NS to deploy Novari solutions across province

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Health and Novari Health Inc. have executed an agreement to deploy the Novari Access to Care suite of technologies across Nova Scotia. Under the terms of the $17 million, 5-year agreement (with an option to extend an additional 4 years), the province will expand its use of Novari’s surgical wait list management system and implement its award-winning referral central intake and medical imaging requisition management modules.

The Novari platform will help improve access and the delivery of care across the province for surgery, endoscopies, medical imaging, mental health and addictions and oncology services.

“The One Person One Record Clinical Information System will provide faster access to healthcare for Nova Scotians and improve communication across the system,” said Dr. Julie Maranda (pictured), OPOR Chief Medical Information Officer, Nova Scotia Health.

“Integrating with the Novari referral and wait list management modules will enhance our CIS and leverage existing systems that support these important processes.”

The use of the Novari technology provides the province with “air traffic control” like capabilities to help manage the intake, load balancing, and routing of all referrals to Nova Scotia Health clinical services, as well as those provided by IWK Health, a major women’s and children’s hospital and trauma centre located in Halifax.

In 2023, Nova Scotia launched a central intake model, which has improved access for patients, and streamlined processes around the province for both IWK Health and Nova Scotia Health.

Building on that success, and leveraging integration with the OceanMD eReferral system, Oracle Health clinical information system, and the AGFA PACS system, the addition of these Novari solutions will help facilitate the sharing of digital patient referrals and medical records with care teams across the province, while also maintaining a single source of truth and eliminating duplicate data entry.

Novari’s wait list management capabilities will help ensure that the right patients receive care at the right time, in the right place, and with the right information.

The Novari Access to Care Software Platform consists of a series of integrated modules that improve patient access to care while improving the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare systems.

The provincial deployment of the Novari platform is a key piece of Nova Scotia’s healthcare technology modernization program and initiatives to help improve access to care for Nova Scotians and reduce wait times.

Central intake models have been proven to improve patient access to care by centrally receiving, triaging, and routing referrals to the most appropriate clinical setting, with the shortest wait time and as close to the patient’s home as possible.

Novari Health’s central intake, triaging, routing, and workflow software is the leading global system for health regions, provinces, and individual hospitals. Its capabilities include artificial intelligence (AI) enabled analytics to provide healthcare administrators, clinicians, and leadership with insight into the volume and wait times for patients waiting for care, as well as providing real-time intelligence to drive continuous process improvement.

Novari Health, a long-standing technology supplier to the province, partnered with Oracle Health (formerly Cerner) to provide enterprise referral and wait list management technology for the One Person One Record (OPOR) provincial modernization project. OPOR is the largest healthcare transformation project in Nova Scotia’s history.

“When, like Novari, you specialize in enabling central intake models, wait list management, and more efficient healthcare workflows, it is very rewarding to be a part of the largest healthcare transformation project in Nova Scotia’s history,” said John Sinclair, president and CEO, Novari Health.

About IWK Health
IWK Health provides collaborative high-quality care to women, children, youth, and families in Nova Scotia, the Maritime provinces, and beyond. Services are delivered through their Children’s Health program, Mental Health and Addictions program, and Women’s and Newborn Health. IWK Health’s approach integrates talented people with new technologies, research, training, and clinical excellence to provide complex levels of care across the region.

About Nova Scotia Health
Nova Scotia Health is the largest provider of health services in Nova Scotia and provides health services to Nova Scotians and some specialized services to Maritimers and Atlantic Canadians. Its workforce of over 24,000 provides healthcare and support services in hospitals, health centers, and community-based programs across the province.

Their team of health professionals includes employees, doctors, researchers, learners, and volunteers that provide the healthcare or services Nova Scotians, and many Maritimers, may need.

About Novari Health
Novari Health’s award-winning enterprise scale referral management, central intake, and wait list management software solutions improve access to care, whilst improving the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare organizations. Leveraging HL7, FHIR, DICOM, and other international standards, our technologies complement and integrate with a wide variety of healthcare systems (e.g., HIS, EMR, PACS, etc.). Headquartered in Canada, with offices in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, Novari is one of the fastest growing digital health solution providers. ISO 27001 certified, Novari Health is a Microsoft Partner, with software solutions hosted on Microsoft Azure’s global network of data centres.