VANCOUVER — Telus Health announced Wednesday it is adding patient videoconferencing functionality to its electronic medical records (EMRs) offering, enabling 26,000 Canadian family doctors across Canada to conduct virtual visits with their patients for free while reducing Covid-19 exposure risk.
Telus Health says it accelerated the development of this virtual video functionality in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, now that physicians across the country can use virtual care fee codes. Offered as a free service for the first four months, this new feature allows physicians to virtually support their own roster of patients while maintaining continuity of care and fully up-to-date health records, says the news release.
On Wednesday, Telus Health issued separate regional releases for Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
“During these trying times, patient care continues to be our top priority,” said Dr. Robert Martel, Nova Scotia physician. “This new, seamlessly integrated virtual care feature allows me to stay connected with my patients and provide them with the support they need without increasing risk of exposure to the virus. I am a big fan of virtual care especially for the potential to support palliative care patients in their home.”
The new virtual care feature allows physicians to book appointments, conduct video consultations and update patient records all within their EMR. Available from desktop, smartphone or tablet, the fully integrated virtual visit feature is mobile and eliminates the need to switch between multiple digital tools for seamless workflow, easing the burden on physicians and allowing them to focus more of their time on patient care, says the news release.
The intuitive video call interface can be placed side-by-side with the physician’s other EMR features, allowing them to take notes and review patient records at the same time. Meanwhile, patients can open the appointment link from their web browser, whether on their desktop computer or mobile device, and have the video appointment with their primary care physician. The feature offers both full audio and video capabilities, as well as a chat function through which written messages can be exchanged.
“Now, more than ever, we need to equip Canadian clinicians with the right digital tools to provide effective healthcare and ensure continuity of care for their patients,” says Luc Vilandré, president of Telus Health and Payment Solutions. “We’ve worked around the clock to make EMR-integrated virtual care available much sooner, giving our physicians the ability to conduct virtual consultations via video while leveraging digital records and information.”
