07/16/2025
Have you noticed our new system?
For just over a month now, Ruby Medical Clinic has been using the Navig software, developed by the company Vitr.ai, to better meet the needs of patients who call our clinics.
What does this mean in practice?
Doctors are not the only health professionals who can help you. Nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, dentists, audiologists, physiotherapists… all have the training to assess and manage a wide range of health concerns.
Did you know that about 40% of medical consultations could be effectively handled by professionals other than doctors or nurse practitioners? Yet patients often ask to see a doctor first — even when it's not necessary.
The Navig software helps our secretaries guide patients more effectively from the very first contact, by taking into account the skills of the entire healthcare team. Based on your words, your needs, and Navig’s smart algorithms, you are directed to the right resource at the right time.
For example, a knee pain that has persisted for six months does not necessarily require a medical consultation within 24 hours. In such cases, we may suggest a physiotherapy appointment first. If you have questions about your medications or are experiencing side effects, you’ll be directed to a pharmacist — a medication expert.
Since last month, our secretaries are able to offer appointments that are better suited to the nature of your problem, by prioritizing urgent cases and improving access to doctors for situations that truly require it.
This system is flexible, evolving, and adapted to our regional reality.
It takes into account each professional’s scope of practice and helps our secretaries ask the right questions — thanks to artificial intelligence.
Our goal?
To direct you to the right person, at the right time. This helps reduce pressure on emergency rooms and frees up appointment slots for patients who truly need to see a doctor.
Thanks to your collaboration, we’ve already managed to free up several appointments each week. This allows us to use the expertise of all health professionals more effectively.
Because no — the doctor is not always the best person to help with your issue. That may sound surprising, but it’s true! Many patients are still unaware of the broad skill set of pharmacists (who do much more than “count pills!”), physiotherapists (who do more than “just massage”), or audiologists, dentists, optometrists, the 8-1-1 service, and so on.
This new approach may challenge some habits.
But our goal is not to pry into your life, waste your time, or “make doctors work less.” On the contrary: by reducing unnecessary consultations, we improve access for patients who truly need a medical visit.
Together, we’re shifting the reflex — the belief that only a doctor can solve every health problem. Because no, we’re not magicians, and we don’t hold all the miracle potions! 😉
Thank you for your trust and your collaboration.
This is one more step toward improving access to care for our entire community — even if it takes a little time to adjust.