FAQs

Walk In is a virtual care platform that connects you to British Columbia licensed physicians and other health care providers. Walk In provides British Columbians with access to timely and thorough medical care, through tools tailored with their needs in mind.

Walk In’s online booking process for a virtual doctor’s appointment is straightforward. After clicking “Book Now”, you can select your appointment type. After registering your information, you can select a time and modality which works for you. Visits with our online care providers can take place via phone or video call. You can connect with our doctors to receive care like you would at any other doctor’s office.

Virtual care, telemedicine, and telehealth are relatively inter-changeable terms in practice. They refer to healthcare services that are delivered via secure technological means such as phone calls, video chats, or interactive text. Instead of seeing a doctor or healthcare provider face to face, you connect with them digitally. Many common issues can be addressed via telemedicine as it allows for physicians and other health care providers to assess, examine, and treat their patients without being in the same room together.

Walk In is best suited for non-urgent and common illnesses. These can include many things such as:

• Cold and flu symptoms
• Rashes and insect bites
• Seasonal allergies and minor allergic reactions
• Minor infections
• General questions regarding your health
• Refills for stable medications

For a more comprehensive list, refer to our Treatable Conditions section found here. It is important to note that not all issues can be addressed virtually. If necessary, our providers may direct you for an in-person assessment.

Walk In should not be used if you feel your condition requires an in-person assessment or if you are experiencing a medical emergency.

This can include, but is not limited to conditions such as:

• Chest pain and/or palpitations
• Worsening abdominal pain
• Head injuries
• Broken bones
• Numbness, weakness, dizziness, or neurological changes in your body
• Sudden changes in vision or eye pain
• Sudden leg swelling
• Any concern that you feel warrants emergent attention

Please note that if you need emergency care, call 911 or visit your local emergency department. You should not use telehealth services for medical emergencies.

Generally, yes it is free for certain insured services if you are covered under the Medical Services Plan (MSP) in British Columbia. This includes visits with licensed physicians.   Other services, such as doctor’s notes are not covered under MSP. Not all healthcare provider visits are covered under MSP, such as those with a Naturopath. You can submit your receipts for these visits to your third-party insurer. Walk In does not provide direct billing to third party insurers.

Yes, you can use Walk In’s virtual care platform to connect with a Canadian-licensed physician to obtain a prescription. Prescribing is up to the discretion and medical judgment of the doctor, however. Our team of physicians can send the prescription to your local pharmacy or have the pharmacy deliver it to you for free. After your virtual consultation with the doctor, they decide whether or not a prescription is indicated for your condition. Prescriptions can be faxed directly to a pharmacy of your choice or a pharmacy can deliver them to your door-step for free.

Yes, our doctors are happy to speak with you about obtaining a doctor’s note. Doctor’s notes are usually necessary in order to take time off from work or school. They let your administrator know that you were unwell and also allow you to take time off so that you can recover comfortably. When feeling unwell with viral symptoms, it is best to stay at home so that others don’t get sick. Learn More About Our Online Doctor’s Note

Yes, our physicians and healthcare providers can provide blood test requisitions when indicated. It is best to speak with the provider directly to express your concerns and in order to see if a blood test is right for you.

If you are generally well and would simply like a “check-up” then blood tests would not be insured under MSP and would need to be privately-paid for at the laboratory.

Referrals are up to the discretion of the physician. Generally speaking, walk-in based visits are not suited for referrals as it is usually better to speak to your family doctor. This is so that there is continuity in your care over a longitudinal basis.

Many doctors feel comfortable prescribing routine prescriptions online (such as prescriptions for non-severe conditions like acne or seasonal allergies). If you need refills for a previously filled medication (such as birth control or thyroid medication), our online doctors may provide you with refills that can be sent to a local pharmacy. For some chronic or severe conditions, you may need to get your prescription from a regular healthcare provider, such as a family doctor or a specialist. They are also able to provide online doctor’s notes when necessary. Our doctors cannot fill any controlled prescriptions such as narcotics, benzodiazepines, sedatives, or stimulants.

Absolutely, you can always take a prescription that you received online to an in-person pharmacy. Our doctors can also directly fax it to a pharmacy of your choice. When booking, simply select the pharmacy that you usually go to or one that is nearest to you.

In Canada, pharmacies (including those online) are regulated by the pharmacy regulatory authority in the province or territory in which they are located. You can verify if an online pharmacy is legitimate by looking up the pharmacy through the website of the provincial pharmacists regulatory authority to confirm that they are licensed. Never fill a prescription with a suspicious-looking or unverified website online.

You can book an imaging appointment with a medical imaging facility. In British Columbia, the most common facilities are operated by private companies such as West Coast Medical Imaging or Greig & Associates. Alternatively, a requisition can be taken to a hospital’s imaging department. You may need to call ahead of time to book an appointment.

An X-ray is a quick and painless medical imaging test that uses electromagnetic waves to create diagnostic images of the structures within the body. It is usually best used for looking at harder tissues in the body, such as bone.

First, you will register at the medical imaging facility and show proof of your health insurance plan, if you have it. If not, you may have to pay privately. Then, to prevent any interference with the X-ray imaging device, you will be asked to take off certain clothing, accessories, jewelry, and wear a medical gown.

The X-ray technologist will instruct you to stand or lay against the image recording plate or film. The X-ray machine will then produce a small beam of radiation that will pass through your body and record an image on the film. A board-certified radiologist will interpret your X-rays afterwards and send the results to your doctor.

Yes, X-rays do release a very small amount of ionizing radiation in order to display pictures of the organs, tissues, and bones. An chest X-ray, for example, is equivalent to about 0.1 mSv (millisieverts). This is about the same amount of radiation people are exposed to naturally over the course of about 10 days.

You can get a doctor’s note from any physician who spoke with you regarding your illness. However, it is up to their discretion as to whether a doctor’s note is warranted. Speak with one of Walk In’s team of physicians today if you feel like you need a doctor’s note.

Sick notes or doctor’s notes are sometimes required by an individual’s school or workplace to verify that they were sick. If you are sick, your absence may be excused on your record. In other cases, you may need a doctor’s note to get credit for the absence as a day of sick leave. Some companies may limit the number of sick days you can take as a component of your medical leave.

You should ask your workplace’s human resource department to be sure, but typically a doctor’s note consists of a signed piece of paper that says you were sick, had a doctor’s appointment, or were treated for an illness on a given day. In order to protect your privacy, it does not have to specify the reason or exact medical condition. If multiple days off from work or school are required, the doctor or medical professional may indicate that on your sick note.

Yes there is a charge for a doctor’s note. Doctor’s notes are not an insured benefit under MSP. For up to date pricing, please refer to our pricing page for more information.

Walk In makes it easy to get the care you need. Skip the waiting room. Our team of licensed physicians can listen to your concern and get you the care you need. This can include doctor’s notes so that you may rest and not get others sick. Returning to work is another matter which you can talk to our virtual doctors about. Our doctors cannot, however, provide prolonged absence notes or back date them from a significantly past period.

There are many places where you can get a blood test or laboratory test done. Besides hospitals, there are numerous LifeLabs locations around British Columbia where you can have your blood test done. To avoid long waits, you can usually book an appointment ahead of time on LifeLabs’ website.

A blood test is usually done by a trained phlebotomist. A needle and collection tube is used to draw blood from a vein in your arm. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. During the blood test, a small volume of blood is taken from your body. This process usually takes just a few minutes.

There are many different kinds of blood tests. Some of the most common and routine tests are:

• Complete blood count (CBC) which includes hemoglobin, white blood cells, and platelets.
• Chemistry (basic metabolic) panel which includes electrolytes, BUN, Creatinine, and kidney function.
• Thyroid tests including TSH, free t3, free t4
• Nutrient tests such as those for iron or B12
• Liver function tests including ALP, AST, ALT, GGT, and Bilirubin
• Sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests

You can usually view your blood test results online through a web portal. Make sure to ask the lab at which you have your blood test done and they can provide directions. Simply login with your credentials on the lab’s web portal and view your results.

You can discuss your blood test results with a licensed medical professional who has access to them. This is usually the same doctor who requested the blood tests. If they aren’t the ones who ordered the blood work, the doctor may have to request your blood test results first.