Primary Care Networks/Primary Care NB

• Many older adults in New Brunswick (NB) do not have a primary care provider. This can delay their access to healthcare when concerns arise.
• The NB Health Link program aims to provide access to primary care for those who are waiting to be attached to a permanent provider.
• Through this program, unattached patients can access a team of care providers who work together to care for them using a common electronic medical record (EMR) to maintain consistency across providers. Once registered with the program, patients can book an in-person or virtual appointment by calling or scheduling online.
• This study examined the impact of this interim solution on older adults using quantitative data (NB Health Link EMR data, data from two surveys, and administrative data).

A total of 10,942 older adults (65+) were registered with the NB Health Link program during the course of the project (no demographic information available). 550 of the registered older adults who had at least one appointment participated in a survey (266 male). An additional 583 registered older adults who had not yet had an appointment participated in another survey (no gender breakdown available).

Two surveys were conducted: The first looked at patients who had at least one appointment with NB Health Link, while the second focused on those who were registered with NB Health Link but who had not yet requested an appointment. Administrative and EMR data provided insights into the use of NB Health Link and patients’ acute care utilization.

• Overall, NB Health Link provided a positive experience for adults 65+ without a primary care provider.
• However, a large proportion of seniors who could have accessed care through NB Health Link did not make frequent use of the service (only 11% of registered users accessed the service monthly).
• Older adults still visited the ED and used eVisitNB despite having access to NB Health Link.
• When compared to other unattached older adults who were not using NB Health Link, older adults who did use NB Health Link were found to have fewer visits to walk-in clinics.
• Though there are areas for improvement and further study, the evaluation results suggest that the program fills a crucial gap by providing primary care to unattached older adults in NB.

• Encourage older adults to use NB Health Link by:
  • Reaching out to patients who have not had an appointment for long durations to proactively schedule them an appointment or remind them that they have access to care.
  • Increasing awareness about program access and services among registered patients who have not yet used the service.
  • Providing targeted support for newcomer populations on navigating primary healthcare.
  • Ensuring that the public has a clear understanding of the program's scope and objectives.
• Gain insights from primary care providers to support recruitment and retention efforts.
• Further research the social factors affecting access to NB Health Link, the program’s impact on acute care utilization, and ways to enhance the patient/provider relationship.

To learn more read the complete project findings (PDF 141 KB)