Province expanding Telehealth Ontario

The Province is taking steps to help address the increased daily call volumes and reduce call wait times at Telehealth Ontario,  hoping to significantly reduce the time it takes to receive the information. The changes came in a news release this morning.

Phase 1: Immediately Increase Resources to Reduce Call Wait Times

Yesterday, the province and Ontario Health started to deploy approximately 130 nurses to conduct symptom assessments and referrals among callers who request a callback. Nurses will work from existing regional offices to provide immediate support and respond to callers seeking a callback to help mitigate current wait times.

Phase 2: Continue to Manage COVID-19 Call Volumes

To further increase intake and nursing capacity over the coming days and weeks, Ontario is actively working with the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) to identify support for Telehealth from its 44,000 registered nurse members. The province has also started to explore existing non-clinical resources within the Ontario Public Service and other broader public sector organizations to support Telehealth's call volumes.

In addition to enhancing capacity at Telehealth, Ontario has approved new physician billing codes to enable doctors to continue to provide routine health care services by video and telephone, including assessment of possible COVID-19 symptoms. This will help keep patients at home rather than in their doctor's office where they would be in close contact with others.

Ontario has also established dedicated assessment centres in areas experiencing significant growth in COVID-19 testing, with additional centres being established across the province in the coming weeks.

See: Temporary Covid-19 assessment centre set up in North Bay

Before visiting an assessment centre, you should first seek guidance on whether it is appropriate to do so. Ontarians can do so by using a new online self-assessment tool, calling Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 or calling their local public health unit. People should not go to an assessment centre unless they have symptoms of the COVID-19.

Visit Ontario's website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.