Skip the Waiting Room expanding to western Canada

A P.E.I. company that aims to reduce the amount of time patients spend in waiting rooms is expanding into Alberta and Ontario.

• Skip the Waiting Room program at Charlottetown clinic a success

Skip the Waiting Room allows patients to register for medical appointments on line, and receive a call when it's time for them to leave for the appointment. Because appointment times are updated, most patients spend less than 20 minutes in the waiting room.

The company launched its first project in Charlottetown in November 2015, and since then has seen 5,000 uses. It recently expanded into parts of Ontario and Okotoks in Alberta. This week and next, it will expand into areas around Calgary.

Further expansion

Mark Richardson, the founder and CEO of Skip the Waiting Room, said he hears from a lot of Islanders that they would like to see the service expand beyond the one walk-in clinic in Charlottetown.

"That's probably the most common comment I get is that, 'I wish this was at all the walk-in clinics,' and I'm right there with them," said Richardson.

"We'd like to expand this. I'd love to increase the capacity for Islanders to have access to healthcare with our services. There would be nothing that would make me happier."

The Charlottetown clinic pays a fee for the service, but Richardson said other clinics across the country are looking at different models of payment, such as having users pay a fee.

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