Electronic health records

Montreal region announces expansion of EHR system

MONTREAL – Telus announced a $31.5 million expansion of its contract with the Montreal Region Health Authority to accelerate and expand the implementation of the Oacis Electronic Health Record solution to healthcare facilities across the region.

The solution comprises an electronic clinical information system and a documentation imaging solution that will convert paper records and integrate them into a unified electronic patient record.

Montreal is one of the first regions in Canada to implement standardized electronic health records across all points of service, including 89 hospitals, health and social services centres, long-term care centres and other public healthcare institutions, as well as GMF (family practices), network clinics and integrated network clinics.

David Levine (pictured), president and CEO, Montreal Region Health Authority, said, “This is our vision and our passion. Now, more than ever, we are convinced that the future of healthcare is contingent on the system-wide adoption of electronic health records. We believe this because we are completely satisfied with the performance of the solutions already in use. Now, our priority is to ensure the Oacis solution is deployed quickly and efficiently throughout the Montreal Region to provide people with uniform and consistent quality care.”

“The significant expansion of our work on EHR with Montreal is a true testimonial to the value of our technology to deliver on our promise to transform the way information is used in healthcare,” said Francois Côté, president, Telus Health Solutions. “Montreal is one of the first regions in North America to adopt a fully integrated end-to-end solution across the continuum of care, from clinics to acute care facilities.”

The Oacis Electronic Health Record Solution will be overlaid on top of existing infrastructure and systems, thereby preserving existing investments while creating a unique database. To achieve this, the Oacis solution will interface with more than 50 systems requiring the development of 140 application interfaces to ensure a seamless transition of information.

Under the terms of the contract, Telus will be responsible for project implementation and management, providing the Authority with a complete turnkey solution for accelerated deployment. The project’s initial phase includes Sacré-Cœur Hospital, Jewish General Hospital and the Verdun CSSS (Health and Social Services Centre) all of which are scheduled to go live within the next few months. In addition, the OACIS solution is being implemented at Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), where there are approximately 5,000 users monthly.

“We are thrilled to be one of the first implementations of the Oacis Electronic Health Record solution to go live in the Montreal Region because we anticipate significant enhancements to clinical efficiencies, increased patient safety and improved outcomes” said Dr. S. Rosenthal, CSPQ Director of Information Services, Jewish General Hospital.

About Telus Health Solutions
Telus Health Solutions, backed by Emergis, represents a unique set of technology, expertise and resources to help transform how information is used in the healthcare industry. Telus Health Solutions has years of expertise in successfully implementing healthcare applications and information communication technology processes through industry leading solutions and consulting services to customers in Canada and around the world. It is backed by more than 1,500 Telus Health Solutions team members including healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit www.telushealth.com.