Docs concerned over Babylon medical app

By GILLIAN SLADE on March 26, 2020.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade

Local doctors are sounding the alarm about a new app called Babylon that acts as a virtual walk-in clinic.

Alberta Health launched Babylon earlier this month and says it has been used in B.C. for a year.

Steve Buick, spokesperson for the minister of health, says the Babylon is an innovative option in the range of primary care services. He describes it as a “virtual walk-in clinic” that’s not intended to replace the patient’s family physician.

“I truly believe this government has not thought this through. They have made executive decisions that are incredibly uninformed. I don’t know where they received their information from other than maybe Telus because they certainly didn’t receive advice from physicians or … the Alberta Medical Association,” said Dr. Nicoelle Wanner, family physician.

“Babylon is the perfect example of someone in the government putting forward something that will not help physicians … but increase the business of Babylon and Telus if they’re supporting Babylon,” said Dr. Bill Ruzycki, family physician. “It’s an inferior product and there’s lots of others products that will do a better job that are cheaper or free.”

Buick says physicians available through Babylon are required to be Alberta-licensed and are therefore required to know information that is relevant to patients. This is common to all telephone medicine “which in its nature can cross provincial (and national) boundaries,” said Buick.

Wanner questions who the physicians are and whether they are out of province or out of country.

Alberta has worked hard to encourage Albertans to have a medical home, a family doctor who knows their background and can provide the best care, said Wanner.

Buick says Babylon is connected to Alberta Netcare, so physicians have access to patients’ information and can share information with other care providers. Patient confidentiality is also protected. A Privacy Impact Assessment was also submitted to the Privacy Commissioner as required.

Ruzycki questions whether they have access to the full records of the patient. He says Babylon is without any benefit to the public and possibly detrimental to health care in general.

Wanner questions how someone using Babylon would be able to follow up afterwards with the physician they interacted with on the app. Currently it is the doctor who orders a test who is responsible for following up on the results.

Wanner suspects it will be dumped on family physicians who will struggle to put the pieces together and try to get all the data onto the electronic database in the system. Patients have the option of choosing whether o have details of their Babylon consultation forwarded to their family doctor. Some will not realize the ramifications if they choose not to.

Wanner says doctors that Albertans visit are obliged to abide by significant privacy measures and limitations including how data and paperwork is stored and who is allowed to see them.

“Is it the physician on this app providing care, is it their responsibility to protect this data – is it Babylon’s responsibility?” said Wanner.

With so many questions unanswered, Wanner says she is concerned as a physician and for patients.

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