BC Business
We run the numbers on the changing face of B.C. health care.
12%
Number of British Columbians in a 2018 survey that had tried a virtual medical consultation, the highest share for any Canadian region
69%
of British Columbians think a diagnosis from a virtual appointment wouldn’t be as accurate as from in-person visit
38%
would trust a diagnosis or treatment recommendation delivered by artificial intelligence
33%
would trust one delivered via a virtual visit system developed by a private tech company
85%
of primary care physicians in Canada use electronic health records
In a 2015 survey of B.C. patients who had used a virtual medical service…
48% would have otherwise gone to a walk-in clinic
20% would have seen their regular doctor
11% would have gone to an emergency room
13% wouldn’t have accessed any medical care
Estimated spending by Telus on digital medical records systems in Canada since 2009: $2.5 billion
Vancouver-based Medeo’s mobile phone app, launched in 2012, was the 1st in Canada to directly link patients with doctors for billable virtual visits
Since its launch last October, 300 physicians in 80 communities have signed on to CODI, a first-of-its-kind, B.C.-developed app that connects rural doctors to intensive-care specialists for 24/7 live help with acute or complex cases
A 2017 Ipsos survey asked Canadians if they’d consent to being implanted with a health-tracking microchip:
32% baby boomers
41% millennials
27% gen-Xers
Sources: Vancouver Sun, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Models and Access Atlas of Primary Care, Ipsos, Canada Health Infoway, Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster, Allied Market Research, Globe and Mail, CODI, Research Co., Research2Guidance