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The Manitoba government is working with physicians to ensure Manitobans can access care virtually as part of the province’s broader plan for delivering medical services during the pandemic response, Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen announced today. 

 

“During the pandemic and time of physical distancing, our government is taking action to meet the ongoing needs of Manitobans for health-care services,” said Friesen. “As conventional ways of seeing a doctor are disrupted because of COVID-19, our government continues to act to find innovative ways to enable Manitobans to access family physicians and specialists by telephone or video conference to supplement traditional models of care.”

 

In March, the Manitoba government was one of the first provinces to develop time-limited virtual options for primary care visits and psychotherapy care provided by psychiatrists. This has been effective in helping patients receive clinical care without a physical trip to a doctor’s office while also reducing the utilization of personal protective equipment.

 

Today, in collaboration with medical leadership and Doctors Manitoba, the Manitoba government has added further time-limited tariffs for additional virtual services, including virtual primary care visits for residents of personal care homes who need routine care for chronic illnesses, ensuring they receive the care they need during the pandemic. 

 

These new clinical options for patients have been developed to address the significant drop in patient visits to a physician since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Manitoba. It is expected that these new tariffs will permit physicians to continue to shift their clinical interactions with patients from in-person to a virtual setting. Use of these new tariffs will only be permitted when a virtual appointment is appropriate and demonstrates equal clinical-value to an in-person interaction between a physician and patient. 

 

“These new options will make it easier for physicians to provide care virtually during the pandemic, which is especially important in personal care homes,” said Dr. Jose Francois, provincial specialty lead in family medicine, Shared Health. “This will ensure physicians are able to provide continued quality care to vulnerable residents, helping them maintain their health while keeping them safe.”

 

The minister noted the province has already made a $4.5-million investment in virtual therapy resources to support the needs of Manitobans during the pandemic. The AbilitiCBT program is a free and confidential virtual-therapy platform and has proven to be one of the most effective and efficient therapy methods available. In addition to this work, the province is introducing support for services by telephone or video to enable family physicians and specialists to help their patients Manitobans manage their mental health without having to leave home. Physicians will first direct patients seeking support for anxiety related to the pandemic to these on-line cognitive behavioural therapy resources unless there is an ongoing relationship with the patient.

 

Further options introduced today include:

• consultation by telephone or video to enable family physicians and specialists to help Manitobans manage their acute, chronic and complex health conditions; 

• consultation by developmental pediatricians for families who care for children with developmental difficulties, ensuring timely access to care from home; and 

• chronic pain management assessments and followup appointments to ensure people have safe access to these care needs. 

 

“The investments we are making today support the implementation of Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan by bringing health care closer to the patient in a timely way,” said Friesen. “This particularly supports health-care services for those in rural and remote communities, as well as Manitobans with mobility issues and other barriers to care.”

 

The minister noted work is also underway to address how physicians can adapt their practices to provide services in other areas of the health-care system as needed during the pandemic.

 

“While case numbers are currently stable, we must continue to plan for times during this pandemic where we may see increased case numbers and higher demands on the health-care system,” said Friesen. “By doing this work now, we will be in a better position to help Manitobans access the care they need, when and where they need it.”

 

To access virtual therapy supports during the pandemic and for more information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID19.

 

A comprehensive list of Manitoba government COVID-19 measures can be found at:

https://manitoba.ca/bg/2020/04/covid19.html.

 

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