CAMH wins high-ranking for use of analytics

TORONTO – The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is the first Canadian hospital to achieve one of the highest international awards for using analytics to improve patient care and operational efficiency. HIMSS, a leading global non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare through IT, has certified CAMH with the HIMSS Adoption Model for Analytics Maturity (AMAM) Stage 6.

Achieving HIMSS AMAM Stage 6, the second highest level in the international model, demonstrates an organization’s analytics capabilities to deliver high-quality patient care with an enterprise electronic health record in place.

“Providing the best patient care is our top priority,” says Tracey MacArthur (pictured), senior VP and chief clinical officer, CAMH. “We’re committed to capitalizing on the data we collect to ensure the best outcomes for our patients – today and in the future.”

“This award recognizes the level of commitment across CAMH to use data to inform decision making in a way that optimizes quality and efficient service delivery,” adds Dr. George Foussias, associate chief, schizophrenia and medical head, Slaight Centre, CAMH.

As an outcome-driven hospital, analytics have become embedded in CAMH’s culture and have had a positive impact in both clinical and non-clinical areas.

With the Gerald Sheff and Shanitha Kachan Emergency Department (ED) experiencing 52 percent more visits over the past five years – up to 12,000 in 2017 – CAMH used data to develop a new dashboard and bed-projection model to better understand inpatient capacity and flow.

This helped inform CAMH’s decision to open a new 23-bed acute-care inpatient unit in March 2018 to help relieve the ED.

CAMH is also using data to support the expansion of the new Drop-in Bridging Service for lower acuity patients. Since opening in November 2017, the bridging clinic has had a positive impact on reducing wait times and visits to the ED, as well as helping newly discharged patents reintegrate into their community.

“Achieving HIMSS AMAM Stage 6 not only demonstrates CAMH’s leadership in effectively using analytics, but also shines a light on further possibilities to continue to use data to advance results and enhance patient experiences,” says Rachel Solomon, executive director, performance improvement, CAMH.

Abut The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.