New digital tools to help connect residents with health care professionals

Apr 11, 2024 | 1:00 PM

The province will roll out new digital tools this month to connect people with family physicians and nurse practitioners.

On April 17, new digital tools will be introduced within the Provincial Attachment System to link patients with health care professionals, with the goal of speeding up the matching and attachment of patients with available primary-care providers.

“Last year we made a commitment to better connect people with primary care providers, and we’re doing just that,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said.

“We said we would get a better understanding of current primary care needs and capacity, and we have. We’ve been working closely with our partners, and for the first time ever, we now know how many providers can take on new patients. This is significant progress that we’ll build on with more actions to keep connecting more people to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.”

The province said an expanded team of 70 attachment coordinators working within HealthLink B.C. will use the new digital tools to connect people to health care providers, as opposed to doing it manually as was the previous process.

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“Doctors in our province are passionate about ensuring that people in B.C. have access to quality care delivered by their own family physician and are they working hard in all communities to make these essential connections,” Dr. Ahmer Karimuddin, president of Doctors of B.C., stated.

“In less than a year, we have worked with the Ministry of Health to significantly increase the number of family physicians, and we are starting to attach patients to family physicians in greater numbers. Enhancements to the system will help us to be more streamlined and efficient so that patients are attached more quickly, while at the same time reducing administrative burden for physicians.”

Through the new tools, patients will also be able to receive regular updates and have the option to provide up-to-date information on their health status.

“Health care is complex and challenging and serving patient needs across a vast province is no easy task,” Bernice Budz, CEO of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C., added.

“The Provincial Attachment System brings health-care professionals together to deliver comprehensive and holistic care in a way that benefits both the patient and the provider. At NNPBC, we’re so pleased to work with the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC to develop a leading-edge suite of tools that support patients connecting to providers based on needs.”

The province noted the tools within the Provincial Attachment System will not only help connect patients with health care professionals, but will also provide better understanding of the capacity and need of primary-care services in B.C.

by Liam Verster

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