Cornwall hospital improves access to community records

CORNWALL, Ont. – Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) has achieved a significant milestone in digital integration, merging acute care and community service health records via the Oracle Health electronic health record (EHR) system for Community Addiction and Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

As of February 2024, all CAMHS programs are fully operational within the Oracle Health EHR. This integration is expected to enhance patient and client outcomes by enabling comprehensive and coordinated care across acute and community settings, while ensuring optimal security for safeguarding patient and client information.

Although CCH’s acute care services implemented the Oracle Health EHR system in 2016, the CAMHS Centre, situated adjacent to the hospital and opened in 2017, operated on a different system.

This situation presented numerous challenges, especially for clients who access the hospital’s acute care services, such as the emergency department or inpatient mental health unit.

Now, with the system extended to the CAMHS Centre, as well as its programs offsite, including the Day Treatment Centre in Ingleside, Safe Bed Program at Riverview Manor, and St. Denis Residential Addictions Treatment Centre, all facilities, programs, and people are seamlessly connected through a single, secure system.

This enables real-time access to comprehensive health records across sites, promoting patient-centered collaboration among staff and physicians for improved care outcomes.

“For the past 20 years, CCH has prioritized integrated care within our community, guided by our vision to provide Exceptional Care. Always.,” said Jeanette Despatie (pictured), CCH president and chief executive officer. “This digital consolidation of health records enhances our commitment to innovation and health system integration, enabling sustainable care models to address evolving community needs.”

“I am thrilled about the positive impact that the introduction of the Oracle Health EHR system for CAMHS programs will have on our staff, physicians, clients and patients,” said Christine Penney, vice president of Community Programs at CCH. “People can expect the same high-quality, compassionate services, now with smoother transitions between different healthcare settings, ensuring continuity of care and reducing the likelihood of gaps or disruptions in their treatment plans.”

“With Oracle’s open and connected technology, we’re focused on helping hospitals and health systems, like CCH, streamline administrative tasks to reduce clinician burden, provide them with real-time information to make data-informed care decisions, and free up more time to spend with patients,” said Erin O’Halloran, vice president, Canada, Oracle Health. “CCH is embracing digitization and continually evolving to address its community’s health needs, and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”

Since 2016, CCH has established itself as one of Canada’s fully digitally integrated community hospitals, delivering significant clinical and operational benefits. This latest integration, coupled with the recent expansion of the Oracle Health EHR system to facilitate patient record sharing with local Long-Term Care facilities through the Ontario eHub network, reaffirms CCH’s continuous dedication to digital health innovation and integration aimed at enhancing patient-centered care.