Online service gives updates on wait times at clinics

A new “communication website” that tracks wait times at walk-in medical clinics is now available to patients in Windsor and Essex County. Medimap.ca, the brainchild of founder Blake Adam, officially launched this week, allowing folks to check not only wait times at participating clinics but hours of service and even whether a clinic’s family doctor is accepting new patients into his or her practice. “The wait times are what you would get if you were to call the clinic and ask the staff what the wait time is,” said Adam, who began medimap.ca in White Rock, B.C., in 2016.

There are just over 700 clinics in six provinces — British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia — using the service.

Adam said 14 of the 30 clinics in Windsor have signed on for the service. In the county, one of two offices in Tecumseh, Leamington and Lakeshore are on board and the only walk-in clinic in Essex is participating.

Adam said wait times are updated about every half-hour when the clinics are open and viewers can see when the last update was. “Wait times can change quickly depending on how many people come in through the door,” he said. “The site has a feedback mechanism as well so patients can submit feedback on how accurate the information was.”

The site also shows what hours a clinic is open and provides updates when a clinic closes early or when it stops accepting patients for the day because it has reached capacity. Adam said the service is free for clinics to sign up but there are premium feature options available for a cost.

One example is a custom widget that allows a clinic to also include wait times on its own website. “Really, our focus has been on building out the network and spreading the word amongst patients,” Adam said. “Our vision is to have one online site across the country where patients can go to find the fastest same-day access to care.”