Manitoba ER docs say consultation lacking on virtual care proposal

As concerns grow over wait times in Winnipeg's emergency departments, the Manitoba government is looking for solutions. One of the ideas isn't sitting well with more than 60 emergency room physicians. They sent a letter of concern to Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara. I believe everybody feels a little bit alienated by that process rather than that collaborative approach that I think we're all very interested in being part of. Dr. Noam Cates, who was among the doctors to sign the letter, says the idea in question is called virtual care. People who present at ERs would be assessed by a physician virtually. Some hospitals in Nova Scotia already use this model in urgent and emergency care departments. Memos this month from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Shared Health say discussions to use it here are only informational and exploratory. Cates says frontline physicians haven't been properly consulted. He says it's true virtual care can reduce the time to first see a physician, but it may not translate into earlier treatment. The time to see a doctor doesn't necessarily improve the time to getting the care that you need as a patient. Doctors Manitoba president, Dr. Alan Altman, says the organization can't judge the proposed tool because they haven't seen it yet. But he says the main issue here is that doctors should not feel surprised about changes that are being considered. He says they should be consulted before any decisions are made. When a new idea comes forward, we're going to do our best to explore it, understand it, and make sure that it's something that would be a good fit for Manitoba. The health minister said earlier this week consultations are happening when it comes to virtual emergency care. And ultimately, the goal here is that frontline providers are the ones who inform whether or not this moves forward and what the approach would be. Asked Thursday if a rollout date has been chosen, the government did not make Asagwara available for an interview and would not answer the question directly. Kate says the minister did respond to the doctor's letter. They were told frontline physicians will be at the forefront of any decisions to implement virtual care. Josh Crabb, CBC News, Winnipeg.