Virtual Care Permit Program in Canada

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought virtual care to the forefront of healthcare delivery. Virtual care can provide many benefits and in fact supports the proposed quadruple aim of (a) optimizing the patient’s experience with care, (b) promoting population health, (c) reducing per capita healthcare costs, and (d) improving healthcare worker experience. However, establishing interjurisdictional regulations in virtual care is key to expanding healthcare access. In 2021, the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) collaborated with the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan (CRNS, formerly the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association) to develop a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to facilitate and expedite the registration of registered nurses and nurse practitioners for the provision of virtual care across provincial borders. The MOA addressed key regulatory requirements (including registration, licensing, continuing competence, professional liability insurance, complaints and discipline, and information sharing) for the provision of interjurisdictional virtual care services. This pilot program enabled both regulators to adopt a common regulatory framework while ensuring that quality of care, accountability, and protection of the public were not compromised. In late 2021, the CRNA and the CRNS also engaged the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to join, which they did in 2022. This enabled a streamlined approach to virtual care between Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The present article discusses the CRNA’s approach to meeting the healthcare system’s ongoing challenges and needs related to virtual care, as highlighted by a pandemic-era MOA across four Canadian jurisdictions to facilitate access to care while maintaining public protection.