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Virtual care must be integrated into public system, not driven by profit

Virtual care is here to stay.

Done right, it has the potential to improve access, equity and patient-centredness. But there are risks – to patient safety, adherence to care guidelines and to health-system costs. Virtual care has also accelerated a stampede of corporations into primary care, the implications of which are not clearly in the public eye.

How should virtual care be integrated into our system? The answer should be informed by patients and the public.

We need to design a system around people’s values and priorities. The OurCare survey findings support virtual care services being publicly owned and, whenever possible, integrated into an existing relationship within a family doctor, nurse practitioner or team.


Read the full article by Lindsay Hedden, Michael Green, and Tara Kiran featured on Healthy Debate

Infographic by OurCare.ca as featured on the same article. 

News articles do not necessarily represent the views of BC Family Doctors. We share news written by or about family physicians to keep our members up to date on topics impacting our professional lives.

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