St. Paul’s Hospital is leading the way in treating heart disease by offering patients a way to visit a cardiologist without having to travel to Vancouver.
St. Paul’s Hospital, the leading heart disease centre in B.C., is offering patients outside the Lower Mainland a way to visit a cardiologist without having to travel to Vancouver.
Launched less than a year ago, St. Paul’s telecardiology program allows patients across the province to meet with their health care team via the internet.
Head of Cardiology Andy Ignaszewski says the program makes sense since “more than 70 per cent of all our patients actually come from outside our health authority.”
Heart patient Shane Powell has to make the 1,200-km round trip from 100 Mile House to St. Paul’s every three months.
“You can imagine to come here for a 20- to 30-minute visit is awful,” says Ignaszewski.
Thanks to telecardiology program, Powell will now get the care he needs at home.
-with files from Linda Aylesworth
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