Specialty Clinics: Off-site Specialists
Our hospital can provide patients with the opportunity to have their health care closer to home. There are more and more physicians, advanced care nurses, and allied health professionals conducting clinics over telemedicine.
What is telemedicine?
"Telemedicine" or "Telehealth" is the delivery of health-related services and information using telecommunications technologies funded by Ontario Health. Using two-way videoconferencing systems and tele-diagnostic instruments like a digital stethoscope and a patient examination camera, telemedicine helps deliver clinical care and professional education among health care providers and patients closer to home.
What are the advantages of telemedicine?
Using telemedicine to access off-site specialists is beneficial in many ways:
- Less distance to drive
- Less time to spend on the road
- Fewer parking fees
- Less time to wait for consultation
- Comfort of being in a familiar environment
What specialties can be accessed through telemedicine?
Telemedicine specialties offered at HGMH include:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac rehab
- Pre assessment unit
- Adult & child mental health
- Oncology
- Hematology
- Thrombosis
- Infectious diseases
- Palliative care
- Pain clinic
- Cardiac telehome monitoring
How can patients get a telemedicine referral?
Patients can ask their physician if their appointment can be done over telemedicine. The physician's office will contact the HGMH Telemedicine Coordinator to see if this is feasible and how to initiate the process. Please be aware that not all physician consultants have telemedicine clinics.
If the physician consultant is willing to see the patient via telemedicine, the referring physician's office and the HGMH Telemedicine Coordinator will organize the appointment and contact the patient with details of the telemedicine appointment.
Who to contact for more information?
The Telemedicine Coordinator can be contacted at 613.525.2222 x4119
Evaluation
Go to www.otn.ca/PANsurvey to complete a short survey and help us understand your patient experience at our site related to telemedicine and virtual visits and inform future planning. Please note, no patient health information is being collected or should be included by the patient in their survey responses.
