LHSC hiring 90 people to help digitize patient records

LONDON, Ont. – London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is leading a major project to complete digitizing patient records and will be hiring more than 90 people over the next several months, with 68 of those positions open immediately.

“We are changing how healthcare is delivered across a huge portion of Southwestern Ontario and improving quality for patients and that is exciting,” said Andrew Mes (pictured), digital health executive and corporate information officer. “We are building a system that supports excellence in clinical care and if you are passionate about that, these are opportunities you should explore.”

Health records are currently a combination of electronic and paper files. LHSC and its regional partners are launching the next phase of a multi-year project to digitize health records, a major step forward in ensuring the transfer of information within and between the 11 participating hospitals in Southwestern Ontario is done in real time.

Called OneChart, the electronic health record will ultimately increase patient safety, the quality of documentation, communication between internal teams and those at the participating hospitals, while also speeding up the transfer of information. Digital transformation such as this promotes seamless transitions in care, a priority in LHSC’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.

While there is a significant IT component to this project and many positions require IT systems knowledge, there are many others in which clinical experience will be an asset.

“We are looking for a variety of healthcare workers including members of a health discipline or technologists; people who have both an educational background in clinical care delivery and real-life experience, ideally working in a hospital environment,” Mes explains. “We will train them on the technology.”

The non-clinical positions range from entry-level, such as support analysts, to senior positions such as solutions architects. There are several project management roles available as well.

The majority of the positions are permanent full-time opportunities with remote and hybrid working environments. These positions offer competitive wages, paid vacation, HOOPP (pension plan) and benefits. To find the project positions, visit the careers section of LHSC’s website and search for ‘OneChart.’

“Once OneChart is fully implemented, if a patient is transferred to LHSC from Woodstock Hospital, as an example, we would be able to access their complete record before they even arrive,” Mes said.

“A pen and a piece of paper is not enough. We need digital information so that we can use it first and foremost for quality patient care but also for research, education and system planning.”