QCH streamlines DI referrals using Novari solution

KINGSTON, Ont. – Novari Health is proud to announce that Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH) has digitized its diagnostic imaging referral management processes by implementing Novari’s Medical Imaging Requisition Management (MIRM) technology. The implementation of Novari MIRM will allow QCH to more efficiently manage the receipt, processing, workflows, and waitlist management associated with inbound referrals for medical imaging services.

QCH has successfully implemented Novari MIRM technology for all diagnostic imaging and cardiopulmonary referrals for outpatients, inpatients, and emergency cases. QCH and Novari broke new ground with this implementation, as it included both referrals from external community physician offices and internal physician orders. Orders entered by QCH physicians directly into MEDITECH (CPOE) flow into Novari MIRM allowing a single and seamless process for the department. Furthermore, the project involved tight integration with the hospital’s MEDITECH electronic health record system and enhanced integration with the hospital’s PACS system, leveraging the DICOM standard.

“We were pleased to partner with Novari to better integrate their solution and automate our complex diagnostics workflows. The new functionality will allow our team to focus on what’s important, our Patients and delivering high quality and efficient care,” said Tim Pemberton (pictured), vice president, Mental Health, Diagnostic Services, chief information officer and chief privacy officer, Queensway Carleton Hospital

The Novari MIRM system is a comprehensive solution that includes waitlist management, robust analytics, and provider notifications. The system’s workflow capabilities can be configured by hospitals to accommodate unique workflows for each modality and eliminate risks and inefficiencies inherent in paper-based processes. The Novari technology provides front-line staff and management with accurate and real-time data on the volume of requisitions, the status of every patient’s referral and bottlenecks in the system.

Novari MIRM also includes RadView functionality, an eProtocolling feature that provides radiologists with access to all relevant information needed to protocol each requisition quickly and efficiently. The system is complemented by enriched DICOM integration with hospital PACS systems, which enables the uploading of relevant requisition documents into the system and provides easy access for radiologists and medical imaging technologists.

By implementing the Novari MIRM system, QCH has taken a significant step towards improving its medical imaging referral management processes, enhancing its access to care capabilities, and reducing wait times for patients. This solution-oriented approach is a testament to QCH’s commitment to providing the best possible care to its patients.

The Ontario Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, and hospitals across the province have been working to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients. Having a modern medical imaging wait-list management and electronic referral management and workflow system complements these efforts for all patients including those waiting for diagnosis, surgical consults, surgery, and other procedures.

Novari Health’s innovative and unique access to care technologies are live and being implemented at hospitals and regional health authorities in Canada and Australia. The Novari access to care platform helps improve access to care, wait times, and drive efficiencies for patients accessing a wide variety of health care services including surgery, mental health & addictions, diabetes, cardiac, medical imaging, etc.

“QCH’s reputation as a leader in digital health is well deserved. This project broke new ground with DICOM – PACS integration and integration with MEDITECH to support the hospital’s implementation of computerized physician order entry (CPOE),” said John Sinclair, CPHIMS-CA, president, Novari Health.

About Queensway Carleton Hospital
Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH), West Ottawa’s only full-service hospital, offers a diversity of medical and surgical programs and services. With a team of over 2,700 health professionals, the 355-bed Queensway Carleton Hospital is the secondary referral centre for the Ottawa Valley. QCH has built its reputation as a leading acute care hospital by seeing the person in each of the nearly 500,000 people who turn to it for care each year. QCH’s agility and collaborative culture enable it to respond quickly to the most pressing healthcare challenges facing its vibrant and growing communities through advanced programs that reinvent models of patient care.

About Novari Health
Novari Health designs, builds, and implements award-winning enterprise scale SaaS solutions that improve access to care, coordination of care, and the delivery of healthcare services. Based in Kingston Ontario and with offices in Vancouver, Australia, and New Zealand, Novari has become one of the largest Canadian based digital health solution providers. ISO 27001 certified, Novari Health is a Microsoft Gold Partner, with software solutions hosted on Microsoft Azure Canadian and Australian cloud data centres. For more information, visit novarihealth.com.