Virtual Emergency Physician program comes to Smoky Lake

December 22, 2025

Service uses remote physicians to support emergency department patients

SMOKY LAKE— Patients seeking care at the George McDougall - Smoky Lake Healthcare Centre emergency department (ED) will have additional supports this week when Alberta Health Services (AHS) introduces its Virtual Emergency Physician (VEP) program at the facility.

The VEP uses an experienced ED physician to remotely support facilities temporarily without available on-site ED physician support. In these instances, site clinical staff can connect with an AHS physician by telephone or videoconference for ED patients with non-life-threatening issues. This off-site virtual physician collaborates with local staff, speaks with patients, orders tests and medications, and transfers or discharges patients.

"Our nurses, paramedics and front-line healthcare workers consistently go above and beyond, often in very demanding conditions. The pilot project in Lac La Biche demonstrated that while having an emergency physician on site is still the ideal model, the Virtual Emergency Physician program is a proven and practical solution for maintaining emergency services and patient care when staffing pressures occur," says Glenn van Dijken, MLA for Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock.

"Bringing this program to Smoky Lake strengthens service continuity, provides valuable support to local healthcare teams, and ensures residents can continue to depend on their emergency department during critical moments."

Virtual physician models are currently being used in B.C., Saskatchewan and Ontario, where this approach has proven to be reliable and effective in ensuring low-acuity patients receive the support they need when they need it. EMS remains available to transfer high-acuity patients to a nearby facility with in-person ED physician support when necessary.

"We are incredibly grateful for the support the VEP program has received from our staff, physicians and EMS partners," says Dr. Jane Ojedokun, Medical Director for AHS North Zone. "We recently completed a six-month pilot of the program and, through data and feedback collected, we continue to make improvements that will improve patient and provider experiences, as well as patient flow."

The program — which launched in January — is also being offered in nine other communities:

The Elk Point Healthcare Centre and Redwater Healthcare Centre both launched the VEP program earlier this year. Since launch, each site has secured on-site physician support and no longer require the program.

AHS continues to actively recruit physicians to supply in-person emergency department support. This initiative will not impact those continued efforts in communities where the VEP program is offered. On-site physician coverage remains AHS’ priority and preferred approach.

If there is a service disruption and there is no emergency physician on-site, it will be noted in the communications if a virtual emergency physician will be available.

Alberta Health Services provides acute care services for more than five million Albertans at hospitals, urgent care centres, and health centres across the province. Our mission is to provide excellent and accessible patient-focused healthcare for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait times, increasing access to surgeries and improving patient flow.