This is a key step towards integrating electronic patient records for hospitals in Ontario, and eventually, throughout Canada.
Mohawk Shared Services Inc. will connect all hospitals in Local Health Integrated Networks (LHIN) 3 and 4 to the data centre housed in London, Ontario enabling caregivers to share diagnostic images and reports from hospitals across LHINs 1, 2, 3, and 4. MSSi will manage the DI-r service on behalf of the participating hospitals in the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN (HNHB) and the Waterloo Wellington LHIN (WW).
Benefits of this repository include:
- Secure, quick and easy access by clinicians and radiologists, to a patient's
diagnostic imaging and reports, allowing them to diagnose regardless of patient origin and where the images were acquired. - Enhanced clinician collaboration and knowledge transfer, resulting in better treatment, fewer retakes and a reduction in radiation exposure.
- Treatment plans developed through collaboration with specialists located in other communities.
"This system allows our rural facilities to link seamlessly with the large teaching centers in Hamilton and London as well as the many other community hospitals already on this repository." says Jerome Quenneville, Wellington Health Care Alliance President and CEO and Chair of the LHINs 3-4 DI-r Mohawk Shared Services Advisory Committee.
Mike Sharma, Director of Diagnostic Imaging at Guelph General Hospital reports: "Access to imaging procedures from other healthcare facilities will decrease the need to repeat examinations which provides efficiencies to the system".
The remaining hospitals in WW LHIN and HNHB LHIN will be connected to the DI-r over the next year. By the fall of 2011, 100 per cent of images taken in the delivery of hospital-based health care for patients will be digitally stored and shareable among health care providers across LHINs 1, 2, 3, and 4.
"Guelph and Palmerston area residents will greatly benefit from having their diagnostic images available digitally because it will help speed up diagnosis and treatment," said Richard Alvarez, President and CEO, Canada Health Infoway. "Across Canada, hundreds of millions of dollars in savings and efficiencies are being realized every year thanks to the investments made to digitize images such as x-rays, CT scans and ultrasound."
Greg A. Reed President and CEO of eHealth Ontario said "eHealth Ontario is proud to be an implementation partner on an initiative that advances health care delivery and benefits Ontarians. This is a perfect example of how collaboration within the health care system can deliver results that improve patient care, consistent with the government's focus on access to care."
Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) has provided $35 million and eHealth Ontario has provided $26 million in funding to support the transfer of diagnostic images and reports between various health care organizations in Southwestern Ontario. The project is part of the Ontario government's ehealth agenda and Infoway'svision for a pan-Canadian electronic health record system.
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 contact:
Jerome Quenneville
President and CEO
Wellington Health Care Alliance
Tel.: (519) 827-6701
Websites: www.nwhealthcare.ca
www.gmch.ca
www.wellingtonhealthcarerecruitment.ca
Mike Sharma
Director Diagnostic Imaging
Guelph General Hospital
Tel.: (519) 837-6440
Website: www.gghorg.ca
Communications Advisor
eHealth Ontario
Tel.: (416) 586-4238
Website: www.ehealthontario.on.ca
Haley Armstrong
Senior Director, Communications and Public Relations
Canada Health Infoway
647-713-9459
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