By: Allison Currie
In an exciting moment of recognition for cutting-edge healthcare technology, Virtual Hallway, along with partner Nova Scotia Health, was the 2024 recipient of a CAN Health Network Award. CAN Health brings together Canada’s top innovators with leading health care providers to solve real challenges in health care.
The award, the CAN Health Network’s highest honour, recognizes those who demonstrate the power of collaboration in advancing Canada’s healthcare system and scaling Canadian innovation. This significant achievement highlights Virtual Hallway’s role in reshaping healthcare delivery through innovative solutions that prioritize improved patient care.
Virtual Hallway was launched as a six-month test and try in May of 2022 as part of a CAN Health Network commercialization project implemented in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub.
The platform, an idea conceived by three psychiatrists and developed by an Atlantic Canadian team, offers a tele-consultation solution that allows family physicians and nurse practitioners across the province to quickly and easily connect with specialists for guidance on complex patient cases. These clinician-to-clinician consultations result in prompt, collaborative care plans, helping to reduce wait times, patient travel and to support primary care providers as they manage increasingly complex patients.
Over 1,300 healthcare providers in Nova Scotia have had over 10,000 consults since May 2022 on the platform, which has also recently expanded to allow for pharmacists throughout the province to consult with select Nova Scotia Health nurse practitioners to provide better care for patients presenting to community pharmacies.
"Virtual Hallway has transformed the way I seek guidance and collaborate with specialists regarding patient care,” says Dr. Shan Mathew of Halifax. “It overcomes traditional barriers, ensuring timely and efficient phone consultations, which enhance diagnostic accuracy and patient satisfaction. This platform has been a game-changer for my practice, allowing me to deliver specialist-informed treatment plans swiftly, much to my patients' delight.
Dr. Mathew is not alone in this belief. In fact, it’s the dedication of physicians to collaboration and their shared commitment to improving patient outcomes that has been instrumental in making Virtual Hallway a success.
“Nova Scotia Health saw the potential for Virtual Hallway to improve specialist access early on, and along with CAN Health, we had the chance to prove it,” says Justin Hartlen, CEO of Virtual Hallway. “In 84% of cases the guidance delivered through our platform meant a formal specialist referral was no longer needed. The clinicians collaborating on Virtual Hallway have demonstrated that, by working together, they can reduce specialist wait times and deliver better, more timely care for patients.”
Researchers at Nova Scotia Health surveyed users of the platform and recently published the results showing:
- 98% of primary care providers reported that Virtual Hallway increases their capacity to, and comfort in, managing complex care plans in their community
- 93% of primary care providers reported that access to Virtual Hallway reduced the time to diagnosis and intervention for their patients
- And 99% reported that access to Virtual Hallway enhances patient care in the community
The published results: https://bit.ly/3BxB8LW
These numbers are no surprise to the Health Innovation Hub, who aims to identify and support solutions early on that have the potential to make a significant impact across the country, while collaborating with the right partners to make it happen. Seeing Virtual Hallway achieve success while improving both the patient and clinician experience is incredibly exciting.
"We are thrilled about the success that Virtual Hallway has had in helping to transform healthcare delivery across Nova Scotia,” says Doris Grant, managing director of the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub and CEO of Life Sciences Nova Scotia. “Its innovative approach to connecting healthcare professionals with specialists is enabling faster, more effective care for patients. Supporting local companies like Virtual Hallway not only drives innovation in healthcare but also strengthens our economy by fostering job creation and retaining talent within the province.”
The success of Virtual Hallway is a testament to the transformative potential of collaboration. By uniting the expertise of healthcare innovators with the support of partners like the CAN Health Network and the Health Innovation Hub, ideas like this can lead to lasting improvements in patient care for all Nova Scotians.
