Press Release
Renfrew Victoria Hospital
RENFREW – Renfrew Victoria Hospital and St. Francis Memorial Hospital, as part of the Atlas Alliance of health organizations, have been recognized for effectively and efficiently using technology in patient care.
The Atlas Alliance, which includes RVH, SFMH, Hawkesbury and District General Hospital, The Ottawa Hospital, The Ottawa Hospital Academic Family Health Team, and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, is the largest group of organizations in Canada to achieve Stage 6 accreditation as designated by Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
This achievement is due, in large part, to the successful launch of the Epic electronic health information system in June 2019. The system provides real-time access to patient medical information and allows healthcare providers to make timely, informed decisions based on the most comprehensive and connected information, resulting in improved patient experiences.
The implementation of EPIC across the Atlas Alliance builds on existing links and integration of programs between partner organizations to help ensure seamless care from both the patient and healthcare professional perspective.
“The system has led to improved communication and safer transfer of patients between hospitals within the Atlas Alliance as well as improved access to the patients’ medical records allowing the medical team to put patients’ presenting issues in clinical context and improving quality care,” shares Dr. Steve Radke, Chief of Staff, Renfrew Victoria Hospital.
The benefits to patients from this system have been tremendous, agrees Dr. Jason Malinowski, Chief of Staff, St. Francis Memorial Hospital.
“Many patient transfers to the city have been avoided altogether. Tests and reports are on the system for all the providers to see, meaning much less repeating of tests, and tracking of results—therefore avoiding delays in care that can happen when hospitals and other providers aren’t connected. My patients report that having access to their results on MyChart has been a godsend. Our doctors and patients really appreciate the forward thinking of the hospital administration and board in going ahead with this project,” says Malinowski
The international HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) scores hospitals around the world based on their electronic medical record (EMR) capabilities through an eight-stage (0-7) model. Level 6 is the second-highest rating and only 12 other hospitals in Canada have achieved this.
“This puts our adoption and utilization of EMR functions in the top 2 percent of hospitals in the country, which is an amazing achievement for our small rural hospitals,” notes Julia Boudreau, RVH and SFMH CEO.
RVH and SFMH also achieved Outpatient Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (O-EMRAM) Stage 6, marking the success of ambulatory care services as one of less than 100 programs in Canada to hit the milestone.
“The tremendous commitment of our hospitals both financially and from a human resource perspective is paying dividends now and will continue to do so for many years to come,” notes Dr. Radke.
“This is an important technical development for our hospitals, and we could not have achieved this without the impeccable clinical execution and commitment to world-class care from our entire staff, physicians, and our partners in the Atlas Alliance,” states Boudreau.
