Scarborough Health Network (SHN) is partnering with six other hospital organizations representing 14 hospitals in Ontario’s central east region to deliver a new, digital clinical information system (CIS). Once implemented, each of the 1.5 million people in the central east region who receive hospital care will have a single, unified personal health record across the partner hospitals.

This collaboration represents the largest number of individual organizations joining together on Epic in Ontario and will transform the way health care is delivered for generations to come.

“For the first time in central east Ontario, patients and their entire care teams will have real-time access to each patient’s health information in one place,” said Elizabeth Buller, President and CEO, SHN. “The CIS will dramatically improve the ways patients and health professionals communicate with each other, supporting them to make the best possible decisions about each individual’s treatment and care.”

As hospitals across Ontario have faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic together over the last 16 months, our partner hospitals have gained an even greater understanding of the importance of having a shared CIS in place to support the best possible care for our 1.5 million patients across the region.

The seven partner hospital organizations participating in this major health care initiative are: Campbellford Memorial Hospital, Haliburton Highlands Health Services, Lakeridge Health, Northumberland Hills Hospital, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Ross Memorial Hospital and Scarborough Health Network.

“This unprecedented partnership will substantially improve the patient experience by supporting patients throughout their transitions between organizations and services,” said David Graham, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, SHN, and Chair, Regional Executive Forum, Central East Epic CIS Implementation. “For physicians and other clinicians, the entire care process will be seamless, from patient referrals to placing orders to medication management.”

The new regional CIS means:

  • One digital record for each patient across seven hospital organizations in the central east region.
  • Patient access to a user-friendly and secure portal called MyChart, to view their health information and upcoming appointments.
  • Implementation of evidence-based best practices across the care continuum.
  • Timely access to information to support clinical decision-making, including test results, medication information and other essential health information.
  • Improvements in patient safety features, including barcode identity validation at the patient’s bedside.
  • Less duplication and more efficient processes, contributing to a more sustainable health system.

Epic is one of the world’s largest electronic health records software companies, and their system has been adopted by hundreds of leading hospitals in North America and Europe, including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, The Ottawa Hospital, SickKids, and Mackenzie Health.

Epic will go live for all seven partner organizations in December 2021. Stay tuned for more information.