Ep. 341: Is British Columbia leading the way in digital health?

Guest: Sylvain Moreno, Digital Health Circle

When the COVID-19 pandemic forever changed our lives, it also forever changed the way we receive primary healthcare.

In an instant, healthcare went digital. Thankfully, foundational tools were in place that allowed us to connect with our doctors and clinics and we were afforded the opportunity to receive basic care.

Telehealth has been in place for seniors in remote and rural communities that were enrolled in the community paramedic program. That same healthcare interface was not available to most British Columbians; they were required to visit their doctor even if they had mobility challenges.

Now we’re all eligible to receive ongoing monitored health care from home. The delivery of those services, however, demands a complex and multi-disciplinary approach that relies heavily on technology. It can be done, but doing so will require a rollout of many new mobile applications that we apparently want. In a recent poll, more than 55% of us said yes, we like digital health and we want more of it. In other words, no going back please.

That’s great. However, developing, testing and implementing healthcare technology is challenging. Healthcare professionals are not technology developers and vice versa. Thankfully, we’re on the cutting edge here in BC. The Digital Health Circle is drawing on a centre of excellence in technology development in BC, coupled with healthcare rollout experts.

We invited Dr Sylvain Moreno of Digital Health Circle to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the delivery of healthcare going forward, the expertise he and his team bring to technology innovators, and why BC is positioned to be a world leader in online healthcare.