eVisit Help Centre

eVisit: Your Virtual Appointment

An eVisit is a private, secure, face-to-face appointment typically between a health care provider and their patient(s).

eVisits allow you to attend an appointment from wherever you are, eliminating the barriers of time and distance, giving you a whole new level of convenience, efficiency, and independence.

Your eVisit will be private and confidential.

Just like an in-office health care appointment, it can be seen and heard only by you and your health care provider.

How to Join Your Appointment

For step-by-step instructions, choose an option below to understand how to prepare for and connect to your appointment.

I have a computer or laptop

Equipment	PC or Mac computer with webcam, speakers, and microphone. See detailed requirements for PC/Windows or Mac.
Browser	Chrome
Internet Connection	To ensure a high-quality video visit, you need to check that your internet connection has enough speed, quality, and strength. Test your internet connection using speedsmart.net or fast.com (minimum speed: download 5 Mbps; upload 0.77 Mbps). If the test shows poor results or if you have a limited data plan, you can reduce the bandwidth used by the video visit.
Test before the appointment	Run a self test: Open your appointment email invitation and click the link in the Make a Test Call section. (Look for an email with the subject "Video eVisit Appointment".) Click in the Self Test section. A few panels will appear, where you enter your name and allow permissions. Complete each panel and to continue, click Next. A “Self-view & Join now” panel appears. Select and test camera and microphone as needed. Check your self-view for both the quality of the video signal and your video image. To end the self test, close the browser window.
On the day of the appointment	Open your appointment email invitation. (Look for an email with the subject "Video eVisit Appointment"). Click using Chrome. A few panels will appear, where you enter a Name and check your equipment. Complete each panel and to continue, click Next. A “Self-view & Join now” panel appears. Click . If asked, "Are you a host?", select "No". If a PIN is needed, enter the PIN given to you by the organizer and click Next. If you join first, a "Waiting for the host" screen appears until the other participant joins the call. (Note: Your camera automatically turns on when you connect.)
More information	See detailed instructions for PC or Mac.

I have a smart-phone or tablet

Equipment	Android phone or tablet (version 7+); iPhone or iPad (version 12.2+). See detailed requirements for Android or iPhone/iPad.
Internet Connection	To ensure a high-quality video visit, you need to check that your internet connection has enough speed, quality, and strength. Test your internet connection using speedsmart.net or fast.com (minimum speed: download 5 Mbps; upload 0.77 Mbps). If the test shows poor results or if you have a limited data plan, you can reduce the bandwidth used by the video visit.
Test before the appointment	Run a self test: Open your appointment email invitation from your mobile device and tap the link in the Make a Test Call section. (Look for an email with the subject "Video eVisit Appointment"). Tap in the Self Test section. A few panels will appear, where you enter your name and allow permissions. Complete each panel and to continue, click Next. A “Self-view & Join now” panel appears. Select and test camera and microphone as needed. Check your self-view for both the quality of the video signal and your video image. To end the test, close the browser.
On the day of the appointment	Ensure your device's battery is fully charged and not in power-saver mode. Open your appointment email invitation from your mobile device. (Look for an email with the subject "Video eVisit Appointment). Tap A few panels will appear, where you enter your name and check your equipment. Complete each panel and to continue, click Next. A “Self-view & Join now” panel appears. Click If asked, "Are you a host?", select "No". If a PIN is needed, enter the PIN given to you by the organizer and click Next. If you join first, a "waiting for the host" screen appears until the other participant joins the call. (Note: Your camera automatically turns on when you connect.)
More information	See detailed instructions for iPhone, iPad or Android.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is my appointment with? I do not see a doctor's name in the email.

Before Ontario Health can share the name of a health care provider in an email, you must first tell your health care provider that, in video visit (OTNinvite) emails, they are allowed to include "personal health information" (for example, your name and the name of your doctor).

Before your next scheduled video visit, contact your health care provider's office to provide your consent. With consent, your next video visit email can include the name of the health care provider.

Who should I call to reschedule or cancel my appointment?

If you need to reschedule the appointment, contact your health care provider's office (or whoever set up your appointment).

I'm connected and I see "waiting for the host". What should I do?

Remain connected and be patient. The "Waiting for the host" screen appears when the person hosting the videoconference (e.g., your doctor) has not yet joined the call. When the host joins, their video image replaces the "Waiting for host" screen and the video call can begin.

Another reason you remain in a 'waiting' state could be because the host has locked the conference. Contact the event host and ask them to unlock the videoconference.

I was disconnected. How can I reconnect?

To reconnect to see your host/health care provider, follow the same instructions in the eVisit email that you used to first join the call.

What should I do if I don't know the PIN?

Contact the person who set up your appointment and ask them for the PIN (Personal Identification Number).

How do I fix connectivity or video quality issues?

Connectivity issues can cause poor video quality. For example, if your internet connection is trying to do too many things at once or does not have enough capacity, you may experience some video quality issues. Here are some tips for getting better performance during your video visit.

Test your internet connection using a publicly available bandwidth testing tool. For example, speedsmart.net, fast.com, or speedtest.net.
- For a high-resolution call, a minimum of 1.5 Mbps upload and 1.5 Mbps download is needed.
- For a medium-quality call, a minimum of 1 Mbps upload and 1 Mbps download is needed.
Ask people in your residence to not watch streaming TV, YouTube videos, or play online games while your video visit takes place.
Close any apps running on your device that are not related to your video visit.
Reduce the bandwidth used by the video visit app to a lower amount before you join a video visit. The default setting is High (1264 kpbs); you can lower it to Medium (576 kpbs).
If possible, consider upgrading your Internet Service Plan (ISP) to a higher service level to increase the speed, quality, and strength of your internet connection. (This might not be an option in rural settings.)

How do I improve my video quality?

A number of factors can affect your video quality. For troubleshooting tips, see the following:

How do I improve the sound quality?

A number of factors can affect the sound quality of a videoconference. For troubleshooting tips, see the following:

What is OTN?

Ontario Health (OTN) is part of Ontario Health, a government agency responsible for ensuring everyone in Ontario continues to receive high-quality health care services where and when they need them.

I do not have a doctor. Can you provide medical advice?

The eVisit service is available to all health care providers in Ontario. To find a doctor or service, go to Ontario Health's Health811.

Who to Contact for Help

If you have questions about your care or appointment, contact your health care provider.

If you have questions about how to prepare for or connect to your appointment, contact Ontario Health (OTN) Technical Support at 1-855-654-0888.
Note: If you call for support, please use a different phone than the device you use for the videoconference app.