Connect Every Visit
Are you a patient in BC and wondered why your doctor is still using a fax machine? It’s because BC has over 40 different digital health systems that don’t talk to each other.
That means your health information doesn’t always follow you, costing time, safety, and continuity of care.
The system isn’t working for British Columbians
Systems that don’t speak to each other are undermining the care British Columbians depend on.
Family physicians want to spend their time with patients, not fighting the systems meant to support them. But across BC, outdated and disconnected digital infrastructure systems are getting in the way.
In a member survey conducted in February 2026, the BC College of Family Physicians (BCCFP) asked family doctors across the province how fragmented digital systems are affecting their practice:
of physicians routinely navigate between 2 to 5 different digital systems, just to manage a single patient’s care.
are duplicating patient information across multiple systems on a weekly basis.
minutes are lost every day to navigating clunky, disconnected systems, longer than the average patient visit.
It's time to connect health care in BC.
British Colombians Talk About Disconnected Health Systems
Dr. Nadia Gill Shares Her Experience
Case Study: A Broken Bone Away from Home
Picture this. You are visiting Kelowna from Victoria on a family vacation when you get into an accident and break your arm:
Current Disconnected System
At the point of injury
I go to the ER in Kelowna, get x-rays, and the fracture is set and casted. I try to relay my medical information (allergies, medications, medical history) because they cannot access my record, but I cannot remember all of the medications I am taking. They discharge me and tell me to follow up with my family physician to get a referral for an orthopedic surgeon when I get home.
First appointment with my family physician
My family physician fits me in for an urgent appointment when I get home. They have no access to the images that were done at the hospital in Kelowna.
Addressing the gap in information
My family physician contacts the hospital to fax the report over. They are still unable to see the original x-ray. They refer me for another x-ray which must be done before they can make a referral.
Second appointment with my family physician
I receive a new x-ray and now have to wait for the results of this x-ray and for a second appointment with my family doctor. Once I am able to see my family physician, they then can make a referral to an orthopedic surgeon by fax.
Waiting for a Referral
2-3 weeks go by. The specialist responds to the fax and states that they are not currently accepting referrals. My family physician makes several phone calls to specialists’ offices to ensure they are taking referrals. Several weeks after the initial hospital visit, I finally get to see a specialist.
Connected System
At the point of injury
I go to the ER in Kelowna; they have access to my complete medical history already. I get an x-ray and the fracture is set and casted. They send a full summary and images to my family doctor.
First appointment with my family physician
I arrive at my appointment in Victoria for a follow-up. My family physician has all the information from the point of injury and can make an efficient, effective, and accurate decision about the progression of my treatment. They are then able to send a referral with ease through a connected system to a specialist.
Case Study: A Broken Bone Away from Home
Picture this. You are visiting Kelowna from Victoria on a family vacation when you get into an accident and break your arm:
Under the Current Disconnected System
At the point of injury
I go to the ER in Kelowna, get x-rays, and the fracture is set and casted. I try to relay my medical information (allergies, medications, medical history) because they cannot access my record, but I cannot remember all of the medications I am taking. They discharge me and tell me to follow up with my family physician to get a referral for an orthopedic surgeon when I get home.
First appointment with my family physician
My family physician fits me in for an urgent appointment when I get home. They have no access to the images that were done at the hospital in Kelowna.
Addressing the gap in information
My family physician contacts the hospital to fax the report over. They are still unable to see the original x-ray. They refer me for another x-ray which must be done before they can make a referral.
Second appointment with my family physician
I receive a new x-ray and now have to wait for the results of this x-ray and for a second appointment with my family doctor. Once I am able to see my family physician, they then can make a referral to an orthopedic surgeon by fax.
Waiting for a Referral
2-3 weeks go by. The specialist responds to the fax and states that they are not currently accepting referrals. My family physician makes several phone calls to specialists’ offices to ensure they are taking referrals. Several weeks after the initial hospital visit, I finally get to see a specialist.
Under a Connected System
At the point of injury
I go to the ER in Kelowna; they have access to my complete medical history already. I get an x-ray and the fracture is set and casted. They send a full summary and images to my family doctor.
Appointment with family physician
I arrive at my appointment in Victoria for a follow-up. My family physician has all the information from the point of injury and can make an efficient, effective, and accurate decision about the progression of my treatment. They are then able to send a referral with ease through a connected system to a specialist.
We need to connect care in British Columbia
The provincial government must commit to a plan that reduces BC’s 40+ fragmented systems to a small number of systems that actually work together.
Connecting every visit would have direct, measurable impact on:
- Quality of care
- Patient safety
- Access to care
- Physician retention
This builds on progress already underway to stop wasting money on fragmented digital health systems and lays out a clear plan for a health system where every visit is connected.
Share Your Story
Your voice matters. Whether you’re a family physician, a patient or health care provider in BC, tell us what it’s been like navigating a health system where the pieces don’t connect.
Submissions will be published anonymously.
Your Stories
Patient
Our son was a determined, bright, and deeply loved eleven-year-old boy who dreamed big, saw possibility everywhere, and refused to live within the limitations set by others. He had a complex but stable neurological history and had received long-term care from BC Children’s Hospital. When we moved to a different location in the province, his […]
Patient
Allow patients to request & receive all records from each emergency & doctor’s visit, imaging, diagnostics etc. Ideally the patient can be aided in methods to organize these records, so they can be efficiently shared with the next provider. The patient & caregiver are the most likely to be aware of their medical history. Difficult […]
Nurse/Nurse Practitioner
I am a nurse and I have seen many errors that led to patient harm that were direct and/or indirect results of disconnected systems.
Patient
Before I moved to Prince George BC, I lived in the Surrey BC area. I have multiple conditions ranging from Scoliosis, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ADHD, among others. At this point in time I am a woman in her 30s, and I have been navigating the medical system since I was first diagnosed with Scoliosis at 13 […]
Patient
I have a problem with my heart. I have a 2 to 1 block in my left ventricle. I have been cardioverted 38 times in the last 2 years as I am waiting to have the next procedure done which I am told would rectify this. When I go to Mission emergency I am moved […]
Patient
What legislation/policy do we need to have in place for my patient data to be shared from my physician’s office to hospitals, health centres, etc. What I understand is that hospitals cannot see my patient chart and I think this is part of the issue of delivering good care for me.
Write to your MLA
Help us make the case for change. Add your voice and tell your MLA that connected care matters.
If you’re a family physician, you can access a modified template to send to your MLA here.
For more information, check out: www.bccfp.bc.ca