Ontario patients did not turn to emergency departments as a substitute for in-person visits with their family doctor during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study has found.
The research, released by the Ontario Medical Association on Monday, looked at records from 7,936 family physicians and family health organizations between April 2020 and March 2021.
According to the OMA, virtual care now accounts for more than a quarter of physician visits in Ontario. This marks a substantial increase from the four per cent of family physicians in Canada who offered video visits in 2018. “These findings are important because virtual care, when medically appropriate, allows patients to connect with their doctor from the privacy and comfort of their own home.”
Under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan , most physicians can bill up to $80 per video visit with a patient. However, doctors can only charge this fee if they have seen the patient in person at some point in the last two years. If they haven’t seen them in person, the cost drops to $20 for a video visit and $15 for a telephone visit.
Kixcare, a company that offers 24/7 virtual access to pediatric healthcare experts, also had to shut down its urgent care services. Instead, the company is charging families a monthly $29 fee for access to health practitioners.
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