What is Pathways?

Pathways is a trusted online directory of healthcare providers, services, and clinical resources that supports clinicians in British Columbia. Pathways supports delivery of timely, high quality patient care, and helps reduce clinicians' administrative burden contributing to a stronger health system.

Pathways also contains directories for patients so that they can find appropriate medical care PathwaysMedicalCare.ca provides patients with a quick summary of data about their primary care provider, including information about virtual care options. Our Community Service Directory helps the public quickly find a wide variety of health authority or community servicer in your local area.

Who we are Pathways started more than a decade ago as a small, grassroots project developed by physicians in the Fraser Northwest Division of Family Practice. Today, it has since grown into an independent not-for-profit society serving all of BC and even other provinces. Despite this growth it remains grounded in its grassroots commitment to community-driven innovation and collaboration. Funding for Pathways comes from a unique collaboration between Doctors of BC and the BC Ministry of Health. Guidance and input are provided by the Family Practice Services Committee and all Joint Collaborative Committees. Divisions of Family Practice, groups of physicians who work at the community-level to improve primary care, also provide funding and are important partners.

What we do

	Consultant, Clinic and Service Directory - This log-in directory provides rich comprehensive data to support clinicians in referring patients to the most appropriate consultant or clinic. Pathways includes wait times for each consultant, which consultants provide virtual care services, and it also identifies which conditions or procedures consultants will see on referral, so patients are referred to the right consultant the first time.
	Patient Information and Clinical Tools - Pathways actively curates a collection of patient information from trusted sources that can even be emailed to patients right from Pathways. Pathways also works with GPAC, UBC CPD, Shared Care and other partners to curate a collection of trusted clinical tools, including care pathways/algorithms.
	Forms - Physicians have access to updated forms and clinical resources at point-of-care, which can be e-mailed directly to patients by the physician or health care provider.

For Patients and Health Care Providers

	Pathways Medical Care Directory - This public directory was created to help patients quickly find information about their provider, or to find care if they do not have one, and lets expectant parents find available maternity care providers in their local area.
	Community Service Directory - This public directory helps patients and health care navigators find and access community services & Health Authority services in their local area. Supports include resource material for mental health and substance use, postpartum, public health, seniors, and those new to a region or new to Canada.

To FPs:

• Help identify the most appropriate specialist for a patient’s needs with the shortest wait time.
• Make better informed referrals by providing information about specific areas of practice, areas of special interest, or specific cases specialists will not accept (ie. WCB, paediatric patients).
• Provides a single access point to locate specialist/clinic contact details, patient instructions, and referral forms, reducing time consuming phone calls for office staff.
• Provides a host of evidence based clinician tools searchable by specialty, including calculators, algorithms, decision aids, and risk tables.
• Provides access to patient resources that can be shared while in the exam room and even emailed to patients, some of which can be used to prevent inappropriate referrals.

To Specialists:

• Decreases the incidence of inappropriate referrals by clearly outlining areas of practice and cases that will not be accepted, allowing for more efficient use of time.
• Specialists have full use of Pathways and can use it to refer to another specialist, health authority program, or FPs in the community.
• Saves office staff significant time answering calls about schedule, contact information, referral forms, etc.
• Provides a host of evidence based clinician tools searchable by specialty, including calculators, algorithms, decision aids, and risk tables.
• Offers an opportunity for new specialists to quickly build a patient panel, or communicate changes, such as a new location or languages spoken on site.

To the health system:

• Offers the potential to optimize wait times throughout the system, reducing the burden on specialists with extremely long wait lists, and helping identify specialists with shorter wait times (ie. recently certified or new to the community).
• Reduces inappropriate referrals and the need for re-referrals, driving down costs to the health care system.
• Can be used as an attachment mechanism for patients without an existing family physician (by specialists looking to refer to community FPs).

Following the initial pilot, a comprehensive evaluation of Pathways' impact was conducted. See the summary below.