443 words / 2 min read / For all members

A major change is coming on Tuesday, December 3 for physicians looking for specialty consultation for urgent or emergent cases or interfacility transfer (IFT) support.

WHAT’S NEW: Starting on December 3 at 7 a.m., the following services will now be available through VECTRS:

• Rural/​Northern IFT Requests: Sites outside of Winnipeg should call VECTRS for all ground and air IFT requests. This eliminates the need for the initial call to MTCC. Transfers within Winnipeg will continue to call WFPS.

• Consults (emergent and urgent): VECTRS is working on bringing on additional specialty services to provide urgent and emergency consultations. Services initially available include adult critical care, adult internal medicine, child health, psychiatry, and adult cardiology. This can help with accessing advice about treatment and possible transfer. All other consultations should continue through existing channels, such as e‑consultation or traditional referrals.

• Pre-registration in ER for EDIS sites: patients being transferred to an ED with EDIS will be pre-registered, allowing care providers to start planning before arrival.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Rural and northern physicians have struggled for years with seeking specialty advice, finding hospitals to accept transfers, and arranging interfacility transportation. It was an administrative burden and a source of great moral distress. Two years ago, a recommendation out of our Rural Health Summit focused on creating a one-stop-shop to coordinate these functions, so physicians can call one number to access this support and coordination. VECTRS was created by Shared Health to move towards this goal incrementally.

LEARN MORE: It’s important for physicians to learn more about this significant change. This change impacts physicians working in rural and northern facilities, as well as some facilities in Winnipeg. Below you will find the memo and other resources, including the phone number, details on specialty availability, and the VECTRS definitions and examples of acuity levels for both consultation and transport requests. Key resources include:

• Memo from VECTRS about the changes (Nov 25)

• Instructions for contacting VECTRS (print and save this information)

• Acuity level definitions and transport scores (print and save this information)

• VECTRS webpage for health providers (bookmark this page)

GO DEEPER: VECTRS stands for Virtual Emergency Care and Transfer Resource Service and it strives to complement existing rural and northern physicians’ expertise with a centralized and coordinated source for clinical guidance and patient transport support. VECTRS is staffed 24/7 with Emergency Physicians, Advanced Practice Respiratory Therapists, Advanced Care Paramedics, Inter-Facility Transfer Coordinators, and a growing suite of on-call consulting specialties. As of November 5, 2024, triage and prioritization of all ground and air IFTs are now coordinated by VECTRS.

After December 3, let us know how VECTRS is working for you by sharing your experience at practiceadvice@​doctorsmanitoba.​ca.