Ontario Shores transforms care with the launch of Meditech 6.0

WHITBY, ON, Oct 8 /CNW/ - On October 5, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) went live with MEDITECH 6.0, bringing the Advanced Clinical Systems (ACS) to seven patient care units across the hospital. The remaining units will follow on November 23. 

Ontario Shores is the first hospital in Canada to implement MEDITECH 6.0, a new advancement in healthcare informatics, helping the organization track records using a fast user interface with workflow-oriented screens and secure internet access. The decision to move to an electronic health record system supports Ontario Shores' commitment to enhancing patient safety, improving access to care, and increasing efficiency of service and care for patients.

"The transition to MEDITECH 6.0 is a complete transformation of how all clinicians at Ontario Shores deliver care safely, efficiently, securely and collaboratively," said Debra Churchill, Interim Chief Nurse Executive and Director, Nursing Professional Practice.

"A major goal for the implementation of the electronic health record system is enhancing patient safety and improving delivery of care, which has been achieved by the standardization of clinical documentation processes in an electronic format available to all clinicians involved in the patient's care team," Churchill explained.

Clinical documentation standards in the electronic format allow for less duplication of information on file; better communication across interdisciplinary teams and from one shift to the next; less risk of error; better data available for more powerful and accurate reporting and decision making; and improved access to information across multiple sites.

After three years of planning, collaboration and implementation, Ontario Shores is excited to build on the success of Phase I which went live in October 2009 when MEDITECH 6.0 software was successfully implemented in Pharmacy, Health Information Management, Quality Risk Management, Finance, Materials Management, Scanning and Archiving, Staff Scheduling, Human Resources and Payroll.

"Phase II brings to life Ontario Shores' vision for a fully integrated electronic health record across the hospital," said Dr. Ilan Fischler, Interim Physician-in-Chief. 

The advanced clinical systems functions include:

• Patient Care System (PCS) - Clinical Documentation
• Electronic Medication Record (eMAR) and Bedside Medication Verification (BMV)
• Physician Care Manager - Physician Documentation (PDoc) and Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE)
• Imaging and Therapeutics (ITS) - Transcription
• Electronic Medical Record (EMR)

"As a mental health hospital, we have a responsibility to our patients to help them achieve their optimal well-being," Dr. Fischler said. "The advanced clinical functions in MEDITECH 6.0 will play a significant role in our collaborative model of care, minimizing adverse events at Ontario Shores, and promoting evidence-based practice and high standards of care."

Since announcing the partnership with MEDITECH 6.0 in January 2008, the go-live project team members, consisting of over 50 staff and partners, have accomplished numerous milestones in preparation for the October 5 launch.

"The success of this project relied on the collaborative efforts of the entire organization and our partners," said Karim Mamdani, Chief Operating Officer. "The core project team has been focused on this development since day one. In addition, we received tremendous support from our IT Operations team, clinical education leaders, advanced practice nurses, trained superusers, the project steering committee and Healthtech Consultants, an external firm, who consistently provided innovative solutions."

After receiving up to three days of training on the new system, clinicians now using MEDITECH 6.0, new medication carts and electronic devices, have provided positive feedback on the transition. However, Ontario Shores is committed to making ongoing improvements in patient safety and quality care.

"We anticipate further enhancements to be made to the system in the future as we seek suggestions for improvements from our trained clinicians who are performing electronic documentation daily," explained Mamdani. "We look forward to our ongoing partnership with MEDITECH."

About Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) is a leader in mental health care, providing a spectrum of specialized assessment and treatment services for people living with complex mental illness. Patients benefit from a recovery-oriented environment of care, built on compassion, inspiration and hope. Ontario Shores engages in research, education and advocacy initiatives to advance the mental health care system.

For further information:

or to set up an interview, please contact:
Jennifer Bastarache
Communications Officer
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
905-430-4055 ext. 6583
[email protected]