A project to establish a shared diagnostic imaging network in Southwestern Ontario marked its completion today with the connection of Woodstock General Hospital (WGH) to the Thames Valley Digital Imaging Network. The initiative, one of the largest projects of its kind in Canada, allows eight hospitals to share diagnostic images electronically.

The project, which has served as a model for other health information network projects across Canada, was initiated by the Thames Valley Hospital Planning Partnership (TVHPP) and jointly funded by Canada Health Infoway and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care. The network allows sharing of diagnostic images between rural hospitals and the resources of tertiary care hospitals, leading to more accurate diagnoses and improved access to appropriate care for patients. Planning is underway to expand the network to other Southwestern Ontario hospitals.

"As the shared digital imaging project spread throughout the Thames Valley, implementations went exceptionally well," says Natasa Veljovic, President and CEO of WGH. Thanks to the pioneering work of the TVHPP project, similar implementations are spreading throughout Canada, helping to enhance the quality of care by providing faster access to diagnostic reports and images.

Richard C. Alvarez, Infoway's President and Chief Executive Officer, said: "This is yet another milestone towards establishment of a pan-Canadian Electronic Health Record. The Thames Valley group was one of the first to work with Infoway on such an ambitious project in the diagnostic imaging field. Their shared governance and network models are now being leveraged in other jurisdictions across Canada. We are proud to have been partners in this undertaking and to see the emerging benefits it is bringing to healthcare providers and patients alike."

Infoway has committed an investment of $19.9 million to this initiative and today Infoway presented Woodstock General Hospital with $702,278 for their portion of the project.

Shared imaging is helping to improve health care delivery in rural communities by increasing access to radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and other specialists at tertiary care hospitals. "Recently, I was able to electronically access the images of a patient transferred here from Ingersoll," says Dr. Malcolm MacLeod, General Surgeon and Chief of Staff at WGH. "With just the click of a mouse I reviewed the patients X-rays taken in Ingersoll to compare them with our X-rays to note changes and improvements."

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.

About Canada Health Infoway

Infoway is an independent not-for-profit organization that invests with public sector partners across Canada to implement and reuse compatible health information systems which support a safer, more efficient healthcare system. These systems provide healthcare professionals with rapid access to complete and accurate patient information, enabling better decisions about treatment and diagnosis. The result is a sustainable, more cost-efficient healthcare system offering improved patient safety and better quality of care. Infoway is an independent, not -for-profit corporation whose members are the federal, provincial, and territorial deputy ministers of health.

About the Thames Valley Hospital Planning Partnership (TVHPP)

The TVHPP coordinates and undertakes initiatives to improve the delivery of hospital-based services within Thames Valley to enhance health care for these residents. It is a voluntary partnership that includes the eight hospitals in Thames Valley: Alexandra Hospital in Ingersoll, Middlesex Hospital Alliance in Strathroy and Newbury, London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph's Health Care London, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital and Woodstock General Hospital.

For further information: Anne Kay, Communication and Public Affairs, (519) 685-4292, ext. 42470, Page (519) 649-9238; Cindy Hoffman, Canada Health Infoway, (514) 397-7335, 1-866-868-0550, choffman@infoway-inforoute.ca

Source: newswire