Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
Imaging network expands circle of care
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance connects to network
Seaforth, ON - Today Huron Perth Health Care
Alliance (HPHA) celebrated their connection to
one of the most sophisticated digital imaging
networks in the world. HPHA, encompassing
hospitals in Clinton, St. Marys, Seaforth and
Stratford, joins nine other hospital organizations in
Southwestern Ontario linked to this network that
enables diagnostic images to be shared between
primary, secondary and tertiary care hospitals.
Having access to this powerful tool leads to
improved access to appropriate care for
patients.
“Ensuring our healthcare professionals have access
to the latest technology is extremely important for
the HPHA. It assists in the recruitment and
retention of staff and physicians and strengthens
our ability to provide needed healthcare services
locally, ” said Andrew Williams, CEO of
HPHA.
Funding for this project is from HPHA and its
community, in partnership with Canada Health
Infoway. “This is one of the largest shared
diagnostic imaging projects of its kind in Canada.
It can serve as a model for other jurisdictions
across the country,” said Stella Skerlec, DI and
Registries Program Director for Canada Health
Infoway. Infoway presented Huron Perth
Healthcare Alliance with $481,456 for their
portion of the overall initiative.
Shared imaging is helping to improve health care
delivery in rural communities by increasing access
to radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and
other specialists. "Emergency physicians can now
obtain timely radiology reports on CTs and other
difficult to interpret films,” said Dr. Miriam Mann,
HPHA’s Medical Program Director, Emergency
Services. “Just this week, CT images on a late
evening trauma patient were reviewed and
dictated before 7:00 am the next
morning."
Digital images are filmless – much like a digital
camera. Digital imaging systems enable
healthcare providers to view, manage, distribute
and electronically store a patient’s exam images
from x-ray, CT, ultrasound, nuclear medicine,
MRIs, and PET scans as well as medical files from
any location connected through the system -
regardless of where the test was conducted. The
PACS (picture archiving and communication
system) captures, stores and sends images using
digital technology.
This project is serving as a model for other health
information network projects across Canada.
Planning is underway to continue expanding this
network to other Southwestern Ontario
hospitals.
For more information, please contact:
Brenda Straus
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
519-272-8210, ext. 2423
Anne Kay,
St. Joseph’s Health Care London
519-685-4292, ext. 42470 or Page 519-649-9238
Cindy Hoffman
Canada Health Infoway
514-397-7335 or 1-866-868-0550
choffman@infoway-inforoute.ca
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