RACEApp+ launches user experience improvements, two-factor authentication

With over 1500 calls per month, RACE is bridging the gap between family physicians and specialists

The RACEAPP+ got some significant updates this summer. As usage continues to increase and the need for timely consultative expertise grows, the provincial RACE program is committed to keeping up with physicians’ needs.

For over twelve years, RACE has been connecting primary care providers to their specialist colleagues for urgent advice within two hours. Managed by Providence Health Care, and with more than 80,000 calls to date, RACE streamlines the patient journey through improved provider communication and timely specialist advice.

Dr. Yazdan Mirzanejad, a Surrey-based infectious disease specialist with over 25 years of experience, frequently uses RACE and rotates along with his colleagues in providing consultative expertise to other physicians.

“My availability and affability to my medical community practitioners and their patients is clearly owed to RACE and other Doctors of BC initiatives, who work to fill the existing gaps for timely access to expert advice,” Dr. Mirzanejad explains.

This summer, RACEApp+ rolled out a number of improvements in keeping with the program’s commitment to improving the quality of patient care. Upgrades include:

• the ability to connect to local specialists when available (if they’re not available, you can still easily connect with a specialist in another region)
• several accessibility and ease of use upgrades, including consistent formatting for patient demographics, and badge notifications to indicate new requests
• two-factor authentication for improved security and ease-of-use for providers

These updates will make RACEApp+ more approachable for physicians, improving the sharing of patient information between specialists and family physicians, and creating a better app experience.

“I find it to be very user-friendly, and a great way to gather the patient data in a confidential but efficient manner,” opines Dr. Nawaaz Nathoo, a Vancouver-based ophthalmologist and frequent RACE App user.

There is also good news for practitioners in the Northern Health Region. Physicians within Northern Health can now place requests directly through the RACEApp+. The Northern RACE telephone line is no longer available.

Physicians in the Interior Health region are encouraged to connect with their local specialist through Microblogging MD (MBMD) prior to placing a RACE request.

The success stories around RACE are not limited to the Lower Mainland, however. Dr. Christina Thompson, a family physician working in Bella Bella and other rural communities, uses the RACE app on a regular basis. Being in communities where specialists are scarce, Dr. Thompson sees RACE as a valuable resource to her everyday practice.

“I have found RACE specialists are often very understanding of our rural context and limitation,” she explains. “I often do not have the lab tests or imaging resources easily accessible that would be at a larger centre.”

And the range of specialists she consults with, especially given her location, is vast. In fact, over the past three months, she’s used the app to connect with cardiologists, obstetricians and gynecologists, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, pediatricians, rheumatologists, and more.

“As a rural physician, it makes my work easier knowing I have the support of my specialist colleagues in a timely and collegial nature. As a patient, it helps provide treatment options and access to care more on par with what urban communities experience,” she says.