May 5, 2010 (Alexandria, ON) – The Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital is taking an important step towards providing improved access to medical specialties in the community by joining the Northern and Eastern Ontario Diagnostic Imaging Network (NEODIN).
NEODIN is one of four Ontario diagnostic imaging repositories (DI-r) for medical images and associated diagnostic reports. Once complete, it will allow electronic transfer of images and reports between more than 60 diagnostic imaging departments in Northern and Eastern Ontario.
The NEODIN DI-r eliminates the need for patients to transport images and reports between doctors on CDs, films, or by fax. It also allows specialists at one facility to access the reports for images acquired at other hospitals, allowing for faster and more convenient information sharing between doctors.
“This initiative enhances our ability to provide quality care closer to home.” says Linda Morrow, CEO of Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital. “The DI-r will give our local physicians easier access to specialist consults from the larger hospitals and allow specialists to view diagnostic imaging results ahead of time if a patient must be transferred from our emergency. This is a significant improvement in the quality of care for our patients.”
NEODIN will also benefit patients who have had imaging done elsewhere and are returning to Glengarry for care. “For example, if a patient goes to Cornwall for a CT scan, our physicians in Glengarry will be able to view the test result without waiting for the files to be picked up or sent to Glengarry by courier, allowing our clients to have faster, even more reliable results close to home,” Morrow explains.
Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital is the first hospital in The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry to implement the technology to integrate to the NEODIN repository. Ultimately, NEODIN will connect a large portion of Ontario. When completed in 2011, hospitals from eastern and northern Ontario, servicing almost two million people across 840,000 square kilometers will be able to seamlessly share patient images and reports.
A great deal of effort has been put into ensuring the security of the system and patient privacy. “The system is very secure,” states Morrow. “The security measures that are in place are leaps and bounds ahead of the old days when films were stored in large filing racks and moved between hospitals in film bags.”
Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) has provided $21.9 million and eHealth Ontario has provided $20 million in funding to support the transfer of images and reports between more than 60 diagnostic imaging departments in Northern and Eastern Ontario. The project is part of the Ontario government’s ehealth agenda and Infoway’s vision for a pan-Canadian electronic health record system.
“We are proud to be a funding partner of an initiative which advances health care delivery and benefits to Ontarians," said Greg Reed, President and CEO, eHealth Ontario. "This project illustrates how collaboration within the health care system can deliver improved patient care."
“NEODIN is a vital component of a broader electronic health record,” says Richard Alvarez, President and CEO of Canada Health Infoway. “Once the network is connected across Ontario, diagnostic images will be available wherever patients receive care, eliminating the need for wasteful duplicates.”
Canada Health Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. Infoway jointly invests with every province and territory to accelerate the development and adoption of electronic health record projects in Canada.
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For More Information:
Rob McLellan
Communications Lead
NEODIN
Tel: 416-768-2841
Heather Brown
Communications Advisor
eHealth Ontario
DI/PACS Lead
Tel: 416-586-4238
Linda Morrow
CEO
Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital
Tel: 613-525-2222 Ext. 4106
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