This Seniors Week, we are highlighting how Fraser Health’s Long-Term Care Virtual Physician Clinic is helping older adults receive timely care in their long-term care communities, while supporting care teams during temporary physician shortages.
(Photo) Dr. Nick Petropolis, transformational care lead, Long-term care and Assisted Living, connects with a care team member during a virtual consultation, helping support timely care for long-term care residents.
When a long-term care resident’s health changes, timely access to a physician can make all the difference.
Fraser Health’s Long-Term Care Virtual Physician Clinic helps ensure people continue to receive the care they need – where they live – in long-term care communities.
Using secure virtual technology, the clinic provides short-term, episodic physician coverage to support care teams and residents when on-site physician availability is limited due to a vacancy or other temporary medical staffing gap.
The goal is to help residents receive timely primary medical care in a familiar environment while ensuring the care teams supporting residents have access to physician support.
“This service helps ensure residents receive timely and appropriate medical care in their care communities,” says Dr. Akber Mithani, Regional Medical Director, Long-Term Care and Assisted Living. “It gives care teams immediate access to physician support, strengthens clinical decision-making and, in many situations, helps residents avoid stressful and unnecessary transfers to hospital.”
The clinic supports Fraser Health-owned and operated as well as affiliated long-term care communities. To date, 14 long-term care communities across the region have accessed the service during temporary physician vacancies.
The clinic began as a pilot in February 2024 with one virtual physician and expanded by two additional physicians in April 2024. Today, the clinic includes three virtual physicians and a physician lead supporting residents and care teams across the Fraser Health region.
This January, the clinic launched a geriatric psychiatry partnership at one long-term care community to evaluate its potential to further improve care delivery and resident health and well-being. The virtual clinic is also integrating digital stethoscope technology into daily operations across select long-term care sites following successful proof-of-concept testing with volunteers. The technology allows physicians to listen to heart, lung, and bowel sounds remotely in real time, strengthening assessments and clinical decision-making.
(Photo) Jennifer Haggerty, clinical nurse educator, connects with a physician through a video call for a virtual consultation.
A recent example at Queen’s Park Care Centre highlights how the service supports residents and care teams in real time.
Earlier this year, a resident experienced a sudden change in condition following a routine catheter change. Concerned about the resident’s symptoms and vital signs, the care team initiated a virtual physician assessment within minutes.
Dr. Nick Petropolis, transformational care lead, Long-term care and Assisted Living joined the assessment by video shortly afterward and guided staff through a focused clinical examination while observing the resident in real time. “The numbers didn’t add up,” said Dr. Nick Petropolis. “Once I saw the resident on video, it became clear something else was contributing to the readings.”
The resident’s shaking had interfered with the monitoring equipment, resulting in inaccurate readings. With physician guidance, staff completed manual assessments that confirmed the resident’s condition was stable.
“Being able to see the resident in real time makes a significant difference,” said Dr. Petropolis. “It allows us to support care teams immediately, better understand what’s happening clinically and make informed decisions about the safest and most appropriate care for the resident.”
Dr. Petropolis also connected directly with the resident’s son to discuss the situation, confirm similar past episodes and align on goals of care. The resident stabilized and did not need to be transferred to hospital, which would have been the likely outcome had physician care not been immediately available.
By connecting care teams with physicians when a current or past provider is not available, the Long-Term Care Virtual Physician Clinic helps residents receive the care they need, when and where they need it. It is one more way that Fraser Health is working hard to ensure access to primary and community care.
