Beaverlodge Hospital (Image Credit: EGP Staff)

By Tanner Smith

ED Closures

VEP pilot program eliminates 98 per cent of ED service disruptions

Mar 31, 2026 | 3:38 PM

Alberta Health Services is praising the effects of its Virtual Emergency Physician (VEP) Pilot Program.

First piloted in January of 2025 at five ED’s that included Beaverlodge, the program had virtual physicians cover 229 Emergency Department Physician shifts (almost 3,000 hours), seeing 1,150 low-acuity patients in the first six months.

In that time, AHS recorded that “patients rated the care they received through VEP favourably (seven out of 10).” Almost two-thirds of patients said they would recommend the service to friends and family, while more than half of the surveyed patients believed that it’s “comparable to an in-person visit.”

AHS says this virtual service also eliminated 98 per cent of ED service disruptions caused by a lack of on-site physicians.

Thanks to this success, the program has been expanded from the original five pilot hospitals to an additional eight that include the Grimshaw/Berwyn and District Community Health Centre.

The other seven have been set up in Barrhead, Coronation, Redwater, Smoky Lake, St. Paul, Two Hills and Westlock.

AHS says it will continue to closely monitor the program, “with a focus on improving patient access to emergency care, supporting rural healthcare teams and strengthening the stability of emergency departments.”

They added that if other additional facilities or communities require support, ” the VEP program will review each situation and may expand where appropriate.”