CHUQ chooses Bell for implementation of a new model for electronic health
records

Partnership between Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec and Bell to offer a multisite portal of clinical tools to hospitals across Québec

QUÉBEC, June 16 /CNW Telbec/ - The Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec (CHUQ) and Bell announced today the beginning of a collaboration that will benefit health professionals and patients through the introduction of a multisite portal of clinical tools called Cristal-Net. After launching a public invitation to tender, CHUQ selected Bell to promote and distribute the Cristal-Net solution to Québec's health network. This collaboration agreement, which will make the solution available at no charge under the principles of open source software, is the first of its kind in Canada.

The Cristal-Net tool integrates all patient information coming from a hospital's source systems -labs, pharmacy, medical imaging and so on - and makes it available to caregivers, while ensuring secure management of patient profiles. Proven effective in clinical settings, Cristal-Net is as easy to use as surfing the Web, reducing the time and cost of training.

"At CHUQ, we have the clinical experience and inside knowledge of how Cristal-Net works in a real-life setting, having used it for 10 years," said Gertrude Bourdon, Director General, CHUQ. "The system has some 3,750 users making more than 75,000 queries a month. To fulfill our vision of spreading the benefits of Cristal-Net to other healthcare institutions, we needed a partner that stood out from the rest in marketing, distribution and, most importantly, as an integrator of complex healthcare-related solutions. Bell is exactly the partner we need."

"As a leader in the computerization of clinical systems, CHUQ has found that Cristal-Net offers a low-cost, high-value alternative to traditional tools," said Stéphane Boisvert, President, Bell Business Markets. "We are convinced that the open-source approach will revolutionize and accelerate the computerization of Québec's health care network. With ongoing budgetary pressures and increased demands for efficiency, the health network must leverage proven technology applications such as Cristal-Net."

Any Québec institution that wishes to integrate the Cristal-Net solution into its existing systems can do so at no charge. Bell will provide first-line support for staff training and on-site assistance.

Québec's community of practice, which will be put in place for the evolution of Cristal-Net, will allow participating institutions both to quickly take advantage of the existing Cristal-Net solution and to contribute to its ongoing development, in order to meet their staff's expectations and improve patient outcomes across the province.

About CHUQ

CHUQ is one of the largest health facilities in Québec, providing general care and several highly specialized services for the population of eastern Québec, which represents close to 2 million people. Closely linked to Université Laval and looking towards the future, it is driven by a humane, expert team composed of 1,000 doctors, dentists and pharmacists and 9,000 employees who are dedicated to teaching and research in CHUQ's niches of expertise and to the assessment of health technologies and intervention approaches. CHUQ includes Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Hôpital Saint-François d'Assise and CHUL with its Centre mère-enfant, as well as five health centres. More information is available on CHUQ's website at www.chuq.qc.ca.

About Bell

Headquartered in Montréal, Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers and businesses with solutions to all their communications needs, including Bell Mobility wireless, high-speed Bell Internet, Bell TV direct-to-home satellite television, Bell Home Phone local and long distance phone services, and IP-broadband and information and communications technology (ICT) services. Bell is proud to be a Premier National Partner and the Exclusive Telecommunications Partner to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For information on Bell's products and services, please visit www.bell.ca. For corporate information on BCE, please visit www.bce.ca.

About the Cristal-Net Solution

Cristal-Net was developed by the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Grenoble in France. The Cristal-Net portal is currently available in a "thin client" format, which represents added value, since it increases mobility, an essential element that enables caregivers to access the information they need no matter where they are. CHUQ, the first organization in Canada to adapt Cristal-Net for its operations, reports major success in improving patient care as nurses and physicians have more essential information at their fingertips. In addition, CHUQ believes that it has saved considerable amounts by integrating Cristal-Net into all its sites to meet all the needs of its professionals and nurses. The organization has contributed to the development of the tool to ensure that it reflects the staff's expectations and complies with good practices in patient care.

For further information: Pascale St-Pierre, Communications Branch, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec, 418 525-4387, [email protected]; Marie-Ève Francoeur, Bell Media Relations, 514 391-5263, 1 877 391-2007, [email protected]