m actually a little disappointed and upset over this because they’ve taken away convenience and they’ve made it that much more difficult to access health care now,” she said.
That virtual convenience was the only thing standing between Haines and an hours-long wait in a walk-in clinic or emergency room. It’s a downgrade in service, she said, that will only add to the frustrations of a growing number of New Brunswickers, like her, who are without a primary care provider.
WATCH | ‘It was a very disappointing experience’:
Virtual care comes under criticism from patients
New Brunswick’s new virtual care system is under fire from patients who say appointments are difficult to acquire, and requests for prescription renewals need to be made over the phone.
Under the new system, Virtual Care NB, patients are offered the option to triage themselves by inputting their symptoms, and following recommendations such as going to the emergency room, booking a virtual care appointment or finding a walk-in clinic.
The second option is to call Tele-Care 811, where a registered nurse will assess symptoms and connect users to the appropriate services, which can include an appointment for virtual care.
But Haines believes those are coveted appointments that aren’t handed out freely, and likens it to “winning a lottery.”
Health department monitoring rollout
Those first impressions and early feedback are being noted by the Department of Health.
In a statement to CBC News, Health Minister John Dornan said the department is closely monitoring the implementation of Virtual Care NB ,and “working with the service provider to review how the service is operating, respond to concerns as they arise, and ensure New Brunswickers can access the care that best meets their needs.”
“While virtual care is a key piece to the provincial health-care system, the government’s top priority remains connecting New Brunswickers with a primary care provider,” he said.
Health Minister John Dornan said virtual care is not the right option for every health concern, including prescription renewals for complex or chronic health conditions that should have an in-person assessment. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
It’s difficult to get a clear picture of just how many people in the province are without a primary care provider. The province recently estimated about 127,000 people are registered with N.B. Health Link — an alternative for New Brunswickers waiting to be attached to a doctor, nurse practitioner or collaborative care clinic.
But since that number excludes anyone who lacks a doctor and who has not registered, the true figure could be much higher.
Dornan added that virtual care is not the right option for every health concern, and not all prescription renewals are appropriate for virtual care. He said people with complex or chronic health conditions should have an in-person assessment.
New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association CEO Heidi Liston said some of those patients who previously had their prescriptions renewed virtually, are now showing up at pharmacies looking for answers.
“What they’re seeing is, anecdotally, an increase in questions and confusion perhaps from the public on where they need to go for some prescription renewals in particular,” she said.
New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association CEO Heidi Liston says pharmacists are fielding questions and concerns now from virtual care patients who no longer know what to do. (Submitted by Heidi Liston)
“And obviously pharmacists are able to do that… But there are limitations around what that pharmacist can do under that program. And so they’re doing their best to help bridge the gap, but it’s not necessarily ideal at this time.”
Liston said if prescription renewals are a high traffic request for virtual care, she’s hopeful pharmacists can be part of those discussions in order to find solutions within this new platform.
Why fix something that isn’t broken?- Helen Bousquet, Lower Coverdale resident
Helen Bousquet has relied on eVisitNB to renew prescriptions and order the occasional bloodwork since she moved to Lower Coverdale from Montreal five years ago.
She was in need of one of those medications last week for acid reflux, when she decided to try Virtual Care NB. But she said she was unable to move past the symptom checker.
“It just kept turning me around on the site,” she said. “I, unfortunately, got very frustrated and just left.”
Helen Bousquet has used virtual health care for years to renew prescriptions and order bloodwork from her home in Lower Coverdale, near Moncton, but is unhappy with the new platform. (Submitted by Helen Bousquet)
She said she doesn’t know how she’s going to get her medications now, and questions the decision to change service providers.
“Why fix something that isn’t broken,” she said. “If the Maple was around, I’d have a prescription by now.”
Riverview resident, Natalia Melzer, said she experienced a similar frustration while trying to get an antibiotic for her husband’s toothache.
Melzer said the Tele-Care 811 nurse confirmed her husband likely needed antibiotics, but that a virtual appointment to get that prescription would be a two-week wait. Unwilling to spend hours in the emergency room, Melzer said her husband is now trying at-home remedies to alleviate the pain, while questioning the new service entirely.
Natalia Melzer has an IT background and says the new Virtual Care NB is complicated — even for her. (Submitted by Natalia Melzer)
“It’s very complicated, and the fact that they even used the word virtual and in fact, it’s not really virtual,” she said. “I’m not sure what the government is thinking about this.”
Moncton resident, Barbara Gautreau-Kyle, had an asthma flare-up on Canada Day and was able to make a virtual appointment for the following day. But an email link to let her into the virtual waiting room never came.
“I waited for the link … no link, no link, no link. I was starting to panic because I knew how desperately I needed my medication,” she said. “And I thought, what am I going to do?”
Gautreau-Kyle said she was able to sort out the situation with a nurse who called to inquire about her missed appointment. They never did figure out why the link failed to send, but the nurse was able to renew that prescription.
Gautreau-Kyle said the system “certainly isn’t easy to get through” but said everyone she spoke with was kind and compassionate. She just hopes the company can work out the kinks soon, to become a reliable care option for people like her.
“I think virtual care is wonderful — when it works.”