Walk-in clinic website shows wait times at B.C. clinics

Being sick is no fun; and one thing that makes it even less fun is waiting at a crowded walk-in clinic.

The problem of crowded clinics is what Blake Adam hopes to solve with a new website called Medimap, which allows clinics to update their estimated waits in real time so patients can go where they'll find the most immediate help.

"When you're sick, you need to see a doctor right away," Adam told All Points West host Robyn Burns. "You walk down to the local walk-in clinic to find they're done for the day, they've closed early because they've reached their capacity or they've got an extremely long wait."

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"We just saw this as a really simple solution that could make the lives of patients significantly better and also really help clinics by reducing the number of calls staff receive about wait times and setting their patients' expectations in advance."

Adam, a graduate of the business school at the University of Victoria, says the Vancouver-based company had success with a trial run with White Rock clinics and is now trying to expand the service. There are currently 36 clinics using the service in B.C.

He says the website is optimized for mobile viewing, and an app is in the works.

With files from CBC Radio One's All Points West

To hear thefull story, click the audio labelled:Sick and tired of walk-in clinic waits while sick and tired? There's a website for that