HHS transfers Integrated Decision Support to OHA

TORONTO – The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) has announced the transfer of Integrated Decision Support (IDS) to the OHA from Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). Launched in 2009, IDS is a leading collaborative solution for sharing integrated health partner data for planning and analytics. Through its data sharing platform across a host of subscribers – including hospitals, home and community care, primary care, public health and EMS – IDS equips healthcare providers with linked data of their shared-care patients, which allows them to address common challenges that can only be solved through their combined efforts.

With an Ontario-wide mandate to support providers, the OHA will help IDS build its network of users and the rich set of tools offered to meet their analytics needs.

“Health system integration and collaboration have never been more important for Ontario, and so the OHA is excited to build on this valuable legacy developed by Hamilton Health Sciences,” said Anthony Dale, OHA president and CEO. “IDS client organizations benefit from a collaborative approach and shared ownership, allowing partners to shape the network’s priorities so they realize the greatest collective value with respect to patient and client care.”

The IDS data platform has established infrastructure, processes and partnerships with a proven ability to share and link data. It’s the most efficient, service-ready solution to enable integrative projects such as Ontario Health Teams, by providing greater visibility into patients’ and clients’ journeys across the continuum of care.

“Hamilton Health Sciences has used IDS to create programs tailor-made for our communities, improve our services, and evaluate initiatives focused on improving population health,” said Rob MacIsaac (pictured), president and CEO of HHS. “I am proud of our IDS team for having the vision to create this platform, and we look forward to its continued growth and contribution to improving the quality of care for patients across Ontario under the OHA’s leadership.”

The OHA has a history of collaborating to build or grow resources that benefit the health system. Built around the idea of “once for many”, IDS is provider-led and locally developed, making it responsive to client health organizations’ needs. Through this shared resource, healthcare organizations can address data gaps that have impeded efforts to integrate care, and ultimately, support the province’s vision of an integrated and patient- and client-focused system of care. The more healthcare providers in the network, the richer the data available to improve health service delivery across the province.