April 17, 2012

Patients of Grey Bruce Hospitals Benefit from Electronic Lab Reports

Over 2,000 Health Care Providers Now Have Access to Ontario Laboratories Information System

Laboratory test results are now available to health care providers in Grey and Bruce counties through the eHealth Ontario laboratories information system (OLIS).

OLIS connects hospitals, community laboratories, public health laboratories and other health care providers to allow the exchange of secure electronic laboratory test results. The ability to electronically share this information helps providers make faster and more informed decisions about patient care.

Previously, hospital care providers would wait for community lab reports to be faxed or mailed, or rely on calls to patients and family doctors to track down critical information. Now, laboratory results can be accessed by many health care providers at any of the Grey Bruce hospital sites as soon as tests are completed. This enables health care providers to gain instant access to results from patients registered for care in their hospital – using a viewing system with which they are already familiar.

Laboratory test results are now available for health care providers to make treatment decisions within minutes compared to days, as was previously the case. Staff have also become more efficient in their work thanks to a significant reduction in paper chasing, phone calls and fax exchanges between sites.

Future plans include expanding OLIS access to other hospitals and community providers in the South West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and across the province.

Canada Health Infoway, the federally-funded organization investing in electronic health record systems across Canada, is a funding partner in this initiative.

“More than 170,000 residents in the Grey and Bruce counties have access to better and more coordinated care thanks to eHealth Ontario initiatives. This expansion of the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS) will provide a seamless and secure exchange of health information to ensure patients are getting the best care possible.”
- Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

“The purpose of the eHealth Ontario is to improve patient care through innovation and technology. Every day we are pushing more and more information into the hands of health care providers through programs such as OLIS. We’re moving the dial on the cost and quality of health care delivery. This work is happening now, all across the province, and right here in the Grey and Bruce counties today.”
- Greg Reed, President and CEO, eHealth Ontario

“Access to OLIS data in real-time enables our patients to be treated at any hospital in Grey and Bruce counties and know that their health care provider will have immediate access to lab results from any lab in Ontario submitting its results to the OLIS databank at the push of a button. This can be critical information in an emergency and can avoid duplication of lab testing for patients. Early feedback from physicians and other health care providers is that this is a very helpful and easily accessible tool in caring for their patients. The OLIS viewer provides us with access to a more comprehensive lab history, which helps ensure quality and patient safety at our hospitals.”
- Maureen Solecki, CEO, Grey Bruce Health Services

QUICK FACTS

• 2,053 health care providers within the 11 hospital sites now have access to lab results through their existing clinical viewer.
• OLIS contains 60% of all provincial laboratory test results.
• Grey Bruce Health Services has six hospital sites located in Markdale, Meaford, Owen Sound, Southampton, Wiarton and Lion’s Head. South Bruce Grey Health Centre consists of four hospital sites: Chesley, Durham, Walkerton and Kincardine.
• Together with Hanover and District Hospital, these 11 sites serve more than 170,000 residents in the Grey and Bruce counties.
• An additional 679 health care providers at The Ottawa Hospital also have access to provincial lab results from community and hospital labs through OLIS.

Media Contacts:

Catherine Krever
eHealth Ontario
416-586-4326

Dan Strasbourg
Canada Health Infoway
416-595-3424

Mary Margaret Crapper
Grey Bruce Health Services
519-376-2121 x2806

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