Main takeaway: Integrating telehealth solutions like Ogaei Virtual Care into hospital workflows can cut Emergency Room (ER) wait times by up to 30%, improve patient flow, and enhance capacity planning—delivering faster, more equitable care across Ontario.
1. Diverting Low-acuity Cases from the Emergency Room
Traditional ERs often see a high volume of non-urgent cases that could be managed virtually. In Ontario, the average time to see a physician in the ER is 1 hour 30 minutes, with total stays averaging 4 hours. By offering virtual triage and same-day teleconsultations, hospitals can:
- Route minor ailments (e.g., rashes, mild respiratory infections, prescription renewals) away from overcrowded ERs.
- Use nurse-led digital triage to assess urgency, directing patients to self-care resources, primary-care televisits, or in-person pathways as appropriate.
- Free up physical ER space and on-site staff for true emergencies, reducing the median time to physician assessment for urgent cases.
Impact: A Vancouver study showed teletriage cut non-urgent ER visits by 18%, lowering overall ER wait times by 12% in one year. Similar Ontario pilots have targeted 15–20% reductions in low-acuity traffic.
2. Pre-registration and e-Admission Workflow
Waiting for registration and intake in the Emergency Room adds 20–30 minutes to each patient’s stay. Telehealth platforms can initiate pre-registration remotely:
- Patients complete digital questionnaires, consent forms, and insurance verification before arriving.
- Vital signs and basic history are captured via secure messaging or connected devices.
- Hospital information systems receive the patient’s data in real time, enabling faster room assignment upon arrival.
Impact: A Toronto pilot integrating virtual pre-admission shaved an average of 25 minutes off total Emergency Room length of stay, translating to faster bed turnover and reduced hallway boarding.
3. Virtual Follow-up to Reduce Return Visits
Repeat Emergency Room visits for unresolved issues exacerbate congestion. Virtual follow-ups provide continuity:
- After discharge from the Emergency Room, clinicians schedule telehealth check-ins to monitor recovery, adjust treatment, and handle complications early.
- Remote monitoring of chronic conditions (e.g., heart failure, COPD) via telehealth reduces exacerbations that would otherwise prompt hospital returns.
Impact: Studies report up to a 30% drop in 30-day return ER visits when virtual follow-ups are standard practice. Ontario hospitals using remote monitoring for heart-failure patients saw a 25% reduction in ER readmissions.
4. On-demand Specialist Consultations
Delays in in-house specialist availability prolong ER stays while patients wait for consults. Telehealth bridges this gap:
- Hospitals can tap into Ogaei’s network of Ontario-licensed family physicians and specialists, scheduling video consults within 24–48 hours.
- For off-hours or weekend coverage, virtual on-call specialists handle cases that would otherwise wait until regular clinic hours.
Impact: A Hamilton hospital cut time to specialist consult from 6 hours to under 2 hours by leveraging teledermatology and telecardiology services, reducing Emergency Room hold-times by 35%.
5. Real-time Capacity Monitoring and Demand Forecasting
Telehealth platforms generate rich data on appointment requests, virtual triage outcomes, and patient acuity. Integrating these insights with hospital dashboards enables:
- Dynamic allocation of Emergency Room resources—staffing, beds, and diagnostic equipment—based on predicted surges.
- Early identification of bottlenecks, triggering diversion protocols or temporary virtual care hubs.
- Continuous performance evaluation, adjusting telehealth thresholds to optimize patient flow.
Impact: A London, Ontario, pilot using telehealth analytics reduced peak-hour wait times by 22% and improved 90th-percentile physician assessment times to under 90 minutes.
Case Study:
In late 2024, a mid-sized Hamilton clinic partnered with Ogaei Virtual Care to integrate telehealth into its urgent-care stream. Over six months:
- 1,200 patients used virtual urgent-care visits, diverting 28% of walk-in cases from the nearby ER.
- The regional hospital’s average low-acuity wait time dropped from 2 hours 15 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes.
- Patient satisfaction rose to 94%, citing quicker access and seamless transitions between virtual and in-person care.
This collaboration exemplifies how hospital–clinic telehealth partnerships can streamline patient flow and cut wait times.
Learn how partnering with Ogaei Virtual Care can streamline patient flow at your facility. Empower your hospital with Ontario-licensed telehealth services to reduce ER congestion, improve capacity planning, and deliver faster care when and where patients need it most.
