Most healthcare is delivered in person, with patients spending an average of 121 minutes on any one healthcare visit. The opportunity cost of this visit– or the amount a patient would earn working the same amount of time– is roughly $43 dollars. These losses are critical, especially as more people are unable to access a healthcare provider close to them. There are only 2.7 providers per 1000 people in Canada, and 2.6 providers per 1000 people in the U.S. With in person care, patients are forced to travel longer and spend more money in an effort to find a healthcare provider. 

With telemedicine, patients with chronic health conditions or who live in remote areas can find the healthcare they need and receive quality, ongoing care. Telemedicine eliminates time and space barriers for providers and patients, by opening up opportunities for more accessible care. For example, Trafalgar Addiction Treatment Centres (Trafalgar) has leveraged OnCall to build a virtual addiction rehabilitation program that costs less than in-person care, and enables patients from all over Canada to access important mental health and addiction counselling. Previously, Trafalgar was only offering care to patients in Ontario or to patients who could afford to pause their daily lives for several weeks, including taking time off work. As Shane Saltzman, Trafalgar’s CEO, explains, “using OnCall means making mental healthcare support more accessible in a real, affordable way. This is how healthcare will be delivered in the future.”