St. Thomas Elgin General deploys electronic faxing

ST. THOMAS, Ont. – For years, legacy fax systems have been a foundational part of healthcare communication. While they once served us well, they now pose challenges around security, administrative overhead, and limited interoperability. Transitioning to an electronic faxing solution at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital now allows patient care areas to send, track, and manage faxes directly within digital workflows without printing.

The change reduces the risk of lost documents and privacy breaches, and it supports sustainability by eliminated unnecessary paper use. With both inbound and outbound electronic faxing in place, an estimated 230,000 paper pages will now be fully digitized.

“STEGH began exploring options for both inbound and outbound electronic faxing in early 2025,” said Monica Olanski (pictured), VP patient care services and CIO. “I am extremely proud of the team for bringing forward this option and for working through the many complexities associated with a project of this size. They also recognized that strong change management was foundational to this implementation.”

It became clear early in the project that moving away from traditional faxing was not just a technical change – it required a major shift in workflow and mindset. Staff have relied on the same faxing process for twenty years, so this transition called for strong change management, significant training, at-the-elbow support, and thoughtful process redesign.

True to STEGH’s culture of collaboration, teams across the hospital came together to make this work, bringing forward both teamwork and innovation.

Behind the scenes, the ITS Operations and Digital Health Teams collaborated to overcome technical and clinical challenges. Senior Network Technician, Casey McKeown, completed an extensive technical review, analysis, and testing in addition to managing all cybersecurity risks. The Digital Health Team, led by Jeanette Fidler worked hand-in-hand with clinical teams to redesign workflows and provide real time support. Their combined efforts ensured a smooth transition and a secure, efficient solution.

STEGH has been live with this solution for more than a month, and the response has been very positive. This work not only supports our internal needs, but also aligns with the Government of Ontario’s “Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care”, including the Patients Before Paperwork (Pb4P) initiative.

By reducing administrative burden and improving communication, STEGH is delivering on its promise to put patients first. This is more than a technology upgrade – it’s a meaningful step toward a more connected, secure, and efficient healthcare system.