Online Prescription Refill in Kelowna, British Columbia

Yes. If your medication is already prescribed, stable, and suitable for virtual care, a TelePlus Care doctor licensed in British Columbia can review it online while you are in Kelowna or the surrounding Okanagan and send a refill to your preferred pharmacy when it is clinically appropriate. If online care is not safe for your situation, the doctor will explain the safest next step.

Common examples include stable maintenance medications for blood pressure, cholesterol, thyroid conditions, asthma or COPD, diabetes, acid reflux, and allergies, plus birth control and some non-controlled mental health medications. The doctor decides case by case after reviewing your history and may request recent readings or lab results first. There is no guarantee any specific medication will be renewed online.

No. Under the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, controlled substances - including opioids, benzodiazepines, and ADHD stimulants - are not prescribed or refilled through routine online visits. These medications require an in-person prescriber who knows your full history. If you need one of these renewed, please see a local physician or your regular prescriber in person.

Often, yes. Since June 2023, BC pharmacists can prescribe for contraception and 21 minor ailments and can renew many ongoing prescriptions - sometimes for up to two years - for continuity of care. Your neighbourhood pharmacy is a good first stop. When a pharmacist cannot extend it, because refills lapsed, the dose changed, or new symptoms appeared, an online doctor can review it.

No. You can book a focused refill review directly with TelePlus Care, which can help while you wait on the BC Health Connect Registry (call 8-1-1). That said, a family doctor or nurse practitioner is still important for chronic-disease monitoring and medication changes, so we encourage attaching to ongoing primary care in the Okanagan when you can.

No. TelePlus Care virtual refill visits are a private paid service and are not billed to British Columbia's Medical Services Plan (MSP). The fee covers the doctor's medication review and is confirmed at booking before you pay. Some private or workplace health plans may reimburse virtual-care fees, so it is worth checking your own coverage.

If a refill cannot be provided safely online, because the medication is not appropriate for virtual renewal or the visit cannot proceed, TelePlus Care will review the appointment for an eligible refund. Approved refunds are usually initiated within one business day, and an administrative processing charge may apply. The doctor will also explain what to do next, such as in-person care or lab work.

An online refill visit is not for emergencies. If you have chest pain, severe shortness of breath, fainting, sudden weakness or confusion, a severe allergic reaction, or thoughts of self-harm, call 9-1-1 or go to the Kelowna General Hospital emergency department on Pandosy Street, which offers 24-hour emergency and trauma care for the Okanagan.

TelePlus Care is a private virtual clinic, so visits are not billed to Medical Services Plan (MSP) — you pay a flat visit fee and there is no wait-list or referral needed. Our doctors are licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) to care for patients in British Columbia. For publicly insured, non-urgent advice you can also call HealthLink BC (811).

Choose from the current TelePlus Care appointment times shown in the booking form — no roster, referral, or wait-list is required. Same-day options may be available, but availability changes with clinician capacity and demand; the earliest selectable time is at least two hours after booking. You connect with a Canadian licensed doctor by phone or secure video from home, and when appropriate a prescription is sent to your preferred Kelowna pharmacy.

In British Columbia, pharmacists can renew or adapt an existing non-controlled prescription for continuity of care using their professional judgment, for whatever duration they consider appropriate, as long as it does not exceed the prescription's expiry (prescriptions are generally valid for up to two years from the date written, unless the prescriber added a "do not renew/adapt" notation). When a renewal is not appropriate — for example, the prescription is expired or the pharmacist lacks enough information — the pharmacist may instead provide a short-term emergency supply for continuity of care in exceptional circumstances. (Source: College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (PPP-58 & PPP-31).)

Because care is virtual, TelePlus Care serves patients across British Columbia, including Kelowna, Langley, Maple Ridge, Mission, and Nanaimo, and other communities — anywhere in the province with a phone or internet connection.

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