New Brunswick now has its first so-called virtual hospital which is designed to cut down on the number of overnight stays in hospital.
The Vitalite Health Network has rolled out the new model of care delivery at the Georges-Dumont Hospital.
Dr. Remi Leblanc says the virtual hospital is open weekdays from 8am until 4pm and staffed by two nurses and a team of medical specialists who can perform various tests and procedures.
“The plan is to free up emergency room beds and especially hospital beds. Right now we have a chronic issue of always being full and there’s no more room. So we’re trying to find a new, innovative way to treat patients,” he notes.
Dr. Leblanc says a patient who shows up at the ER may not need to stay overnight.
Ideally, the patient could be sent home and asked to return to the virtual hospital to meet with specialists and get necessary tests and procedures.
