TORONTO, March 1, 2021 — Think Research Corporation (TSXV: THNK) or (the “Company” or “Think“), a company focused on transforming healthcare through digital health software solutions, today announced data showing that its VirtualCare telemedicine software deployed in long-term care homes is linked to reduced emergency department visits.

A recent quality improvement study by St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph showed that residents in long-term care homes that used VirtualCare, a telemedicine platform that connects residents with their primary care providers and integrates with digital medical records for secure data sharing, had fewer emergency department visits than homes that did not use VirtualCare. The study also found that long-term care homes that used Think’s telemedicine software had lower hospitalization rates compared to homes that did not. The study ran from April to September 2020 and included 10 long-term care homes and 10 retirement homes.

The cost of a standard hospital stay in Ontario is more than $5,000, meaning any reduction in unnecessary hospital visits helps save money in health systems. The average cost of a visit to the emergency department in Canada is $304. Hospital care costs around $68 billion a year in Canada making it the bulk of health spending. 

Think Research CEO Sachin Aggarwal said “Residents in long-term care homes should always have access to secure and effective remote care. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it incredibly clear that effective and integrated telemedicine software can play a significant role in helping seniors quickly get the care they need from the comfort of their home, while also reducing the likelihood of an unnecessary hospital visit.”

“Telemedicine solutions like our VirtualCare platform not only improve health outcomes, but ease the burden on hospital systems and prevent potential exposure to COVID-19 and other viruses. That is key in keeping long-term care residents healthy and safe during the pandemic and beyond.”

Prior to COVID-19, most Canadian long-term care homes did not have this type of telemedicine software in place. Since March, the user base of Think’s VirtualCare platform has surged. Think has seen demand for its telemedicine software grow by 633 per cent year-over-year and more than 1,000 Canadian healthcare professionals now use Think’s telemedicine software, including in more than 100 long-term care homes across the country. 

About Think Research Corporation

Think Research is an industry leader in delivering knowledge-based digital healthcare solutions. The Company’s focused mission is to organize the world’s health knowledge so everyone gets the best care. Its evidence-based healthcare technology solutions support the clinical decision-making process, standardize care, and improve patient outcomes. For over a decade, Think Research’s cloud-based, EMR-agnostic digital tools have empowered clinicians around the world and positively impacted millions of patients across the continuum of care – including primary physician care, acute care hospitals and surgical suites as well as community and seniors care. Think Research is proud to serve as a trusted health system partner to a rapidly growing, global client base that spans three continents and more than 2,800 healthcare facilities and impacts more than 2.5 million patients.