Sarah Downey hosts ‘5 Questions’ about Virtual Care with Dr. Chris Smith

Sarah Downey, president and CEO of Michael Garron Hospital, interviews Dr. Chris Smith, Medical Director of Virtual Care and Integrated Network Care Delivery at Michael Garron Hospital about virtual visits.

You have questions and Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) has answers.

In this community edition of “5 Questions with President and CEO Sarah Downey” video series, Sarah interviews Dr. Chris Smith, Medical Director of Virtual Care and Integrated Network Care Delivery at Michael Garron Hospital about virtual care.

Watch the video to find out the answers to the following 5 questions:

1. What is a virtual appointment and how does it work? (0:42)

Key Points: Virtual care is just care. It’s the interaction between you and your clinician, the only difference is that you and your clinician don’t need to be in the same room. Virtual appointments can be done by a telephone, smartphone or a computer.

2. What types of patient appointments are a good fit for virtual visits? (2:32)

Key Points: Virtual appointments are commonly used for follow-up visits and where a physical exam or complex medical conversation is not required; it’s also helpful when the patient already has an established relationship with their provider.

3. Who is eligible for virtual care? Can anyone request a virtual appointment? (4:53)

Key Points: All clinical areas at MGH are equipped to provide phone visits to patients and the capacity for video is now increasingly available across the organization. Your care team will support you in determining what type of visit is best for you.

4. What safety measures are in place to protect patient privacy? (6:07)

Key Points: Your privacy during a virtual appointment is protected the same way as during a clinic visit. Only the people providing care to you will be present during your appointment and discussions had during the visit are documented in your health record. When the virtual appointment begins, the provider will also ask the patient to confirm their identity, date of birth and provide two pieces of identifying information.

All technology MGH uses meets privacy legislations in Canada under the Personal Health Information Protection Act.

5. What is the future of virtual care? (8:42)

Key Points: Virtual care will be integrated into all care. The next step is investing in resources which will allow the hospital to improve how it implements and delivers virtual care.