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Patients across Northwestern Ontario benefit from
one regional integrated reporting system
January 7, 2011
 168
physicians and nurse practitioners are now receiving patient
reports electronically from 12 hospitals in the North West
Local Health Integration Network (NW LHIN) through the Physician
Office Integration (POI) Program.
The program enables a person’s health records and diagnostic
test reports to be sent from a hospital information system
to a patient’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) in their
primary care provider’s office so it can be viewed before
the next visit. The POI initiative was started in the NW LHIN
in 2007. The program now benefits over 150,000 patients as
information flows seamlessly from 12 hospitals to 25 clinics.
“This is an important milestone in improving patient
care,” said Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term
Care. “It means that if a patient from Geraldton received
diagnostic tests in Nipigon, the patient’s family doctor
would receive test results electronically before the patient
even returned to Geraldton.”
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“This program is
an integral part of Ontario’s eHealth strategy,”
said Greg A. Reed, President and CEO of eHealth Ontario.
“Regional electronic health systems, like the
Physician Office Integration Program, enhance the
way patients receive care. Physicians and nurse practitioners
no longer have to wait days to receive reports from
a local hospital. They can now view their patient’s
hospital discharge summary information directly in
their EMRs and have a more comprehensive view of the
patient’s medical history.”
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21,000 patient reports are transmitted electronically
each month via this system saving approximately 1,100 hours
of clinical administrative staff time that used to be spent
sorting, filing, scanning, distributing and other manual
processing of these reports.
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“Thunder
Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's
Care Group are proud to be participating in this important
regional project,” said Bruce Sutton, CIO of
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and St.
Joseph’s Care Group. “This initiative
is truly changing the way patients receive care across
our region and is only possible because 12 hospitals
are on a shared hospital information system. By knocking
down the geographical barriers that used to exist
between systems, patients are receiving faster care
directly in the community in which they reside.”
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“POI is an integral
part of our paediatric practice,” said Dr. Teresa
Bruni of Thunder Bay Paediatrics. “We provide
care to paediatric patients both locally and across
the region, so having our regional partners integrated
will be very helpful in patient care. Before, reports
generated at a hospital would be faxed or printed
and mailed to the clinic or physician. Now all the
data is collected, formatted and sent electronically.
As a result we can download this information right
into the patient’s chart after the report is
complete.”
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To date, eHealth Ontario has allocated $376,000 to the expansion
of the project. This investment builds on significant infrastructure
already put in place by the region’s health service
providers.
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“This project is
a great example of how collaboration within the health
care system benefits patients,” said Laura Kokocinski,
CEO North West LHIN. “Everyone’s involvement,
from the acute care facilities to the clinics, has
been tremendous and really made a difference in bringing
this initiative to life.”
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“Ontario's doctors know firsthand the
tremendous benefits of electronic medical records to patients
and we believe they are a critical component towards improving
and strengthening our health care system,” said Dr.
Mark MacLeod, President of the Ontario Medical Association.
“Physicians using electronic records report improvements
in patient safety and continuity and quality of care. Our
priority is getting this technology into more doctors' offices
as soon as possible.”
“We are really looking forward to having
our facility connected to the POI program,” said Dr.
Terry O’Driscoll, Chief of Staff, Sioux Lookout Meno
Ya Win Health Centre. “One of our key priorities is
connecting our remote nursing stations so patients from
our fly in communities can get the same access to quality
care as patients in other parts of Northwestern Ontario.”
Quick Facts:
- The program benefits over 150,000 patients as
information flows seamlessly from 12 hospitals using
a common information system to 25 clinics in the
NW LHIN.
- eHealth Ontario has committed $376,000 in funding
for the expansion of the Physician Office Integration
program.
- The program started in 2007 with 22 providers
and has grown to 168 clinicians - including nurse
practitioners - in 2010.
- Sending 21,000 reports per month via POI saves
over 1,100 hours a month of clinic admin time.
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