Two months before Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec launches its long-delayed pilot projects to establish digital health records, the Jewish General Hospital is already proceeding with its own project, which is considered much more advanced and yet will cost considerably less.<\/p>\n
And unlike the pilot projects spearheaded by Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec<\/a>, which will still require nurses to fill out paper records for vital signs, the project at the Jewish General is not using paper at all. What\u2019s more, the Jewish General\u2019s $100-million digital initiative \u2014 which not only includes electronic medical records, but an already-implemented command centre and a virtual-care program \u2014 is being financed 100 per cent through donations raised by the C\u00f4te-des-Neiges hospital\u2019s foundation.<\/p>\n In contrast, Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s partnership with Wisconsin-based Epic Systems<\/a> will cost taxpayers $402 million, up from $268 million, raising concerns about cost overruns by the Crown corporation that was set up in 2024 with a mandate to manage health care more efficiently and avoid going over budget.<\/p>\n Bram Freedman, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation, extended an invitation to Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec to use the Jewish General\u2019s digital health records system should its partnership with Epic Systems run into major problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWe invest in innovation at the Jewish General Hospital, and we\u2019ve always taken the view that we can make those innovations available to the whole system,\u201d Freedman said in an interview on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cSo other hospitals will come and see what we\u2019ve done and learn from us,\u201d he added, alluding to the Jewish General\u2019s command centre and virtual-care program, in which patients who are discharged from the hospital are equipped with apps on their smartphones while also wearing devices at home that transmit vital signs and enable video consultations.<\/p>\n The virtual-care program has since been adopted by H\u00f4pital du Suro\u00eet in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, while the command centre is being used by the West Island and Saguenay\u2014Lac-St-Jean health authorities.<\/p>\n Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec is aware of the Jewish General\u2019s pilot project on digital health records. A spokesperson told The Gazette that Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec \u201cencourages this type of initiative\u201d because \u201cthey allow for the exploration of new approaches that can provide added value for the public. These projects help enrich collective thinking and guide the evolution of our digital solutions across the network.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the spokesperson stopped short of agreeing to rely on the Jewish General software \u2014 which has already won a prestigious award for innovation \u2014 should its two pilot projects fail. Digital health records will be deployed in May at the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l\u2019\u00cele-de-Montr\u00e9al, which oversees Sacr\u00e9-Coeur, Jean-Talon and Fleury hospitals; and at the CIUSSS de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Qu\u00e9bec, also in charge of several hospitals.<\/p>\n \u201cSant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec is currently continuing the rollout of its two pilot sites,\u201d the spokesperson added. \u201cOver the coming months, the organization will analyze the results obtained, particularly in terms of clinical, organizational and user benefits. These factors will help guide future directions through a rigorous, phased approach focused on delivering value to the network and the public.\u201d<\/p>\n However, as The Gazette reported in January<\/a>, those two pilot projects are hobbled from the start, as vital signs monitors were never purchased that can upload health information digitally. The only exceptions are vital signs monitors in intensive-care units. By comparison, the Jewish General is making sure to acquire vital signs monitors for the entire hospital with that capability.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe feedback we\u2019ve received has been very positive,\u201d Dr. Justin Cross, director of digital health, said of the Jewish General\u2019s system. \u201cA trainer was telling me that some of the nurses that traditionally had not been so fluent with technology have taken to the system without any big issues, and I think that\u2019s a testament to the fact that the design is good because we\u2019ve involved a lot of people in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n Cross predicted the Jewish General\u2019s bilingual software, developed in partnership with Harris Healthcare, will lead to fewer medical errors and accidents and save the clinical team precious time in the frenetic hospital environment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have everything that\u2019s digital in terms of the key information \u2014 you know, the vital signs, the allergies, the medications \u2014 it\u2019s clear what the treatment team is doing because you\u2019re not wrestling with handwritten notes or anything like that,\u201d Cross explained. \u201cAll of those things absolutely increase patient safety.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jewish General launched the software module, called Observa, on the neurology floor in the K Pavilion last week and plans to phase it in throughout the entire hospital. Cross added that the software has received the highest certification for digital security to protect against ransomware and other cyber attacks.<\/p>\n Cross was recruited from Johns Hopkins Community Physicians in Maryland to help steer the Jewish General into the digital age of electronic health records. Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, president and CEO of the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l\u2019\u00cele-de-Montr\u00e9al, which oversees the Jewish General, has long been a proponent of cutting-edge digital technology to assist in health care.<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus is always on the people we care for, and this technology empowers our clinicians to act more quickly, more confidently and more collaboratively,\u201d Rosenberg said in a statement. \u201cWe are grateful for the interest and support we have received from our provincial partners. This advancement brings us closer to our vision of a fully integrated and intelligent health record ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n