Five Ontario tech projects that will improve remote patient monitoring and care

TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2015 /CNW/ - More than $3 million is being invested in five public-private partnerships through an Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) program focused on use of technology to remotely monitor and care for Ontario patients.

"Our AdvancingHealth program is providing an unprecedented opportunity for the public and private sectors to work collaboratively to pilot innovative products that will improve the patient experience in Ontario's healthcare system," says Dr. Tom Corr, OCE's President and CEO. "Ontario has a wealth of tech innovations that are ideally suited to modernizing the healthcare sector."

This is the second round of projects approved under the AdvancingHealth program with this round focused on use of technology to enhance virtual care and remote patient engagement.

The program is fostering innovation in Ontario's healthcare system through collaborations between Ontario-based public healthcare organizations and companies. It matches healthcare system needs and challenges with exciting information communication technologies.

AdvancingHealth is a partnership between OCE and Ontario's Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. It is funding the five projects for up to $350,000 each with additional cash and in-kind support coming from industry partners and some of Ontario's top hospitals. It is driving healthcare innovation adoption leading to improved health outcomes, enhanced patient experience and efficient use of the system's resources.

"Our government is proud to support innovation and efficiency in healthcare through increased use of technology," says David Orazietti, Minister of Government and Consumer Services. "AdvancingHealth is bringing together public and private sector partners to demonstrate ground-breaking products and services. This program will help enable procurement of innovation by the public healthcare sector, while also creating new jobs and supporting the province's economy."

Also partnering in the program is Dr. Anne Snowdon, one of Ontario's leading health innovation researchers, who will analyze challenges and opportunities for innovation adoption and the sustainability of early market engagement established through this program.

For a full list of projects and participants, please see the attached backgrounder.

About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. (www.oce-ontario.org)

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario's global competitiveness. OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, domestic and foreign investors, and government ministries. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices, innovation, entrepreneurship and research, OCE invests in such areas as advanced health, information and communications technology, digital media, advanced materials and manufacturing, agri-food, aerospace, transportation, energy, and the environment including water and mining. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario's Innovation Agenda as a member of the province's Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE), which helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs and industry rapidly grow their company and create jobs. Learn more at www.onebusiness.ca

Backgrounder – AdvancingHealth Projects: Round 2

Toronto General Hospital (TGH) and ManagingLife - Post-surgery patients using TGH's Transitional Pain Service as a post-discharge intervention will use ManagingLife's "Manage My Pain" mobile cloud-based platform to self-report symptoms and receive support for their pain management as a strategy to reduce ER visits and/or dependence on painkillers.

London Health Sciences Centre; Ontario Telemedicine Network; Kidney Foundation of Canada and eQOL - eQOL's eQ Connect supports patients to manage their kidney dialysis treatments at home and tracks all relevant data and progress.  The objective of this project is to demonstrate cost reductions in care delivery, increase adoption of home-based treatments and enhance the quality of care to support patients to remain at home.

Southlake Regional Health Centre; South Simcoe Northern York Region Health Link and AlayaCare Inc., CBI Health Group - Utilizing AlayaCare's technology platform, clients will be able to monitor their vital signs and complete a clinician-designed daily self-monitoring workflow. These results are monitored by clinicians in CBI's telehealth call center and are used to provide health and lifestyle coaching to clients/patients. The ultimate goal of the project is to help clients/patients suffering from one or more chronic conditions better manage their own care at home and reduce the number of hospital visits required.

Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences and Mozazz Corporation - Increased patient engagement and activation is associated with improved recovery in mental illness, better mental-health self-care, mental and physical health, and quality of life.  Ontario Shores will assess the effectiveness of using mobile technology with the Mozzaz platform to actively engage and monitor a patient's engagement and activation in their mental health care activities in relation to their treatment outcomes and quality of life.

Northhumberland Hills Hospital; Ontario Telemedicine Network and QoC Health – This is a continuation of work on the Northumberland Partners Advancing Transitions in Healthcare (PATH) project. PATH is a community partnership of seniors, caregivers and cross-sector healthcare providers working together to make system-wide changes that will meet the needs and improve the experience of seniors living with chronic conditions as they transition through the healthcare system. Phase 1 of the PATH project is complete, with evaluations underway. This Phase 2 project will further develop and evaluate the PATH e-solutions with telemedicine capability, enabling videoconferencing solutions for appointments, including point-to-point hospital diagnostics, and online booking support.

SOURCE Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc.

Media contact: Stuart Green, Manager, Media Relations, Ontario Centres of Excellence, 416-861-1092 x 1022, [email protected]