Medimap Partners with Winnipeg Regional Health Authority To Improve Emergency Room Wait Times

New partnership will help direct patients with low acuity needs to local walk-in clinics
to improve access to care and reduce ER wait times.

WINNIPEG, MB, Nov. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Medimap is pleased to announce it has signed a strategic partnership with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) to improve patient care and reduce emergency room wait times.

The new partnership will make use of Medimap's powerful software technology and its partnerships with a large network of medical clinics in the Winnipeg area by directing Manitobans with low acuity needs to local walk-in clinics.

This will help improve Manitobans' access to care by diverting patients with low acuity needs to local medical services that have the capacity to see them, thereby reducing wait times at emergency rooms across the city.

"Our new partnership with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is a win-win for both patients and the overall healthcare system. Not only will our platform help patients with low acuity needs find the care they need, when they need it, it will also reduce wait times at emergency rooms across the city," said Medimap CEO Thomas Jankowski.

The partnership means the WRHA will be able to show wait time information at walk-in clinics across the Winnipeg area on hospital screens and its website. The information will allow patients to make informed decisions about where they can get timely access to care. Triage staff will also have immediate access to this information, allowing them to redirect low acuity cases to other healthcare resources.

"Every month, approximately 40 percent of people who visit a Winnipeg Urgent Care Centre or emergency department could receive the health care they need, often sooner, through a family doctor or walk-in clinic," said Mike Nader, President and CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

"By partnering with Medimap, our goal is to help Manitobans get the timely care they need while reducing the burden on our hospital system. Public-private partnerships like this will help to unlock many of the problems present in our healthcare system."

Every month over 250,000 Canadians rely on Medimap as their means of finding same-day, non-urgent access to care.  Its software gives clinics the ability to communicate changes in operating hours, or when they are at capacity and also provides the ability for patients to join a waitlist or book an appointment. Patients can quickly check the Medimap website before they travel to a clinic, reducing the length of time they have to wait to see a doctor. Patients can also book appointments with allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, optometrists, mental health services and more.

Medimap's platform is used by a network of more than 4,200 practices, pharmacies, and walk-in clinics across the country and has helped more than 12 million Canadians find the care they need when they need it. Medimap's platform also provides patients the ability to book appointments with allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, optometrists, mental health services, and more. Not only does this help patients receive timely care, it also helps the healthcare system divert people away from emergency rooms to primary care services that are better suited to their needs, including virtual appointments.

The WRHA serves residents of the city of Winnipeg, as well as the northern community of Churchill and the rural municipalities of East and West St. Paul, representing a total population of more than 750,000. The WRHA also provides healthcare support and specialty referral services to nearly half a million Manitobans who live beyond these boundaries, as well as residents of northwestern Ontario and Nunavut, who often require the services and expertise available within the WRHA.

Among the largest employers in Manitoba, the WRHA employs more than 14,000 people. With an annual operating budget of $1.9 billion, the WRHA is the largest health authority in the province and operates or funds over 200 health service facilities and programs.

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SOURCE Medimap