consultants are guided by a medical advisory board of...
TRANSCRIPT
Summerville Family Health Team is a four-sitehealthcare clinic whose 24 physicians provideservices to upwards of 30,000 patients in the west
end of Toronto and Mississauga. All Summervillephysicians have privileges at the nearby 750-bedTrillium Health Centre, and refer patients to its two sitesfor treatment. There is a significant exchange of databetween Trillium and Summerville, and while theinformation systems at both are considerablyautomated, there was, until recently, a paper dividebetween the two that slowed down communication andcreated redundancy.
“A patient goes for an x-ray at the hospital,” explainsSummerville’s Dr. David Daien. “The radiologist looksat the x-ray in a digital format, dictates information intothe x-ray system— then transfers the whole thing ontopaper to send to the patient’s physician, who, despitehaving an EMR at his end, has to scan and convert the
information back into some sort of digital format forelectronic storage. It doesn’t make sense.”
Now, with the implementation of EMR and itsintegration with existing IT infrastructure at Trillium,Summerville’s four clinics receive an average of 1,700messages from Trillium per week—everything fromdischarge summaries and consultation notes topathology reports and diagnostic imaging results. Allthe information is digital. David Daien estimates thatthe time spent scanning at Summerville has decreasedby 50 percent.
“Part of what’s made this work so well is that it’sintegrated 100 percent into our workflow,” he says.“Doctors don’t have to remember to open anapplication or download an update; the information isdelivered directly into their EMR.”
xwaveAbout xwave
About xwave Healthcare
xwaveOne of the largest and longest-serving healthcare-consulting practices in Canada, Healthcare’s 300consultants are guided by a Medical Advisory Board of physicians who provide direction and counsel on avoluntary basis. Together they develop solutions and services that connect providers with patients and promoteefficiency across the entire continuum of care.
For more information on EMR:xwaveVisit our web site atCall toll free:Canada 1-866-241-7849Email us at
Or contact your local office in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario,and Quebec.
, a division of Bell Aliant, is an Information Technology company that provides clients with AdvancedTechnology Solutions and IT Professional Services, including leading eHealth solutions. Through highly-skilled ITprofessionals, plans, designs, builds, and delivers technology solutions that meet clients’ business needs.employs over 900 people in offices in St. John’s, Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Summerside, Montreal,Ottawa, and Toronto. More information can be found at .
is part of Bell Aliant (TSX: BA.UN), one of North America’s largest regional communications providers.Through its operating entities, Bell Aliant serves customers in six Canadian provinces with innovative information,communication and technology services including voice, data, Internet, video and value-added business solutions.More information can be found at .
www.xwaveEMR.com
xwave
xwave
xwave xwave
www.xwave.com
xwave
www.bellaliant.ca
Pushing for Integrated Care.Summerville Family Health Team uses xwave technology to streamline services andpush real-time patient data from Trillium Health Centre to the SummervilleElectronic Medical Records (EMR).
“We’re now dealing with a generation of patients who areregularly using this kind of technology, and will expect thattheir physicians are using it too.”
Dr. David Daien,Summerville Family Health Team
paper-shuffling so endemic to healthcare has beenreduced.
The integration in fact has earned Trillium aGovernment of Ontario Merit Award; the Awards aregiven annually to recognize public-sector organizationsand individuals for their commitment and contributionto improving public service in Ontario.
Now, says David Daien, the next step is making thesystem bi-directional, so that Summerville can sendinformation to the hospital, sharing patients’ allergy
information, problem lists and medication lists. Daienis an ardent advocate of the enabling qualities ofhealthcare IT, and believes that if we improve access toinformation, the Ontario healthcare system willimprove.
“How is it that you can use the Internet to book a tripto Australia but you can’t use it to book an appointmentwith your family doctor?” he asks rhetorically, thenadds, “We’re now dealing with a generation of patientswho are regularly using this kind of technology, and willexpect that their physicians are using it too.”
While Daien acknowledges the learning curveassociated with adopting the new EMR technology, hesays that the project’s biggest challenge has been not thetechnology itself but understanding the workflowaround it.
“You need to understand the lifecycle of a document,”he says, explaining that, without the proper planning,physicians could, for example, receive too muchinformation, or unnecessary multiple versions of adocument. The interface has been designed togather patient data in a way that ensures Summervillephysicians are getting the information they need, whenthey need it.
“Overall we’re very pleased with the integration,” saysDaien. “ ’s skills were solid.”
Another factor that has contributed to the success ofthe project is Trillium’s cooperation and commitmentto integrated healthcare. In 2005 Trillium launched a$100 million, seven-year initiative called THINK—Transforming Health Care into Integrated Networksof Knowledge. The HIAL infrastructure is part of theTHINK agenda.
“Once you have the core infrastructure in place, the restbecomes easier,” says Benoît Long, VP, ChiefInformation Officer and Chief Marketing Officer atTrillium Health Centre. “When you’ve made theinvestment in HIAL—when you’ve taken thatstandards-based approach—all the components are re-useable, re-deployable. There’s a very high degree ofinteroperability.”
xwave
xwave
Previously equipped with nine scheduling and billingsystems and three disparate EMRs, Summerville’s 24physicians now have one system that, spanning fourphysical locations, manages all clinical activity. The
interface receives patient messages from theTrillium HIAL and maps them to the physicians' inboxes in the Summerville EMR, automatically storing acopy of the messages directly in the patient's electronicchart. Should a patient leave the practice, David Daienpoints out, the patient’s information is no longerretrieved.
Since the project’s completion in March 2008, tens ofthousands of messages have been relayed,dramatically improving the speed and efficiency ofinformation delivery from one facility to the other.Summerville physicians are notified the minute theirpatients are admitted to Trillium and the moment theyare discharged. Document travel time has beenshortened from days to minutes, and the constant
xwave
xwaveEMR is one of the first application serviceprovider (ASP) solutions to be provincially certifiedand funding-eligible under Ontario’s Physician ITProgram. An
a Canadian healthcare solution-providerinvolved in a number of provincial e-Health initiativesacross the country, is the first company to bringCentricity into Canada, customizing it for Ontariophysicians.
ASP is different in that, rather than haveto purchase and manage the EMR as a stand-alonesystem, physicians can access it as a fully-managed,w e b - b a s e d s e r v i c e ,subscribing to it on a pay-by-month basis and receiving itvia a highly- secure, high-speed managed privaten e t w o r k — O N E ®N e t wo r k — by e H e a l t hOntario.
“The ASP offering is one ofthe reasons we chose ,”says Daien, adding that alongwith the benefits of Internet-based anytime-anywhereaccess made secure by theONE Network, the solution’smanagement by makesadoption and maintenanceeasier than it typically wouldbe with a stand-alone EMR.
The EMR software itself is GE Healthcare’sCentricity® electronic medical record (EMR) andpractice management (PM) software. Centricity isused by approximately 30,000 clinicians worldwide,and ,
The solution provides users withcomplete patient records; multi-physician and multi-
xwave
xwave
xwave
site scheduling, billing and patient registration; and,more specifically, features such as automatic drug-interaction alerts, reminders for routine screening,online health-card validation, standardized patient-encounter forms for certain Chronic diseases, andcustomizable family health team (FHT) reportingtemplates. With all the doctors at Summerville FHT onstaff at Trillium, they were adamant about having notonly a streamlined workflow within the FHT buteffective integration with the hospital systems nextdoor.
“Part of having better care is having more integratedcare,” says David Daien. “We didn’t want to createelectronic silos.”
Trillium had already invested in Health InformationAccess Layer (HIAL) infrastructure as part of its visionof a Community Care Services Model—a model thatconnects patients and their health records to the healthcare professionals who comprise each patient's “health
team.” This healthcare "bus" isbuilt to international standardssuch as Health Level 7 (HL7)and complies with CanadaHealth Infoway's mandatedarchitecture.
was able to leverage thisinfrastructure by building aninterface to it that intelligentlycollects and sorts informationrelated to Summerville patients,then ‘pushes’ the data to theE M R i n - b o x e s o f t h eappropr iate Summer vi l lephysicians. This compares withthe alternative ‘pull’ model,whereby users must retrieve theinformation manually.
The solution is completely transparent at Trillium’send—“Staff there would never know there’s been anychange made,” says David Daien—and at Summervilleinformation is received automatically, in real time.
“Part of what’s made this work so well is that it’sintegrated 100 percent into our workflow,” says Daien.“Doctors don’t have to remember to open anapplication or download an update; the information isdelivered directly into their EMR.”
xwave
“Part of what’s made thiswork so well is that it’sintegrated 100 percentinto our workflow. Doctorsdon’t have to remember toopen an application ordownload an update; theinformation is delivereddirectly into their EMR.”
Dr. David Daien,Summerville Family Health Team
“Once you have the coreinfrastructure in place, therest becomes easier. Whenyou’ve made the investmentin HIAL—when you’ve takenthat standards-basedapproach—all thecomponents are re-useable,re-deployable. There’s avery high degree ofinteroperability.”
Benoît Long,VP, Chief Information Officer and
Chief Marketing OfficerTrillium Health Centre
paper-shuffling so endemic to healthcare has beenreduced.
The integration in fact has earned Trillium aGovernment of Ontario Merit Award; the Awards aregiven annually to recognize public-sector organizationsand individuals for their commitment and contributionto improving public service in Ontario.
Now, says David Daien, the next step is making thesystem bi-directional, so that Summerville can sendinformation to the hospital, sharing patients’ allergy
information, problem lists and medication lists. Daienis an ardent advocate of the enabling qualities ofhealthcare IT, and believes that if we improve access toinformation, the Ontario healthcare system willimprove.
“How is it that you can use the Internet to book a tripto Australia but you can’t use it to book an appointmentwith your family doctor?” he asks rhetorically, thenadds, “We’re now dealing with a generation of patientswho are regularly using this kind of technology, and willexpect that their physicians are using it too.”
While Daien acknowledges the learning curveassociated with adopting the new EMR technology, hesays that the project’s biggest challenge has been not thetechnology itself but understanding the workflowaround it.
“You need to understand the lifecycle of a document,”he says, explaining that, without the proper planning,physicians could, for example, receive too muchinformation, or unnecessary multiple versions of adocument. The interface has been designed togather patient data in a way that ensures Summervillephysicians are getting the information they need, whenthey need it.
“Overall we’re very pleased with the integration,” saysDaien. “ ’s skills were solid.”
Another factor that has contributed to the success ofthe project is Trillium’s cooperation and commitmentto integrated healthcare. In 2005 Trillium launched a$100 million, seven-year initiative called THINK—Transforming Health Care into Integrated Networksof Knowledge. The HIAL infrastructure is part of theTHINK agenda.
“Once you have the core infrastructure in place, the restbecomes easier,” says Benoît Long, VP, ChiefInformation Officer and Chief Marketing Officer atTrillium Health Centre. “When you’ve made theinvestment in HIAL—when you’ve taken thatstandards-based approach—all the components are re-useable, re-deployable. There’s a very high degree ofinteroperability.”
xwave
xwave
Previously equipped with nine scheduling and billingsystems and three disparate EMRs, Summerville’s 24physicians now have one system that, spanning fourphysical locations, manages all clinical activity. The
interface receives patient messages from theTrillium HIAL and maps them to the physicians' inboxes in the Summerville EMR, automatically storing acopy of the messages directly in the patient's electronicchart. Should a patient leave the practice, David Daienpoints out, the patient’s information is no longerretrieved.
Since the project’s completion in March 2008, tens ofthousands of messages have been relayed,dramatically improving the speed and efficiency ofinformation delivery from one facility to the other.Summerville physicians are notified the minute theirpatients are admitted to Trillium and the moment theyare discharged. Document travel time has beenshortened from days to minutes, and the constant
xwave
xwaveEMR is one of the first application serviceprovider (ASP) solutions to be provincially certifiedand funding-eligible under Ontario’s Physician ITProgram. An
a Canadian healthcare solution-providerinvolved in a number of provincial e-Health initiativesacross the country, is the first company to bringCentricity into Canada, customizing it for Ontariophysicians.
ASP is different in that, rather than haveto purchase and manage the EMR as a stand-alonesystem, physicians can access it as a fully-managed,w e b - b a s e d s e r v i c e ,subscribing to it on a pay-by-month basis and receiving itvia a highly- secure, high-speed managed privaten e t w o r k — O N E ®N e t wo r k — by e H e a l t hOntario.
“The ASP offering is one ofthe reasons we chose ,”says Daien, adding that alongwith the benefits of Internet-based anytime-anywhereaccess made secure by theONE Network, the solution’smanagement by makesadoption and maintenanceeasier than it typically wouldbe with a stand-alone EMR.
The EMR software itself is GE Healthcare’sCentricity® electronic medical record (EMR) andpractice management (PM) software. Centricity isused by approximately 30,000 clinicians worldwide,and ,
The solution provides users withcomplete patient records; multi-physician and multi-
xwave
xwave
xwave
site scheduling, billing and patient registration; and,more specifically, features such as automatic drug-interaction alerts, reminders for routine screening,online health-card validation, standardized patient-encounter forms for certain Chronic diseases, andcustomizable family health team (FHT) reportingtemplates. With all the doctors at Summerville FHT onstaff at Trillium, they were adamant about having notonly a streamlined workflow within the FHT buteffective integration with the hospital systems nextdoor.
“Part of having better care is having more integratedcare,” says David Daien. “We didn’t want to createelectronic silos.”
Trillium had already invested in Health InformationAccess Layer (HIAL) infrastructure as part of its visionof a Community Care Services Model—a model thatconnects patients and their health records to the healthcare professionals who comprise each patient's “health
team.” This healthcare "bus" isbuilt to international standardssuch as Health Level 7 (HL7)and complies with CanadaHealth Infoway's mandatedarchitecture.
was able to leverage thisinfrastructure by building aninterface to it that intelligentlycollects and sorts informationrelated to Summerville patients,then ‘pushes’ the data to theE M R i n - b o x e s o f t h eappropr iate Summer vi l lephysicians. This compares withthe alternative ‘pull’ model,whereby users must retrieve theinformation manually.
The solution is completely transparent at Trillium’send—“Staff there would never know there’s been anychange made,” says David Daien—and at Summervilleinformation is received automatically, in real time.
“Part of what’s made this work so well is that it’sintegrated 100 percent into our workflow,” says Daien.“Doctors don’t have to remember to open anapplication or download an update; the information isdelivered directly into their EMR.”
xwave
“Part of what’s made thiswork so well is that it’sintegrated 100 percentinto our workflow. Doctorsdon’t have to remember toopen an application ordownload an update; theinformation is delivereddirectly into their EMR.”
Dr. David Daien,Summerville Family Health Team
“Once you have the coreinfrastructure in place, therest becomes easier. Whenyou’ve made the investmentin HIAL—when you’ve takenthat standards-basedapproach—all thecomponents are re-useable,re-deployable. There’s avery high degree ofinteroperability.”
Benoît Long,VP, Chief Information Officer and
Chief Marketing OfficerTrillium Health Centre
Summerville Family Health Team is a four-sitehealthcare clinic whose 24 physicians provideservices to upwards of 30,000 patients in the west
end of Toronto and Mississauga. All Summervillephysicians have privileges at the nearby 750-bedTrillium Health Centre, and refer patients to its two sitesfor treatment. There is a significant exchange of databetween Trillium and Summerville, and while theinformation systems at both are considerablyautomated, there was, until recently, a paper dividebetween the two that slowed down communication andcreated redundancy.
“A patient goes for an x-ray at the hospital,” explainsSummerville’s Dr. David Daien. “The radiologist looksat the x-ray in a digital format, dictates information intothe x-ray system— then transfers the whole thing ontopaper to send to the patient’s physician, who, despitehaving an EMR at his end, has to scan and convert the
information back into some sort of digital format forelectronic storage. It doesn’t make sense.”
Now, with the implementation of EMR and itsintegration with existing IT infrastructure at Trillium,Summerville’s four clinics receive an average of 1,700messages from Trillium per week—everything fromdischarge summaries and consultation notes topathology reports and diagnostic imaging results. Allthe information is digital. David Daien estimates thatthe time spent scanning at Summerville has decreasedby 50 percent.
“Part of what’s made this work so well is that it’sintegrated 100 percent into our workflow,” he says.“Doctors don’t have to remember to open anapplication or download an update; the information isdelivered directly into their EMR.”
xwaveAbout xwave
About xwave Healthcare
xwaveOne of the largest and longest-serving healthcare-consulting practices in Canada, Healthcare’s 300consultants are guided by a Medical Advisory Board of physicians who provide direction and counsel on avoluntary basis. Together they develop solutions and services that connect providers with patients and promoteefficiency across the entire continuum of care.
For more information on EMR:xwaveVisit our web site atCall toll free:Canada 1-866-241-7849Email us at
Or contact your local office in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario,and Quebec.
, a division of Bell Aliant, is an Information Technology company that provides clients with AdvancedTechnology Solutions and IT Professional Services, including leading eHealth solutions. Through highly-skilled ITprofessionals, plans, designs, builds, and delivers technology solutions that meet clients’ business needs.employs over 900 people in offices in St. John’s, Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Summerside, Montreal,Ottawa, and Toronto. More information can be found at .
is part of Bell Aliant (TSX: BA.UN), one of North America’s largest regional communications providers.Through its operating entities, Bell Aliant serves customers in six Canadian provinces with innovative information,communication and technology services including voice, data, Internet, video and value-added business solutions.More information can be found at .
www.xwaveEMR.com
xwave
xwave
xwave xwave
www.xwave.com
xwave
www.bellaliant.ca
Pushing for Integrated Care.Summerville Family Health Team uses xwave technology to streamline services andpush real-time patient data from Trillium Health Centre to the SummervilleElectronic Medical Records (EMR).
“We’re now dealing with a generation of patients who areregularly using this kind of technology, and will expect thattheir physicians are using it too.”
Dr. David Daien,Summerville Family Health Team