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Government Invests in Information Technology to Improve Patient Care
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Location: Blogs News |
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| Posted by: ITNovaScotia Admin |
Tuesday, April 18, 2006 |
KENTVILLE, Nova Scotia, April 18 /CNW Telbec/ - The completion of a new
digital diagnostic system at hospitals across Nova Scotia will allow
physicians and their patients to make faster and better treatment decisions.
"Our plan is to introduce new information technology across the province
that will improve the quality of care and access to tests and treatment,"
Premier Rodney MacDonald said today, April 18. "The PACS system will mean
quicker treatment decisions and the reduction of unnecessary travel for many
patients."
The Department of Health is investing more than $10 million in new
equipment as part of the Picture Archive and Communications System (PACS)
expansion project. The project, which is already underway in some districts,
will replace film-based imaging in the province with faster, safer and more
streamlined processes.
"This technology helps reduce the time a patient has to wait," said
Health Minister Chris d'Entremont. "We are allowing doctors to spend more time
with their patients and are providing Nova Scotians with health-care services
as close to home as possible."
Hospitals will be using digital technology to capture, store and transmit
digital images including X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds and MRIs. Medical
images will be available instantly to health care providers across the
province.
"The power of digital image has transformed the way health care is
delivered," said Dr. Charles Lo, clinical chief, diagnostic imaging at Capital
Health. "Radiologists and emergency room physicians can access patient images
from any hospital in the province meaning faster treatment and less
duplication."
The PACS expansion project is a partnership between the Health districts
in Nova Scotia, the Department of Health and Canada Health Infoway, an
independent not-for-profit organization that supports electronic health record
initiatives across Canada.
"Nova Scotia is providing health-care professionals with faster access to
better information by using diagnostic imaging, a key component of the
electronic health record," said Richard Alvarez Infoway's president and CEO.
"This will go a long way towards improving the efficiency, accessibility and
quality of patient care in Canada's health-care system."
The project began in 2004 at a total cost of $25 million. Canada Health
Infoway is contributing $12 million with the remaining $3 million to come from
the federal medical equipment.
The project is being implemented in hospitals across the province by
teams from district health authorities with support from Sierra Systems, who
provided project management; Agfa Inc., the vendor of the PACs equipment; and
EMC Corp., the centralized information management and storage provider.
About Canada Health Infoway
Infoway is an independent not-for-profit organization that invests with
public sector partners across Canada to implement and reuse compatible health
information systems which support a safer, more efficient healthcare system.
These systems provide healthcare professionals with rapid access to complete
and accurate patient information, enabling better decisions about treatment
and diagnosis. The result is a sustainable, healthcare system offering
improved quality, accessibility and productivity.
For further information: Frances Roberts, Canada Health Infoway, (647) 393-1534, croberts@infoway-inforoute.ca; Tina Thibeau, Department of Health, (902) 424-2727, thibeautd@gov.ns.ca; Jan MacKinnon, Annapolis Valley Health, (902) 538-3443, jmackinnon@avdha.nshealth.ca |
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