PIPEDA compliant, hosted in Canada

Measurement-Based Care for Nova Scotia Care Teams

For psychologists, social workers, counselling therapists and clinics from Yarmouth to Sydney. Send the PHQ-9, GAD-7 and other validated scales by email or QR code, have each one scored the moment the client submits it, and follow change across the whole course of care. Canadian customer data is hosted in Google Cloud Canada regions.

Schedule a WalkthroughBrowse assessments
PIPEDA compliant
Hosted in Canada
SOC 2 Type II
Every view and export logged
100+
validated assessments
Canada
where Canadian data is hosted
EN · FR
English and French site
$35 CAD
per month

Nova Scotia Is Paying for Therapy, and Asking for Measurement

  • In 2021 Nova Scotia committed to universal mental health and addictions care. Amendments to the Health Services and Insurance Act in October 2023 gave the Minister of Addictions and Mental Health the power to set up insured service programs, billed with health service codes in the same way physicians bill the province. In February 2025 the government announced the first one: publicly funded care for mood and anxiety disorders, delivered by master's-level social workers, master's and PhD psychologists and registered counselling therapists in private practice, with an initial $10 million.

    The Office of Addictions and Mental Health's call for clinicians for this Mood and Anxiety Insured Services Program puts measurement-based care at its centre. Contracted clinicians use it with every client to guide care and to shape the program's quality metrics, review each client's outcome scores before a session, and bring that data to peer consultation with a clinical coordinator. The provincial mental health and addictions intake teams confirm each client's eligibility and book the first appointment.

    The program supplies its own measurement platform for its clients, and HiBoop does not replace it. What the program shows is where practice in the province is heading. For the rest of your caseload, HiBoop gives you the PHQ-9, GAD-7 and the other scales you choose, scored on submission and charted for each client, with exports for your own records.

  • An Insured Program for Mood and Anxiety

    The province's first insured services program for mental health pays private psychologists, social workers and counselling therapists by the hour to treat mood and anxiety disorders.

  • One Line In

    Nova Scotians can call the provincial intake line themselves. It helped more than 17,000 people in 2023-24, and eligibility for the insured program is assessed there.

  • Scores at Every Session

    Clinicians in the program review outcome scores before sessions and discuss them with peers, so measurement becomes part of the routine of care.

All of CanadaAll regions

What HiBoop Does for Nova Scotia Care Teams

  • PHIA's record of user activity, a province of four health zones and a public system that now expects outcome data all shape how measurement works here. HiBoop does the collecting and scoring; the clinical decisions stay with you.

  • A Record of Who Opened What

    Section 63 of PHIA requires a custodian to keep a record of user activity for any electronic system holding personal health information, and to give it to a client who asks within 30 days. HiBoop logs every view and export of client data to support that record.

  • Only the People Who Need to Know

    PHIA limits use to those of your agents who need the information for the purpose (s. 25). With role-based access in HiBoop, each person from the front desk to the clinical lead sees what their role requires.

  • The Scales Nova Scotia Studies Report

    Nova Scotia Health's rapid access program has published intake scores on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Both are in HiBoop, scored as they come in and graphed per client, so each score informs your clinical judgement.

  • Between Sessions, Anywhere in the Province

    A client in Cape Breton or on the South Shore answers on their own phone from an email link or QR code, so a check-in does not depend on a drive to the clinic.

  • Children, Youth and Their Parents

    Teams seeing young people can send the PHQ-A and SCARED to the young person and the SCARED parent form to a caregiver, and read the answers side by side.

  • Also in French

    The insured program lists competence in French as an asset for its clinicians. This page is available in French, so francophone colleagues can read about HiBoop in their own language.

Mental health in Nova Scotia

Research data

Research from Nova Scotia

  • PHQ-9 and GAD-7 at intake

    Among 1,392 people seen through Nova Scotia Health's Rapid Access and Stabilization Program or its Community Mental Health Program, those in the rapid access program had higher intake scores on the GAD-7 (mean 14.17 against 11.81) and the PHQ-9 (16.62 against 14.20).

    Adu et al., Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2025 PMID 40217862

  • Rapid access to psychiatry

    In its first year (2023-24), the rapid access program at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax gave psychiatric consultations to 960 people, and the 487 who answered a satisfaction survey rated it 9.31 out of 10 on average.

    Adu et al., Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025 PMID 41573040

  • PHQ-9 as a trial outcome

    In a randomized trial with people in Nova Scotia community mental health programs or recently discharged from inpatient or emergency care (781 randomized, 307 analysed), daily supportive text messages were associated with differences on PHQ-9 questions 3 and 9 compared with a single message linking to e-mental health resources.

    Obuobi-Donkor et al., Digital Health, 2025 PMID 40727620

  • Child and youth wait times

    At the IWK in Halifax, the mean wait for a first child and adolescent mental health appointment was 225.3 days in 2011 and 93.0 days in 2013, after the Choice and Partnership Approach began, while first appointments per full-time clinician rose from 32.6 to 57.0 a year.

    Clark et al., Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2018 PMID 29375628

Where Measurement Fits in Nova Scotia

  • HiBoop is independent of these bodies and programs. They describe the system your clients and referrers move through.

  • Nova Scotia Health

    Public system

    Nova Scotia Health runs four management zones: Central, Eastern, Northern and Western. In April 2023 it opened the Rapid Access and Stabilization Program at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, so that people referred by their primary care provider can see a psychiatrist sooner.

    Four zonesRapid accessProvincial intake

  • Mood and Anxiety Insured Services Program

    Insured program

    The Office of Addictions and Mental Health contracts private clinicians at set hourly rates: $210 for psychologists, $175 for social workers and $160 for counselling therapists, including billable administrative time. Contracted clinicians offer at least 10 sessions a week and invoice through the program's billing platform with its service codes.

    Publicly fundedPrivate cliniciansMeasurement-based care

  • Access Wellness

    Single session

    Since February 2023, Nova Scotians aged 18 and over can book a single supportive counselling session at no cost, by phone, online, or in person in Sydney, Halifax, Kentville or New Glasgow. A contractor delivers the service and Nova Scotia Health administers it.

    Adults 18+Phone or videoNo referral

  • Regulated Professions

    Practice

    Psychologists register with the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology under the Psychologists Act, social workers with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers under the Social Workers Act, and counselling therapists with the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists under the Counselling Therapists Act.

    PsychologistsSocial workersCounselling therapists

Care Teams in Every Nova Scotia Health Zone

  • HiBoop runs in any web browser, so a Halifax group practice and a counsellor on the Eastern Shore send the same check-ins.

  • Central Zone

    The Halifax area, the Eastern Shore and West Hants; home to the QEII Health Sciences Centre, where the rapid access program began.

  • Eastern Zone

    Cape Breton and the Guysborough and Antigonish areas; Access Wellness offers in-person sessions in Sydney.

  • Northern Zone

    Colchester-East Hants, Cumberland and Pictou; Access Wellness offers in-person sessions in New Glasgow.

  • Western Zone

    The Annapolis Valley, the South Shore and the South West; Access Wellness offers in-person sessions in Kentville.

  • IWK Health

    In Halifax, IWK Health's child and adolescent mental health service published its wait times before and after adopting the Choice and Partnership Approach.

Data sovereignty

Why Nova Scotia clinics choose HiBoop

  • Measurement a PHIA Custodian Can Stand Behind

    • Canadian customers' records kept in Canadian Google Cloud regions and encrypted throughout
    • PIPEDA compliant and SOC 2 Type II certified
    • An audit trail showing who opened or exported each client's records
    • Month-to-month plans from a single published price list
    • Nothing for clients to download: they answer in the browser

  • CAD pricing & support

    Transparent pricing in CAD with flexible payment options for clinics of every size.

    Care
    One clinician, month to month
    $35
    CAD/month
    Team
    Starting price, unlimited clinicians
    $280
    CAD/month
    Network
    Multi-site organizations
    Custom
    Enterprise pricing

100+ validated scales for Nova Scotia clinics

  • Validated scales grouped by what they measure, each with its scoring and source. Public programmes often call this routine outcome monitoring (ROM), or patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs): the same practice of giving a validated scale at regular points and reading the scores over time.

  • Mood, Anxiety and Suicide Risk

    • PHQ-9 (Depression)
    • GAD-7 (Anxiety)
    • C-SSRS Screener (Suicide Risk)

  • Children and Youth

    • PHQ-A (Adolescent Depression)
    • SCARED (Child Anxiety)
    • SCARED-P (Parent Report)

  • Trauma, Adversity and Substance Use

    • PCL-5 (PTSD)
    • ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
    • ASSIST-3 (Substance Involvement)
    • CAGE-AID (Alcohol and Drug Screen)
Browse all assessments

PHIA and Your Clients' Health Information

  • Nova Scotia's Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) has been in force since June 2013 and applies to custodians. A service that handles information on your behalf is your agent under the Act, and you remain responsible for it. The duties below are yours; HiBoop's part is to make them easier to meet.

  • What PHIA asks of a custodian

    • Limit collection, use and disclosure to the minimum amount of personal health information needed for the purpose (s. 25)
    • Keep information practices that protect against theft, loss and unauthorized access, use, disclosure, copying or modification (s. 62)
    • Maintain a record of user activity for each electronic system, and give it to a client on request within 30 days, without charge (s. 63)
    • Tell clients at the first reasonable opportunity when their information is stolen, lost or wrongly accessed and harm or embarrassment could follow, and tell the Review Officer whenever you decide not to (ss. 69 and 70)
    • Name a contact person for privacy questions, access requests and complaints (s. 67)

  • What HiBoop provides

    • A log of each view and export of client data, ready to produce as a record of user activity
    • Canadian Google Cloud regions for Canadian customers' data, encrypted in storage and in transit
    • Role-based access, so each person on your team sees only what their work needs
    • Our BAA policy: the standard terms under which we process health information for you
    • CSV or PDF downloads of a client's scores, for when they ask to see their own record

  • Reviewing HiBoop for your privacy file?

    The trust page covers hosting, encryption, access controls and our SOC 2 Type II report. Contact us and we will go through your questions about PHIA and our terms.

    Open the trust page

Grants & funding for Nova Scotia mental health clinics

Funding Guide

  • Public and private funding programs that support measurement-based care implementation.

  • Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA)

    Nova Scotia Health - Mental Health & Addictions Digital Program

    Tech eligible

    NSHA’s Mental Health and Addictions program funds technology adoption for providers in Nova Scotia, including outcome measurement, telemental health, and digital care coordination tools. Nova Scotia’s provincial mental health strategy includes explicit digital health priorities, with NSHA actively funding practice-level technology in partnership with the Department of Health and Wellness.

    VariesLearn more

  • Canada Health Infoway

    Connected Care Innovation Grant

    Tech eligible

    Canada Health Infoway’s Connected Care Innovation Grant provides up to $40K per award to health organizations adopting digital tools — including outcome measurement platforms, electronic records, and patient engagement solutions. With 18 awards per cycle, it’s one of the most accessible Infoway programs for smaller mental health practices.

    Up to $40KLearn more

  • Health Canada

    Working Together to Improve Health Care — Digital Health Stream

    Tech eligible

    Canada committed $25B over 10 years in bilateral agreements with provinces with digital health as a core priority. Each province has discretion over how funds flow; some channel them directly to practices through digital health transformation programs.

    Varies by provinceLearn more

  • Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

    Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund

    Tech eligible

    Supports proactive mental health promotion strategies, including digital and technology-enabled interventions. Organizations delivering community-based mental health programs can include measurement technology in their proposals.

    $50K–$1MLearn more

  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research

    CIHR — Health Research Operating Grants

    Tech eligible

    CIHR funds health research including implementation science, digital health, and measurement-based care studies. Practices partnering with universities for MBC research or e-mental health implementation can access significant funding.

    $100K–$1M+Learn more

  • Indigenous Services Canada (ISC)

    First Nations & Inuit Health Branch - Mental Wellness

    Tech eligible

    Indigenous Services Canada’s FNIHB funds community-based mental wellness programs for First Nations and Inuit communities, including technology for culturally adapted outcome measurement, digital mental health tools, and telemental health infrastructure. Organizations serving Indigenous communities should contact their ISC regional office for community-specific funding streams.

    Community-based allocationsLearn more
View all grants & funding

Resources for Nova Scotia practitioners

  • Billing guides, compliance documentation, and clinical practice resources.

  • BillingMental Health Billing in Canada

    Provincial plans, insured programs and private benefits, compared across the provinces

  • CanadaHiBoop Across Canada

    PIPEDA, Canadian hosting and links to every province we cover

  • DepressionThe PHQ-9

    Item scoring, severity bands and what a reliable change looks like

  • AnxietyThe GAD-7

    Seven items, four severity bands and how to follow them through treatment

  • LibraryThe Assessment Library

    Every scale we describe, with scoring notes and references

Nova Scotia Law, Programs and Services

Latest in mental health in Canada

Crisis and urgent help lines

More crisis lines

Measurement-based care

…starts with what we measure, and how long.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Does HiBoop meet PHIA for my practice?

    PHIA's duties fall on you as the custodian, and a service handling information for you acts as your agent, so the useful question is whether HiBoop helps you meet those duties. It does, with published standard terms, documented safeguards, role-based access and a log of every view and export that you can use as your record of user activity.

  • Can I use HiBoop for clients in the Mood and Anxiety Insured Services Program?

    The program supplies its own measurement platform and asks clinicians to keep distinct records for program clients, so use what it provides for them. Many contracted clinicians also see private clients, and that is where HiBoop fits.

  • What does PHIA require after a privacy breach?

    If information is stolen, lost or accessed without authority and there is potential for harm or embarrassment, you notify the client at the first reasonable opportunity (s. 69). If you decide notice is not needed, you tell the Review Officer (s. 70). HiBoop's access log shows whose records were opened or exported, and by whom.

  • Can a teenager consent to how their information is handled?

    Under section 18 of PHIA, any capable individual, regardless of age, may consent to the collection, use and disclosure of their personal health information. Capacity means understanding the relevant information and appreciating the foreseeable consequences of the decision. Consent to treatment is a separate clinical question for you and your regulator.

Official sources for Nova Scotia

  • Health authorities

    1. 1.IWK Health · hospital services
    2. 2.Nova Scotia Health: Mental Health and Addictions · mental health and substance use services

    Billing and payment routes

    1. 1.MSI Physician's Manual · fee schedule
    2. 2.Indigenous Services Canada: NIHB mental health counselling · public program
    3. 3.Veterans Affairs Canada: mental health services · public program
    4. 4.IRCC: Interim Federal Health Program · public program

    Fee codes and amounts are set by each payer and change; check the linked schedule before you bill. HiBoop does not submit claims.

    Regulators and licensing

    1. 1.College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia · physicians
    2. 2.Nova Scotia Regulator of Psychologists · psychologists
    3. 3.Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists · counsellors
    4. 4.Nova Scotia College of Social Workers · social workers
    5. 5.Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC) · physicians
    6. 6.Association of Canadian Psychology Regulatory Organizations (ACPRO) · psychologists
    7. 7.Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators · social workers

    Data and statistics

    1. 1.Statistics Canada: Mental Health and Access to Care Survey, 2022
    2. 2.Public Health Agency of Canada: Health Infobase
    3. 3.CIHI: Mental health and substance use
    4. 4.CIHI: National Physician Database

    Listed for reference so you can find the official source. HiBoop is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, any of these organizations.