OntarioMD, a company specializing in the selection, implementation and adoption of electronic medical records (EMR) and provincial digital health tools, recently announced that it will be adding 12 hospitals in north west Ontario to its provincial Health Report Manager digital report delivery solution. The move will be undertaken in collaboration with Northwest Health Alliance (NWHA) and eHealth Ontario.

According to sources close to the matter, the addition of these hospitals is a part of the transition from the regional POI (Physician Office Integration) report delivery project to HRM. Incidentally HRM currently delivers reports to electronic medical records of over 10,000 physicians and nurse practitioners across Ontario from nearly 100 specialty clinic sites and 120 hospital corporations.

HRM is being considered one of the essential tools needed to support integrated patient care.

Sarah Hutchison, CEO, OntarioMD, has been reported to say that HRM will lead to integrated patient care in which a patient residing in any part of Ontario and visiting a hospital in any other part will receive the benefit of continuance of data. For instance, if a resident of Thunder Bay breaks his/her arm while visiting Niagara Falls and visits a hospital there then the patient’s primary care provider in Thunder Bay will be able to receive diagnostic imaging report for the patient in electronic medical records through HRM in real time.

Hutchison added that this would help the doctor or the nurse to schedule a follow up appointment, prevent complications and coordinate physiotherapy or any other therapy needed.

It is expected that as North West Hospital Alliance hospitals become HRM enabled facilities, this will add 1.8 million reports that HRM sends to EMRs of 10,000 clinicians across Ontario. It will also help in expanding the provincial impact and coverage of this service.

According to sources, HRM is a valued provincial digital health asset that assisted in saving $36 million for the healthcare system in costs in 2018. It also helped in saving approximately 23 to 33 minutes for clinicians in the form of practice time every day.

Source Credit: https://www.ontariomd.ca/pages/hrm-adds-north-west-health-alliance-hospitals-for-more-integrated-care-for-north-west-ontario-patients--.aspx