Hospitals launch upgraded medical record system
Community members are asked to be patient as Oak Valley Health and its partners adjust to an upgraded electronic medical record system. Patients may experience longer than usual wait times, including in the Emergency Department, and may want to consider other resources.
Together with Southlake Health and Stevenson Memorial Hospital, Oak Valley, which cares for patients across Markham Stouffville Hospital and Uxbridge Hospital as well as the Reactivation Care Centre – will go live with the upgraded system on October 28.
The three health care organizations are the founding partners in the Shared Health Information Network Exchange (SHINE), which helps connect care across York Region, Durham Region and Simcoe County. They’ve worked closely with their technology vendor, MEDITECH, over the past year and a half to strengthen their shared electronic medical record system.
By transitioning from mostly paper-based processes to a more electronic system for clinicians and staff, the upgraded system will support more streamlined, coordinated care. Patients will benefit from improved communication between care teams and enhanced safeguards designed to support patient safety at every step, the organizations report.
SHINE enables seamless access to patients’ health information at all sites, allowing clinicians to access more information about their patients when they need it from almost anywhere. This is particularly beneficial for patients who receive care at multiple sites, such as cardiac and cancer patients who may visit their local hospital and Southlake for a regional program.
While the upgraded system will deliver long-term benefits, its implementation will involve important workflow changes that will require teams to adjust. All emergency departments will remain open during the transition, but patients, families and visitors may experience longer wait times as hospital teams adapt to the changes.
Hospital emergency departments are open 24/7 and are best for life-threatening or serious conditions such as chest pain, stroke symptoms, difficulty breathing, severe trauma and high fever in infants under three months old. Patients who aren’t experiencing life-threatening or serious conditions can visit an urgent care centre, a walk-in clinic or their primary care provider depending on their symptoms.
Choosing the right option can help reduce wait times and ensure the emergency department is available for those who need it most. Oak Valley Health lists the following additional resources: Community Health Clinic – Stouffville (37 Sandiford Dr., Suite 301, Stouffville), Community Health Clinic – Uxbridge (4 Campbell Dr., Building B, Uxbridge inside Oak Tree Medical Building) and Virtual Urgent Care Clinic.