B.C. residents no longer have to take time off work to see their doctors for minor consultations, thanks to a new telehealth clinic that links patients with physicians by video chat.
Medeo Corp. www.medeo.ca provides a secure virtual clinic that allows people to use their computers, iPads or iPhones to connect with their doctors via video link.
“Any interaction that requires a physical examination, Medeo will not work for,” Medeo spokesman James Basnett told Business in Vancouver.
“But if you were just checking in to follow up for a lab requisition or maybe a prescription review and renewal, that’s something that might naturally work on Medeo.
He added a recent American Medical Association study concluded that up to 30% of all doctor-patient interactions are appropriate for teleheath consultations.
Medeo is also available to seniors through the Claris Companion, a tablet computer designed for senior citizens that is featured in this week’s Business in Vancouver.
To use Medeo, residents need to register and must be covered by the B.C. Medical Services Plan.
Basnett said about 60 B.C. physicians have already signed up for Medeo. Patients who sign up can search for their own doctors to see if they are registered to use Medeo.
Patients whose family doctors are not yet signed up can still seek consultations with on-call doctors, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
