Saskatchewan is expanding its capacity to provide secure, responsive virtual health care, so patients can safely, securely, and conveniently access services well into the future. The Ministry of Health and eHealth Saskatchewan is now developing an action plan to enhance virtual services, focusing on security, privacy, and user experience.

From March to December 2020, Saskatchewan patients participated in more than 1.7 million virtual appointments with a physician, according to billing data.

While the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of virtual care technology, the expansion of technology solutions is helping improve access to care for residents in rural or remote areas and providing greater convenience for patients who need to connect with a physician for basic concerns.

Saskatchewan's priorities will include improvements or expansion in the following areas:

Videoconferencing: A new secure videoconferencing solution is being explored to replace the current Telehealth technology, to meet clinical needs across the health system.

Remote Patient Monitoring: Remote monitoring is already being used to support more than 1,000 Saskatchewan residents who tested positive for COVID-19, as well as patients with other health concerns. One health care provider is able to monitor up to 100 patients at a time as they recover in their homes.

MySaskHealthRecord: eHealth Saskatchewan's patient portal allows people to view their lab results online, including COVID-19 tests. More than 180,000 Saskatchewan residents can currently access their records.

Auto-dialer: The Saskatchewan Health Authority is working on the rollout of an Auto-dialer system that notifies residents by phone or text within 24 hours of a lab-confirmed negative COVID-19 test result. People who test positive continue to receive a phone call from public health.

In support of this work, Saskatchewan has signed a bilateral agreement with the Government of Canada to expand virtual care services. Under the agreement, Saskatchewan will receive almost $6.5 million for priority initiatives that provide high-quality, safe virtual health services and complement in-person care.