SURREY, BC — Fraser Health is pioneering a digital transformation in healthcare management with its innovative ‘Digital Front Door’ service, a platform designed to streamline patient access to appropriate healthcare services. Named ‘Fraser,’ after the health authority itself, this digital navigator has just celebrated its first anniversary, having assisted over 67,000 people in finding timely and suitable medical care.
Fraser operates through a sophisticated system accessible via smartphones or computers, making it a primary entry point for patients seeking medical guidance. Users can interact with Fraser online, where they are prompted to input symptoms and location details. Based on this information, Fraser guides them towards the most appropriate care option, be it emergency care, urgent care, virtual consultation, palliative care, or mental health and substance use services.
One of the standout features of this digital service is its callback function from an Urgent and Primary Care Centre nurse, which spares patients the inconvenience of waiting on hold or in-person lines for triage. This function not only enhances patient experience but also optimizes care delivery by matching patients with the nearest and most suitable healthcare options, potentially reducing unnecessary emergency department visits.
Fraser’s technology is designed with built-in safety nets. In cases of navigational errors or uncertainties, the system automatically redirects users to human healthcare providers for further assessment, ensuring a reliable and safe patient journey.
This digital navigator is part of Fraser Health’s larger Digital Twin initiative, which represents the first project of its kind for a health authority in British Columbia. The Digital Twin creates a virtual replica of Fraser Health’s operations, providing real-time data that enables staff and medical professionals to make informed decisions that improve patient care and operational efficiency.
Dr. Victoria Lee, President and CEO of Fraser Health, emphasizes the crucial role of digital strategies in healthcare: “Timely and convenient access to care is a key pillar of our digital strategy. The digital front door and digital twin are major steps in our digital transformation and will evolve so our system becomes more agile and better able to meet the needs of our patients, staff, and medical staff.”
Sheazin Premji, Executive Director at the Centre for Analytics, Data Science, and Innovation, Fraser Health, further details the operational benefits: “The digital twin technology enables us to be insightful in planning our operations in a digital construct. It allows us to ask operational questions as we see the flow of people through our system, helping us determine the best locations for services like diagnostic or maternal services before we bring in staff or medical equipment.”
The platform is hosted in the Cloud, ensuring secure and prompt access to information from anywhere, and is designed to automatically adjust to the growing demands of the population and healthcare services. This groundbreaking digital transformation at Fraser Health is setting a new standard in healthcare efficiency and patient-centered care in British Columbia.
