RICHMOND HILL, Ont. – Mackenzie Health is expanding its innovation strategy by partnering with Sodexo Canada to develop IT systems that manage service fulfillment tasks. The organizations will devise, test and evaluate technological solutions for call-centre operations, environmental services, patient transport, bio med and physical plant maintenance, central equipment distribution, security and patient food services.

Under the envisioned “smart” system, a single directive from a physician or nurse entered into the hospital’s patient flow system will automatically trigger the entire range of support services needed to fulfill the request. Each automated digital service request will be time stamped, scheduled and directed to the appropriate support staff via mobile devices.

“Our objective is to achieve a truly ‘smart’ support service delivery model that is intuitive, patient-centred and highly efficient,” says Richard Tam, (pictured) Mackenzie Health’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Administrative Officer.

“The intent is to create a non-clinical support service environment that is context aware, highly personalized to patient needs and adaptive to change. We chose to partner with Sodexo because of its proven technological leadership and passion for embracing change to achieve continuous improvement.”

The project involves upgrading the functionality of the hospital’s call centre (which directs internal service requests to the appropriate inpatient unit) and integrating the call centre’s IT systems with the hospital’s electronic medical record, which digitally manages patient scheduling.

The goal is to get as close as possible to “one-touchpoint” service fulfillment, freeing clinical staff to spend more at the bedside caring for patients.

This latest expansion of Mackenzie Health’s innovation strategy is expected to establish new healthcare industry support service standards that will be shared with other hospitals in Ontario and beyond.

“We are excited to partner with Mackenzie Health to take the hospital’s support service infrastructure to the next level of patient care and efficiency,” says Brian Kimmett, VP Healthcare, Sodexo Canada. “Mackenzie Health is among Canada’s most innovative healthcare facilities and the patient-centred systems we develop and deploy as part of this exciting project will ultimately benefit healthcare delivery in communities far beyond York Region.”

About Mackenzie Health
Mackenzie Health is a dynamic regional healthcare provider, serving a population of more than half a million people across Southwest York Region and beyond. Nationally recognized for its commitment to safety and patient care, Mackenzie Health is a healthcare leader with a variety of academic partners. Mackenzie Health’s vision is to create a world-class health experience. This means delivering quality, compassionate and timely patient-centered care. It means that everything we do is focused on our patients and community. Mackenzie Health includes the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, scheduled to start construction fall 2016, the existing Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and a network of community-based services in Richmond Hill, Vaughan and surrounding communities. www.mackenziehealth.ca

About Sodexo in Canada
Sodexo has been delivering On-Site Services in Canada for over 40 years. Recognized as a strategic partner, Sodexo Canada has consolidated its position by providing a range of Quality of Life Services for clients, their employees and visitors in the healthcare, corporate, education and remote sites segments. Delivering food and facilities management services for over 200 clients, Sodexo is a market leader in Canada in terms of revenue and consumers served, and has been recognized as a top employer for the past four consecutive years.  Sodexo Canada is proud to have created the Sodexo Foundation, an independent charitable organization that has donated more than one million meals to at risk youth in Canada since it was founded in 2000. www.sodexo.ca