Akira Opens First Physical Healthcare Clinic to Reimagine Primary Care
Union Health clinic in downtown Toronto will seamlessly integrate face-to-face healthcare with virtual care for improved patient experiences
TORONTO, April 11, 2019 /CNW/ - Akira, one of Canada's leading digital health companies, announced today that it is applying its healthcare expertise to launch Union Health, a technology enabled, innovative, in-person clinic in downtown Toronto that is reimagining the way patients and clinicians interact.
Akira's healthcare app and cross-Canada primary care providers have already successfully completed tens of thousands of virtual medical consultations for patients who need prescriptions, referrals to specialists, lab work requests, and overall medical advice. With the opening of Union Health, patients can now use the Akira app to book appointments, securely message the clinic, view their medical results, and access mental health and nutritional support.
While Akira app users can currently use secure text and video chats directly on their mobile phone or computer to resolve more than 50% of issues that would usually take them to a doctor's office, Union Health can now address the other half of their concerns.
"We are excited to bring virtual and face-to-face care together at Union Health in a way that will benefit patients and our health system as a whole," said John Mozas, CEO and co-founder of Akira. "We see tremendous opportunity to build on Canadians' access to timely and personalized healthcare."
Akira recognizes that technology has been underutilized at the patient level and should be leveraged to enhance a patient-doctor experience that can sometimes be difficult and inconvenient. Akira's objective is eventually to use the app to help patients determine if they actually need an in-person visit, and to provide specialist consultations using its technology platform.
Managing Union Health's operations, Akira will be able to ensure continuity of care and proactive communication to patients in need of attention by digitally integrating patient medical records using TELUS Health's electronic medical record technology. Together, Akira and Union Health are meant to further enhance Canada's strong healthcare system, providing another tool in physicians' toolkit to provide great patient care.
In its flagship location at TELUS Harbour, 25 York Street, Toronto, just south of Union Station, Union Health is open Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in-person doctor visits will be covered under the provincial Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Users of the Akira app can still access care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in French and English, and can now also connect to the clinic directly using the same platform.
About Akira Health
Akira Health is a digital healthcare company focused on creating best-in-class technology to enable exceptional patient care and clinical operations, measured in both experience and outcomes. The Akira app builds upon services offered both in the public healthcare system and through an individual's health benefits plan, facilitating the innovative delivery of primary care and other patient-centred healthcare services. The Akira app is designed to allow patients to seek care directly through their mobile phone and stay connected, wherever they go, by instantly connecting to doctors and nurse practitioners - safely, securely, when and where they need it. Akira is an easy, convenient way to ask questions, get treated, renew prescriptions, get referrals, and keep well. https://akirahealth.ca
About Union Health
Union Health is a physical primary care clinic that unites primary and virtual care, always delivered by friendly, caring, and empathetic clinicians. Working within our publicly-funded system, Union Health is reimagining the delivery of primary care in Canada for patients and healthcare providers alike, encouraging and enabling proactive healthcare in-person and digitally, across the spectrum from illness to wellness.
SOURCE Akira Health
