New Brunswick vows virtual care improvements after patient complaints

New Brunswick's Health Minister Dr. John Dornan has pledged improvements to the province's virtual health-care system following patient dissatisfaction with prescription renewal delays. Dornan admitted the transition to the new provider, Foundever, which replaced eVisitNB on June 30, was not as seamless as he had previously claimed.

Complaints emerged online and in local media regarding difficulties in obtaining prescription refills through the new telehealth service. Patients reported needing to book virtual appointments via a busy phone line, a process that caused frustration. Dornan attributed the high volume of renewal requests to the previous provider's failure to share necessary data with the province.

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the volume of renewal requests was much higher than anticipated because the previous provider didn’t share that data with the province.

To rectify the situation, the province will implement a new online system allowing patients to directly request prescription renewals, eliminating the need to go through a symptom-checker first. Despite the initial hiccups, Dornan expressed confidence in Foundever's ability to provide adequate service to New Brunswick residents.

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I take the blame for claiming the transition would be seamless, but says he still trusts Foundever to provide adequate service for New Brunswickers.