Do I need an account before booking?

No. You can begin booking from DR Now without an existing account. If you are a new patient, you can create an account securely during the booking process when prompted.

Do I need to download an app?

In most cases, you can complete booking and attend your virtual appointment through a secure web experience. Follow the confirmation instructions provided after booking for the recommended way to join your visit.

DR Now is intended for patients seeking virtual care through Medicine Place in Alberta. Eligibility, coverage, and the appropriateness of virtual care depend on the patient and the clinical concern.

What kinds of visits can I book?

Medicine Place booking currently includes Everyday Care, Men's & Sexual Health, Prescription and Medication Care, Skin Care, and Women's Health. A physician will still decide whether virtual care is appropriate for your concern.

Is every medical concern suitable for virtual care?

No. Virtual care is not appropriate for every condition. A physician will determine whether a virtual visit is suitable or whether in-person care, urgent care, or emergency services are needed.

Can a virtual physician prescribe medication?

A physician may prescribe medication only when it is clinically appropriate after assessing your concern. Prescriptions are never guaranteed before the visit.

Can I receive a referral?

A physician may provide a referral when it is clinically appropriate based on the assessment. Referrals are not guaranteed.

What identification should I have available?

Have your Alberta Health Care Card and government-issued photo identification available when requested during booking or your visit. Additional information may be requested to confirm eligibility and complete care safely.

Is my visit covered by Alberta Health?

Eligible insured services may be covered for qualifying Alberta residents. Coverage depends on eligibility, the service provided, and applicable billing rules. Confirm details during booking or with the clinic.

What happens if I need an in-person examination?

If the physician determines that virtual care is not appropriate, they will advise you on safer next steps. That may include an in-person visit or another care setting when needed.

What should I do during an emergency?

DR Now is not an emergency service. Call 911 or visit the nearest emergency department for urgent or life-threatening symptoms such as chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, stroke symptoms, major bleeding, or loss of consciousness.

DR Now by Medicine Place

Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 1, 2026

DR Now (“DR Now”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is a virtual-care service provided by Medicine Place. This Privacy Policy explains how Medicine Place collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information when you visit www.drnow.ca (the “Site”), use DR Now to begin a virtual-care booking, communicate with us, or receive related support.

Clinical care is provided by Medicine Place. Secure booking, account, messaging, and virtual-visit technology are powered by Medeo. When you continue into the Medeo booking or visit environment, Medicine Place’s and Medeo’s applicable privacy and security practices also apply.

This Policy is intended for patients and website visitors in Alberta, Canada. It is designed to align with Medicine Place’s patient-facing privacy approach and with applicable Alberta and Canadian privacy expectations for healthcare websites and virtual care pathways. It does not replace consent forms, clinic notices, or privacy statements presented during booking or clinical care.

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to:

the DR Now website and related informational pages;
booking entry points on this Site that direct you to Medicine Place’s Medeo booking flow;
inquiries submitted through contact details published for DR Now or Medicine Place virtual care; and
personal information handled by Medicine Place in connection with DR Now virtual-care access.

This Policy does not control the privacy practices of unaffiliated third-party websites linked from the Site, including independent provider, insurer, or government websites.

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you use the Site and related services, Medicine Place and its technology providers may collect:

Identity and contact information, such as full name, phone number, email address, date of birth, address, and Alberta Health Care number when provided for booking, account creation, or care coordination.
Account and authentication information, such as login credentials and security verification details used in the Medeo booking environment.
Health and visit information you choose to share for booking or assessment purposes, including the reason for the visit, symptoms described, medication history relevant to the visit, and follow-up details.
Coverage and billing information needed to determine eligibility, Alberta Health billing applicability, or private-pay arrangements.
Payment information when you choose to pay a private fee online. Stripe collects your card details and email directly on its own pages. Medicine Place receives only the amount, a payment reference, the payment status, and the email you gave Stripe (for receipts and refunds), never your card number. No health information is sent to Stripe.
Technical and usage information, such as IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring pages, pages viewed, approximate location derived from network data, and timestamps.
Communications you send by phone, email, or other published contact channels, including the website contact form. Form messages are relayed by our email provider directly to the clinic inbox and are not stored on this Site. Please do not include health details in a form message; it is not monitored for emergencies.

Please do not send sensitive medical details through general website email when a secure booking channel is available. Use the secure Medeo booking and visit tools for appointment and clinical information.

3. How we use information

We use personal information to:

operate, maintain, and improve the DR Now Site;
help you start or complete a virtual-care booking;
connect you with Medicine Place clinicians and appropriate care pathways;
support identity verification, appointment logistics, and follow-up instructions;
respond to inquiries and provide patient support;
meet legal, regulatory, professional, quality-assurance, and billing obligations;
protect the security of systems, prevent fraud or misuse, and investigate incidents; and
analyze aggregated or de-identified website usage to improve patient experience.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your personal health information for unrelated advertising without any consent required by applicable law.

4. Booking technology and service providers

When you select a DR Now booking button, you are directed to Medicine Place’s secure Medeo booking environment. Medeo processes information needed for account creation, authentication, booking, messaging, and virtual visits as a technology provider supporting Medicine Place.

Medicine Place may also use carefully selected service providers that support website hosting, content delivery, analytics, communications, payment processing where applicable, IT security, or clinic operations. These providers are expected to handle information only as needed to perform their services and in accordance with applicable agreements and law.

Online private-fee payments and clinic-issued invoices are processed by Stripe, Inc. as a payment processor. Stripe’s handling of your payment details is described in its own privacy policy at stripe.com/privacy.

Third-party websites linked from this Site, including MedicinePlace.ca and Medeo, have their own privacy practices. Please review those policies when you leave this Site.

5. Health information and confidentiality

Personal health information collected in connection with clinical care is handled confidentially and in accordance with applicable Alberta privacy and health information laws, professional obligations, and Medicine Place clinic policies. Access is limited to individuals who need the information for care, booking, billing, quality improvement, risk management, or legal purposes.

A physician or clinic team may share information with other healthcare providers, pharmacies, laboratories, imaging providers, or specialists when clinically appropriate for your care, or when disclosure is required or permitted by law.

6. Cookies and similar technologies

The Site may use cookies or similar technologies to support basic functionality, security, session continuity, and performance measurement. You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some Site features.

When enabled, first-party analytics count page views, booking links, language changes, broad viewport categories, and preapproved campaign and referrer categories. We do not send full URLs, search text, advertising click identifiers, names, contact details, or health-card numbers to analytics. Visit-prep answers remain in your browser; only anonymous counts of funnel steps and public care-card clicks are recorded, without a session identifier or campaign association. These counts do not establish a medical concern.

A random identifier in tab session storage expires after 30 minutes of inactivity. It is used only to deduplicate daily session counts, never to link activity. Daily one-way digests are retained for up to two days and aggregate counters for up to 90 days, with scheduled daily deletion. Analytics respect Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. Blocking site storage may reduce measurement accuracy but does not prevent booking. No third-party advertising pixels or session replay are used. Hosting providers may process network information to deliver and secure the Site; our analytics database does not retain raw IP addresses or user agents.

7. Retention

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, or as required by law, clinical record-keeping standards, professional guidelines, billing rules, audit requirements, or dispute resolution. Payment records (amount, reference, status, dates) are kept as financial records for the period required by law; the email address associated with an online payment is removed from our systems after 400 days, and payment attempts that were never completed are deleted after 90 days.

8. Security

Medicine Place uses administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. Secure booking and virtual-care systems are designed to protect confidentiality during transmission and storage. No electronic method is completely secure. Please use a private space and a trusted device for virtual visits, and follow the secure appointment instructions provided to you.

9. Your choices and rights

Subject to applicable law, you may request access to, or correction of, personal information held about you. You may also ask questions about how your information is handled. Some clinical records are managed through Medicine Place clinic processes and applicable health information legislation.

To make a privacy request related to DR Now or Medicine Place virtual care, contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before responding and may explain any legal or clinical limits on access or correction.

10. Children and dependents

If you book on behalf of a child or dependent, you confirm that you are authorized to do so and to provide their information for booking and care. Guardianship, parental, or substitute decision-maker requirements may apply under Alberta law and clinic policy.

11. Cross-border processing

Some technology providers may process or store information on servers located outside Alberta or Canada. Where that occurs, Medicine Place expects providers to apply contractual and security protections appropriate to the service and applicable law. In particular, Stripe may process payment information in the United States.

12. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will change when revisions are posted. Continued use of the Site after an update means you acknowledge the revised Policy.

13. Contact

For privacy questions about DR Now or Medicine Place virtual care:

Phone: (403) 294-5600
Email: info@drnow.ca
Medicine Place: https://medicineplace.ca
DR Now: drnow.ca

For emergencies, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Do not use DR Now, general email, or website forms for emergency situations.

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