HealthLink BC’s virtual physicians provide confidential health information and advice. HealthLink BC’s virtual physicians are doctors from across British Columbia. They can help you stay healthy, get better, manage chronic conditions and seek further treatment, if needed.

HealthLink BC virtual physicians are available to 8-1-1 callers after assessment by one of our registered nurses. If the nurse determines that further medical assessment by a doctor would help you get the best advice on when and where you should seek care, they may refer you to your family doctor or nurse practitioner, a health provider in your community or one of our virtual physicians.

8-1-1 virtual physician consults are available by phone or by video.

Virtual Physician by Phone

If you have been referred to a virtual physician and would like to speak to the doctor by phone, one of our medical office assistants will work with you to schedule a telephone consult with a physician. Before ending the call with 8-1-1, the assistant will find out what the best day and time is for the physician to call you and confirm your contact information. At the time of our appointment, the physician will call you directly. 

Here are some helpful tips for your telephone consult:

• Choose distraction-free, private location
• Have a pen and paper ready to take notes
• Ensure your device is charged

When you receive the Zoom call from the doctor for your consultation or follow-up, it may come from an area code such as 646 or 212 or another North American city like New York. Our doctors live and work in British Columbia but a Zoom call may be routed through any city where Zoom operates. Please be assured your personal information remains in Canada.

Virtual Physicians by Video

If you have been referred to a virtual physician and would like to speak to the doctor by video, one of our medical office assistants will work with you to schedule a video consult with a doctor. Before ending the call with 8-1-1, the assistant will find out what the best day and time for the doctor to video you and confirm your contact details. You will also receive an email with a Zoom meeting link, and instructions on how to set up and be ready for the Zoom video consult.

Set up the meeting before your video consult

Install the Zoom app on your device. You can skip this step if you already have Zoom installed.

• From a PC or Mac click or tap join from your browser link to test your audio and video connection
• From an iOS or Android device go to Google Play/Apple Store to download and install the Zoom app, then click or tap the Join a Test Meeting link to test your audio and video connection

Test the Zoom app on your device

• From a PC or Mac click or tap join from your browser link to test your audio and video connection
• From an iOS or Android device go to Google Play/Apple Store to download & install the Zoom app, then click or tap the Join a Test Meeting link to test your audio and video connection

If Zoom is not working, refer to the Zoom Computer or Zoom Mobile requirements.

To join the video consult

• Click on the Zoom Meeting link in the email
• The doctor will call you at the scheduled consult time and provide a unique code to enter into Zoom. Entering this code will admit you to the consult. You may also hear from the medical office assistant to confirm you are ready
• Click the Join Audio and Start Video icons
• You will be placed in a virtual waiting room until the physician admits you into the video consult
• In the video consult, to mute or unmute your microphone or to start or stop your video, click on the icons located in the bottom left corner of your screen. When clicked or tapped, the microphone icon will mute and unmute sounds, and the video icon will turn on and off your camera
• If at any time during a video consult you feel uncomfortable, let the physician know and we can contact you by phone or refer you to services in your community
• When your consult is over, visit the HealthLink BC 8-1-1 Virtual Physician Service Survey: Your Experience to share your feedback. The survey will take just 5 minutes and help improve the experience for future 8-1-1 callers

Here are some helpful tips for getting ready for your video consult:

• Choose a well-lit, distraction-free, private location
• Have a pen and paper ready to take notes
• Ensure your mobile device is charged
• If available, use a wired connection to the internet or Wi-Fi to avoid extra data charges

Take these steps to make sure your video consult is secure

Your privacy is important to us. Similar to a face-to-face visit, your identity will be confirmed and your information will be kept confidential. Visits will not be recorded. We confirm your email before sending you the Video Consult invitation.

There are also a few safe online practices you can do to help ensure your consult is secure: 

• Use password protected Wi-Fi, not public Wi-Fi
• Use anti-malware and antivirus software
• Download applications only from trusted sources
• Ensure your Zoom application is up-to-date

We use a healthcare version of Zoom that is compliant with Province of British Columbia privacy laws. Servers are located in Canada to ensure data stays in Canada. Audio, video and messages are encrypted and the application is configured to ensure security best practices are followed.
 
Last updated: December 8, 2020