Virtual medical service supports south zone residents, but Pincher Creek doctor calls it temporary fix

By Somya Lohia, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

In rural communities, access to health care is often hindered by long distances and a shortage of family doctors. Alberta’s Virtual MD program, run by Primary Care Alberta, is helping address that gap by offering timely medical care over the phone, without the need for in-person visits.

By connecting patients with a physician following an initial assessment by Health Link 811 nurses, the service has helped thousands of Albertans avoid unnecessary emergency room visits.

According to Primary Care Alberta, of the first 100,000 patients assessed through Virtual MD, about half were safely managed at home with self-care. Others were directed to urgent care, their family doctor or an emergency department, depending on the situation.

On average, about 125 Albertans are referred to a physician each day through the program.

A recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine highlights the success of the program, which began in 2022.

According to the research, more than half of patients referred through Virtual MD received appropriate care, whether it was a recommendation to visit their family doctor, go to the emergency room, or manage symptoms at home.

The service has proven especially beneficial in rural areas, providing a much-needed alternative to in-person consultations where health-care options are often limited.

Seven per cent of all calls to Virtual MD originate from Alberta’s south zone. Of the 90 physicians participating in the program, two are from the south zone, said Nicole Merrifield, executive director of communications and engagement at Primary Care Alberta.

Dr. Genelle Dingeldein, a Virtual MD physician, noted that the service is particularly valuable for Albertans who face barriers such as mobility issues, transportation challenges, or limited access to care.

“We can provide immediate advice in real-time and help patients navigate how to self-manage their symptoms or when to seek higher levels of care when appropriate,” Dingeldein explained.

Local physicians like Dr. Ashley Rommens of the Associate Clinic acknowledge the service’s role but emphasize that its introduction is a response to a much deeper issue in Alberta’s health-care system: the shortage of primary-care physicians.

“Virtual MD program is good. But the reason that it was started is because of the lack of primary care in Alberta,” Rommens told Shootin’ the Breeze.

“It is good from a patient’s perspective. But they may not need to have this option if they had a medical home and primary- care physician that was able to look after their more urgent needs.”

Rommens also noted the benefits for patients who need quick, remote consultations, but warns that Virtual MD can sometimes increase the pressure on local clinics.

“I have a few patients who are told from 811 that they needed a clinic appointment when they didn’t necessarily need to be seen,” she said.

At the same time, she noted that her view is limited to those who are referred to her clinic — not the larger pool of patients who may have been safely advised to stay home or avoid unnecessary ED visits.

“I’m only seeing the ones that were told to come in, not the percentage of people who are told not to come in,” Rommens said.

She also raised concerns about the limitations of virtual assessments, particularly when it comes to prescribing medications.

“For the most part, it’s reasonable,” Rommens said. “I struggle and worry about antibiotic over-prescribing when it’s a virtual interaction. I find it really hard to consider giving a prescription for antibiotics without appropriate examination. So that is one concern that I do have in regards to those virtual assessments.”

Rommens again stressed that while Virtual MD may help ease the burden on emergency departments, it does not resolve the root cause of those pressures: the lack of primary-care providers in Alberta.

“I think it is providing a temporizing measure impact to emergency departments due to the lack of primary care,” she said. “The kind of underlying message and the point that I’m trying to get across is that the reason this program exists is to off-load from the emergency departments that were becoming overwhelmed.”

Rommens believes the AHS announcement and recent study showcase the benefits of the program, but does not address the system-wide issue that made such a service necessary in the first place.

“They are recognizing that this is helpful, based off of the research study that was done. But there is no comment that the reason this was started in the first place was because we don’t have enough primary care in Alberta,” she said.

“I was hoping for more of that sentiment in the letter from AHS.”

She said this is a point that physicians in Pincher Creek and elsewhere have long been trying to raise: while programs like Virtual MD can support access in the short term, true and lasting improvement will only come through investment in primary care.

“Yes, it’s great that these things exist for patient access, but at the end of the day, we need to recognize that if we had appropriate primary-care support and funding, we wouldn’t need to have programs like this,” she said.

“We would be able to provide that locally for our patients, which would be the best care for them.”

The Virtual MD service remains available to Albertans seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., through Health Link 811.