New BrunswickGrand Manan has been benefiting from a virtual physician service called Teladoc. Horizon Health and Grand Manan’s mayor have reported that the program has allowed more patients on the island to be examined by a physician, despite an earlier pilot being cancelled in Sussex in June.Program was cancelled in Sussex in June before moving to Grand MananOliver Pearson · CBC News · Posted: Nov 25, 2025 2:20 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Grand Manan Hospital, which started piloting a virtual doctor model in June, is finding that more patients are able to assessed and fully treated after hours, according to Horizon Health Network. (Horizon Health Network)Grand Manan is finding success with a virtual health-care service that complements the southern New Brunswick island’s regular hospital hours, despite lack of success in Sussex earlier this year.“It has really provided the opportunity to have those physician visits after hours, when in the past, maybe that didn’t always happen,” said Grand Manan Mayor Bonnie Morse.Teladoc Health is a virtual service that connects patients in the hospital with a doctor working remotely. Horizon Health Network piloted the program in St. Stephen and Sussex, but it was cancelled in Sussex in June because of reports that it wasn’t working before moving to Grand Manan. Morse said the Grand Manan Hospital is staffed 24/7 with at least one nurse practitioner while the island’s three doctors staff the hospital’s regular hours, a family practice and outpatient care.There is always a doctor on call after hours for serious events, such as a car accident or heart attack, according to Morse.In less severe instances, a nurse practitioner and a Teladoc physician examine and care for patients. Previously, patients would be asked to return to the hospital the next day to see the doctor.Horizon’s virtual pilot uses Toronto-based Teladoc Health Canada technology, including electronic stethoscopes and handheld cameras. (Horizon Health Network/Facebook)“People go to the hospital after hours, a physician is available to examine them over the computer and they can receive that care immediately without having to return,” said Morse.She said because of the Teladoc pilot that began in the summer, the hospital is now seeing a big increase in patient satisfaction.“People seem very happy with it,” said Morse. “It’s, you know, that additional level of care because … if your child has an earache, you want them to have attention as soon as possible.”The municipality is hearing that there are fewer followup visits leading to less pressure on doctors.Bonnie Morse, the mayor of Grand Manan, is pleased with how Teladoc is strengthening physician care after hours. (Village of Grand Manan)Horizon Health is also reporting improvements at the hospital.“Teladoc has shown positive results in improving wait times for lower-acuity medical needs, the rate of patients leaving the emergency department without being seen and emergency department length of stay,” said Greg Doiron, vice-president of clinical operations, in an emailed statement.Horizon did not provide an interview about the Teladoc pilot and its future.The statement also said all patients were assessed by a physician after hours with virtual coverage, compared to only 59 per cent when there was no virtual coverage.From June to September the hospital saw 134 after-hours patients and 98 per cent were able to be fully treated virtually.While Grand Manan is seeing improvements, after the Teladoc pilot began last winter in Sussex and St. Stephen, it received criticism for being a misuse of funds from the New Brunswick Medical Society and was ultimately cancelled in Sussex in June.Before the pilot was cancelled, emergency room doctor Robert Dunfield said the virtual ER service was too slow, diverted nurses from helping more critical patients and was eroding the “gold standard” of emergency care. Around the same time, Horizon Health had said the pilot was reducing the workload of the on-site ER doctors by 20 per cent. Morse thinks the virtual model works better in the Grand Manan context.“Some of what we’ve heard coming from the Sussex model was that it didn’t increase the number of hours in the ER, whereas for Grand Manan, while our ER is technically open 24/7, we don’t always have that doctor on staff,” said Morse.She thinks the service will help retain doctors as well by reducing stress and by cutting the number of after-hours calls they receive. Morse is hoping Grand Manan will get a more permanent arrangement with Teladoc than the current pilot which is still up in the air.”We are currently in the process of exploring options to extend our agreement,” Doiron said in the emailed statement. “Teladoc remains in place at Grand Manan Hospital and Charlotte County Hospital using existing funds.”ABOUT THE AUTHOROliver Pearson is a reporter at CBC New Brunswick. He can be reached at oliver.pearson@cbc.caWith files from Shift
Grand Manan Hospital seeing positive results with virtual doctor service
