MUHC forms strategic relationship with Medical.MD so that Quebecers are first to be empowered with health and wellness tools
Montreal, July 8, 2009—The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) announced today its strategic relationship with Quebec-wholly-owned Medical.MD to provide Quebecers with MedforYou, a personal electronic health record, launching simultaneously a call for 300 subscribers to evaluate the beta site. MedforYou will be available to the rest of Canada and people around the world in the near future.
“Giving Quebecers a Web-based logbook in which to track their health and a host of features that can inform and influence their lifestyle choices is a new way for the McGill University Health Centre to make a difference in people’s lives, stated the Hon. Arthur T. Porter, MUHC Director General and CEO. “Health education is naturally part of our dedication to “The Best Care for Life” and I am thrilled that MedforYou will extend the continuum of patient care we provide to Quebecers of all ages, from Montreal and Abitibi-Témiscamingue to Nunavik and other McGill RUIS regions.”
Since June 2008, the McGill University Health Centre has been working with the creative information-technology experts at Medical.MD on a state-of-the-art personal electronic health record. MedforYou 1.0 is the initial product. It will provide real-time, interactive support to subscribers who wish to monitor their health and/or that of their family, as well as make lifestyle choices, including nutrition and exercise, likely to have a positive effect on their well-being.
“Medical.MD is honoured to be associated with the MUHC in this vital health initiative,” highlighted Pierre Ducros, Chairman of the Advisory Board at Medical.MD. “The MUHC’s leadership and commitment to purposeful innovation fit perfectly with the acclaimed savoir-faire and goals of the MedforYou team.”
MedforYou’s designer is Medical.MD’s Chief Technology Officer, Philippe Panzini, whose international reputation for excellence covers a number of sectors including the film industry which recognized his software development talent with an Academy Award.
Unlike the electronic health records being developed by the Government of Quebec for the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ network or hospital medical records, MedforYou functions like an interactive Web site with a billboard-like welcome screen and easy-to-navigate menus, vocabulary prompts and features that should allow any individual, Web-savvy or not, to manage his or her personal electronic health record. Initial promotion begins with the beta test involving the first 300 subscribers to register at https://www.medforyou.com.
The MedforYou features to be reviewed include:
-Allergies dashboard
-Medications dashboard
-Conditions dashboard
-Immunizations dashboard
-Procedures dashboard
-Social habits history
-Family medical history
-Personal journal
-User demographics (partial)
-Visits and appointments
-Data validation
-Terminology engine
-Internationalization
-Providers dashboard
-Factor user authentication
“MedforYou is an essential complement to the electronic patient record being implemented in our hospitals today,” noted transplant surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Barkun, Director of General Surgery and Chief Clinical Officer of the Informatics Transition at the MUHC. “It will empower healthy Quebecers and patients with health and wellness tools. I believe people will find the scheduling function really helpful and having such a means to organize their basic personal health information will undoubtedly improve communication with healthcare professionals.”
Feedback on the beta site will be gathered between July and September 2009. During this time, additional features will be completed. MedforYou 1.0 will be available to the public as of October 2009 with enhancements planned for next year. Medical.MD has initiated discussions with TELUS Health Solutions to onboard MedforYou to its new consumer health platform: TELUS Health Space, Powered by Microsoft HealthVault.
About the MUHC The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. Its partner hospitals are the Montreal Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital. The goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the health care field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge. www.muhc.ca
About Medical.MD Medical.MD has developed the Personal Electronic Health Record (PEHR) under the name MedforYou. The company sees advances in computer science and wireless technology as the foundation for the introduction of a higher quality of health documentation that is both more useful and reliably secure. Building expertise in leading edge software will transform the promise of personal internet electronic health records into reality. Our goals are to enable users to more easily maintain their health, support users in correctly following their treatment, improve communications between patients and physicians, and facilitate the understanding of symptoms, illness, treatment and recovery.
About TELUS Health Solutions TELUS Health Solutions, backed by Emergis, represents a unique set of technology, expertise and resources to help transform how information is used in the healthcare industry. TELUS Health Solutions has years of expertise in successfully implementing healthcare applications and information communication technology processes through industry leading solutions and consulting services to customers in Canada and around the world. It is backed by more than 1,500 TELUS Health Solutions team members including healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit telushealth.com.
AS AN ASIDE: These are exciting times for Oacis – especially in Montreal! McGill/CHUM and TELUS Health have jointly won a Concours des OCTAS award for the Oacis Project for creativity, vitality and exceptional contribution to the growth of the industry. The award recognizes the implementation of a multilingual electronic medical record at McGill/CHUM: a first in North America.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Draximage of Montreal to supply medical isotope Iodine-131 (I-131) to treat thyroid cancer in Canada.
OTTAWA - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced today the approval of a new source of the medical isotope Iodine-131 (I-131) to treat thyroid cancer in Canada.
Health Canada has authorized Draximage of Montreal to supply I-131 from South Africa’s Safari reactor to Canadian health care facilities. This decision comes after the Department determined that I-131 produced by the SAFARI reactor is safe and effective for use by Canadian health care providers. Production of I-131 in Canada was interrupted by the unplanned shutdown of the Chalk River National Research Universal reactor (NRU) in May 2009.
"This is good news for thyroid cancer patients in Canada and their health care providers," said Minister Aglukkaq. "Our Government continues to find solutions to help address the current isotope shortage."
The Minister added that today’s approval means that Draximage will continue to supply all of Canada’s requirements for the I-131 isotopes. The company has advised that the transition to this new supply source will be seamless and immediate.
Since the shutdown of the Chalk River reactor, health care providers had been using Health Canada’s Special Access Programme to access I-131 for patients. Today’s approval of I-131 by Health Canada means that the isotope can be directly supplied to health care providers. Rapid approvals for alternate supplies of isotopes were a part of the regulatory tool kit put in place after the 2007 Chalk River shutdown.
Today’s announcement is just one more element of the ongoing work the Government of Canada is doing to minimize the impact of the medical isotope shortage on Canadians.
Other measures undertaken by Health Canada include:
-- Approving Australia as a new source for Technetium-99m for use by Canadian health care providers;
-- Appointing Dr. Alexander (Sandy) McEwan as Special Advisor on Medical Isotopes for the duration of the isotope shortage. He is providing on-the-ground updates on the situation and how it is affecting patients, advise how Health Canada can best support provinces, territories and the medical community on the use of alternatives and mitigation strategies, and support the Minister in communicating the impact of the current shortage;
-- Collaborating with the provinces and territories and medical experts to produce guidelines to assist health care professionals in a shortage situation. These include measures to make better use of available isotopes, prioritizing patients who most need testing, and shifting to viable alternatives where safe and effective to do so. These guidelines are based on work undertaken by the province of Ontario and draw on the medical expertise of the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes, as well as other health care providers;
-- Working closely with the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes, which is playing a key role in contingency planning and managing the shortage;
-- Facilitating communications between isotope suppliers, the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes and the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes both to track supply trends and to enable advance planning;
-- Reviewing regulatory requests for approvals of alternate isotopes on an urgent basis to provide health care providers with options as quickly as possible. This is part of Health Canada's ongoing work on the medical isotope shortage to ensure that Canadians continue to have access to the highest standards of care; and
-- Investing $6 million for research into alternatives to Technetium-99m.
Other areas of focus include discussions led by the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, with reactor operators abroad to ramp up production and her appointment of an Expert Review Panel and launching a process to solicit ideas for the alternative production of the key medical isotopes, Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m, over the medium and long term.
Health Canada has authorized Draximage of Montreal to supply I-131 from South Africa’s Safari reactor to Canadian health care facilities. This decision comes after the Department determined that I-131 produced by the SAFARI reactor is safe and effective for use by Canadian health care providers. Production of I-131 in Canada was interrupted by the unplanned shutdown of the Chalk River National Research Universal reactor (NRU) in May 2009.
"This is good news for thyroid cancer patients in Canada and their health care providers," said Minister Aglukkaq. "Our Government continues to find solutions to help address the current isotope shortage."
The Minister added that today’s approval means that Draximage will continue to supply all of Canada’s requirements for the I-131 isotopes. The company has advised that the transition to this new supply source will be seamless and immediate.
Since the shutdown of the Chalk River reactor, health care providers had been using Health Canada’s Special Access Programme to access I-131 for patients. Today’s approval of I-131 by Health Canada means that the isotope can be directly supplied to health care providers. Rapid approvals for alternate supplies of isotopes were a part of the regulatory tool kit put in place after the 2007 Chalk River shutdown.
Today’s announcement is just one more element of the ongoing work the Government of Canada is doing to minimize the impact of the medical isotope shortage on Canadians.
Other measures undertaken by Health Canada include:
-- Approving Australia as a new source for Technetium-99m for use by Canadian health care providers;
-- Appointing Dr. Alexander (Sandy) McEwan as Special Advisor on Medical Isotopes for the duration of the isotope shortage. He is providing on-the-ground updates on the situation and how it is affecting patients, advise how Health Canada can best support provinces, territories and the medical community on the use of alternatives and mitigation strategies, and support the Minister in communicating the impact of the current shortage;
-- Collaborating with the provinces and territories and medical experts to produce guidelines to assist health care professionals in a shortage situation. These include measures to make better use of available isotopes, prioritizing patients who most need testing, and shifting to viable alternatives where safe and effective to do so. These guidelines are based on work undertaken by the province of Ontario and draw on the medical expertise of the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes, as well as other health care providers;
-- Working closely with the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes, which is playing a key role in contingency planning and managing the shortage;
-- Facilitating communications between isotope suppliers, the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes and the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes both to track supply trends and to enable advance planning;
-- Reviewing regulatory requests for approvals of alternate isotopes on an urgent basis to provide health care providers with options as quickly as possible. This is part of Health Canada's ongoing work on the medical isotope shortage to ensure that Canadians continue to have access to the highest standards of care; and
-- Investing $6 million for research into alternatives to Technetium-99m.
Other areas of focus include discussions led by the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, with reactor operators abroad to ramp up production and her appointment of an Expert Review Panel and launching a process to solicit ideas for the alternative production of the key medical isotopes, Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m, over the medium and long term.
LHIN Collaborative (LHINC) Appoints Executive Director
Mario Tino has more than twenty years of experience in
Mario will succeed Barry Monaghan who has been acting as our interim leader on a part-time basis. Mario’s start date will be July 13th 2009 and we are all looking forward to him assuming his new role.
Later, we will be thanking Barry more fully for his contributions in the early stages of getting LHINC started and overseeing the initial support activities that LHINC has undertaken. He has recruited an excellent team to initiate the organization and the steering committee is very appreciative of his support.
As we look toward the first council meeting of LHINC in late August it is with anticipation of launching the next wave of collaborative efforts to continually build and improve the health system in
Alberta Health starts with $1Billion shortfall | June 2009
ALBERTA HEALTH UPDATE | JUNE 30, 2009
CBC interview with Stephen Duckett, Alberta Health CEO. He’s starting with a $1billion deficit and is expecting savings from consolidation and specifically consolidated HR & Procurement functions & systems. ALC is cited as one unnecessary cost to be resolved: Click here: http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/media/audio/mp3/2009-06-30-duckett.mp3
________________________________________
Alberta Health Services Board approves 2009/10 budget
June 30, 2009. Calgary... The Board of Alberta Health Services today approved a 2009/10 budget aimed at ensuring access, quality and sustainability of health care services for Albertans within the context of escalating health costs.
The budget approval involves an increase of expenses of 13.2 per cent from $9,579m ($9.6 billion) in 2008/2009 to $10,847m ($10.9 billion) in 2009/2010 (which includes $200 million of internally funded capital) and an increase of revenues of 6.5 per cent from $9,166m ($9.2 billion) in 2008/2009 to $9,762m ($9.8 billion) in 2009/2010.
Alberta Health Services budget strategy is to begin bringing its revenue and expenses into line commencing with $250 million of net integration savings included in the $10,847m ($10.9 billion) identified for the 2009/2010 fiscal year, leading to annualized savings of at least $650 million in the 2010/2011 fiscal year.
The President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Stephen Duckett, is required to report back to the Board’s Audit and Finance Committee on a regular basis concerning progress against the 2009/2010 budget. Additionally, Dr. Duckett is to present, where applicable, opportunities to improve effectiveness and efficiencies consistent with the Board’s goals of accessibility, quality and sustainability in order to achieve further savings in 2010/2011 and beyond.
Subject to identifying any additional savings opportunities, Alberta Health Services, if necessary, will access its borrowing capacity to fund the gap between its revenue and expenses in 2009/10 of $1,085m ($1.1 billion). Prior to borrowing, the President and Chief Executive Officer will bring forward a debt reduction plan.
Alberta spends more than the national average on health care. The President and Chief Executive Officer is also required to present a report to the Board by December 2009 outlining the major reasons for Alberta’s higher per capita health care costs as compared to the per capita health care costs for the rest of Canada and strategies to reduce the difference.
“The six per cent funding increase allocated to Alberta Health Services this spring signaled that we must find greater efficiencies in the health care system and change the way we deliver services,” said Dr. Duckett. “Our current spending rate is nearly $30 million a day or $11 billion annually. We are committed to aligning our expenditures with global funding provided by government but in a way that does not adversely impact the delivery of front-line patient care and continues to ensure quality care and equitable access.”
A significant portion of the six per cent global funding increase provided by government is committed to labour agreements and inflation increases. An additional funding increase of 1.7 per cent or $122 million was allocated to AHS specifically for taking over responsibility for ground emergency medical services (for a total operating funding increase of 7.7 per cent).
“The challenges facing Alberta Health Services are clear,” said Alberta Health Services Board Chair, Ken Hughes. “We need to do a better job in collecting accurate and timely information to assess our system, all with a focus on improving patient care.”
Since the provincial government’s April 2009 budget announcement, AHS has maintained strict adherence to the Board approved interim expenditure plan limiting spending in the first three months fiscal year 2009/10 to the last three months of fiscal year 2008/09.
“For the past three months we have built a better understanding of the budget and our financial situation and have been developing savings and integration strategies with the goal of reducing the anticipated operating budget without negatively impacting the delivery of patient care,” said Dr. Duckett. “It’s premature to speculate on the specific nature of what types of changes need to occur, however, over the next few months I will be announcing a number of initiatives that will assist us in working toward meeting our financial targets.”
Examples of savings strategies include streamlining management, harnessing the benefits of integration, implementing province-wide procurement and supply management, as well as utilizing available resources efficiently to provide Albertan's with the health services they need in the most appropriate setting.
As the largest health care provider in Canada and largest single employer in Alberta, in its first year Alberta Health Services has managed the integration of its predecessor organizations (nine Regional Health Authorities, AADAC, Alberta Cancer Board and Alberta Mental Health Board) and established a strategic direction and organizational structure to set a strong foundation for the future.
Today the Board also approved the release of the financial statements and schedules of salaries and benefits for the predecessor organizations. Details are available on the ‘latest news’ link on the AHS website homepage at www.albertahealthservices.ca
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than 3.5 million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a quality, patient-focused health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
________________________________________
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust and Heart of England Foundation Trust.
Citation InformationBaker, G.R., A. MacIntosh-Murray, C. Porcellato, L. Dionne, K. Stelmacovich and K. Born. 2008. "Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust and Heart of England Foundation Trust." High Performing Healthcare Systems: Delivering Quality by Design. 27-64. Toronto: Longwoods Publishing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
View the individual chapters for free in the Table of Contents.• Download the entire book as a PDF file.• Order the printed paperback version.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Highlights of recent achievements In 2005 and 2006 the Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust (BEN PCT) was short-listed for the Health Service Journal award for Primary Care Trust of the Year (Health Service Journal Awards 2005, 2006).
BEN PCT's orthopaedic triage service won the Health Service Journal's access award in 2005 for its work in managing referrals to orthopaedics in primary care settings, decreasing patient waits and increasing patient satisfaction and access (Health Service Journal Awards 2005).
BEN PCT changed from the worst-performing area in the country for over-prescription of antibiotics to winning an award from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society for its achievement in reducing prescribing levels (Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust 2006b).
Good Hope Hospital's redesign of its vascular surgery clinic and community leg ulcer service won the National Health Service (NHS) Innovation Award for Service Delivery in 2004 and the Healthcare IT Effectiveness Award's Best Use of IT in the Health Service and Best Innovative Use of Technology awards in 2005 (Healthcare IT Effectiveness Awards 2005). The Heart of England Foundation Trust (HEFT) won the Acute Care Trust of the Year award in 2006 (Health Service Journal Awards 2006).
For the complete chapter click here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
View the individual chapters for free in the Table of Contents.• Download the entire book as a PDF file.• Order the printed paperback version.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Highlights of recent achievements In 2005 and 2006 the Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust (BEN PCT) was short-listed for the Health Service Journal award for Primary Care Trust of the Year (Health Service Journal Awards 2005, 2006).
BEN PCT's orthopaedic triage service won the Health Service Journal's access award in 2005 for its work in managing referrals to orthopaedics in primary care settings, decreasing patient waits and increasing patient satisfaction and access (Health Service Journal Awards 2005).
BEN PCT changed from the worst-performing area in the country for over-prescription of antibiotics to winning an award from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society for its achievement in reducing prescribing levels (Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust 2006b).
Good Hope Hospital's redesign of its vascular surgery clinic and community leg ulcer service won the National Health Service (NHS) Innovation Award for Service Delivery in 2004 and the Healthcare IT Effectiveness Award's Best Use of IT in the Health Service and Best Innovative Use of Technology awards in 2005 (Healthcare IT Effectiveness Awards 2005). The Heart of England Foundation Trust (HEFT) won the Acute Care Trust of the Year award in 2006 (Health Service Journal Awards 2006).
For the complete chapter click here.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Two Years Ago This Hospital CEO Went Public with his Compensation (Salary) Package
Here are some excerpts from a blog titled: Do I get paid too much
CEOs do not set their own salaries. Each hospital has a public board of trustees who determine the compensation for their chief executives and who also hold that CEO accountable for running the organization. The levels of compensation are subject to review by the Internal Revenue Service to ensure that they are within reason . . .
Here are the facts. As noted by the Globe, my total compensation was about $1 million in fiscal 2005. Of this . . .
Now, some background: The hospital is a billion-dollar-a-year enterprise . . .
So, if you were on my board, how would you set an appropriate salary? You might look at the competition, and . . .
Does it matter that the average tenure of a hospital CEO is under six years? If that is roughly the tenure of a major league baseball player, should CEO salaries be in the same ballpark? Sorry, I couldn't resist!
And, of course, how do you measure performance . . .
This is serious business that affects both the perception of hospitals in the public eye and also the ability of hospitals to attract the talent they need to run a complicated organization that is vital to the community . . .
Here are the facts. As noted by the Globe, my total compensation was about $1 million in fiscal 2005. Of this . . .
Now, some background: The hospital is a billion-dollar-a-year enterprise . . .
So, if you were on my board, how would you set an appropriate salary? You might look at the competition, and . . .
Does it matter that the average tenure of a hospital CEO is under six years? If that is roughly the tenure of a major league baseball player, should CEO salaries be in the same ballpark? Sorry, I couldn't resist!
And, of course, how do you measure performance . . .
This is serious business that affects both the perception of hospitals in the public eye and also the ability of hospitals to attract the talent they need to run a complicated organization that is vital to the community . . .
Monday, April 27, 2009
Building Academic Partnerships in Health with India
York University’s new Faculty of Health has an ambitious mission to be an integrative force for promoting health – locally and globally. Communities of interest to the Faculty of Health are not only those of York’s immediate neighbours. The University has a keen interest in global issues fuelled by our location in a microcosm of the world - Ontario’s York Region - which is reflective of global diversity with a 46% immigrant population
.
Founded in 2006, the new Faculty consists of four units encompassing Health Policy & Management; Kinesiology & Health Science; Nursing and Psychology. Also, planning is well underway for a York Medical School. We have almost 9,000 students and approximately 400 faculty members (177 full time; 227 part-time). Through exceptional education and research, the Faculty emphasizes effective approaches for keeping more people healthier longer and creating sustainable healthcare systems.
In January 2008, I traveled to India. I had several goals in mind including identifying common interests and opportunities, building academic partnerships with leading institutions in India, and connecting these with York University and the Indo-Canadian community. A key liaison to this community was through York’s existing relationships with the Kurian family: Ms Kuttimol Kurian sits on the University’s Board of Governors and Dr.Joseph Kurian is President and CEO of Alpha Laboratories.
During the first week, time was spent with President Momdouh Shoukri and Dezso Horvath, dean of Schulich School of Business, exploring opportunities in Delhi (AIIMS: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Public Health Foundation of India, Jawaharlal Nehru University), Mumbai (Schulich-India Initiative) and Pune (University of Pune). During the second week, time was spent with Ms Kuttimol Kurian and Dr. Joseph Kurian visiting institutions in Jaipur (Rajasthan University of Health Sciences) and Chennai (Christian Medical College, Vellore).
Why India, Why Now
My first impression upon landing in India was one of being “overwhelmed”. People everywhere, traffic jams that stretch across a whole city, vibrant energy, the sights and smells, poverty intermingled with wealth – all of these assault ones senses. There is no question that India is on the move and is experiencing a major economic boom. Moreover, India has a potential “demographic advantage” of 1.1 billion people (and growing) who could provide an ‘endless’ workforce and market. The great challenge is for this new prosperity to have benefits for the whole nation.
However, the incredible economic boom underway in India is encountering a major hitch
There is a growing shortage of well-trained professionals underscoring the need for human resource development.
There are major gaps in infrastructure support that need concerted attention such as: transportation, housing, power and water.
Maintaining the health of the workforce will be a challenge due to the rise in chronic disease (e.g. diabetes), pollution, stress (mental health) and access to health services (prevention and medical care).
There is concern that the gap between the “two Indias” (300 million middle class versus 800 million poor) will widen, with the prospects of social unrest and political instability that would undermine economic growth.
Two Indias
It is useful to think of two Indias. One is composed of approximately 300 million middle class that is growing fast and is a major engine fuelling the new economy. In contrast, the other India has approximately 800 million who are poor, including in the order of 300 million living in abject poverty (slums). Nearly three quarters of the population live in rural areas and an estimated 27.5% were living below the national poverty level as of 2004. Some 300 million people in India live on less than a dollar a day, and more than 50% of all children are malnourished.
The need for breakthrough thinking is captured in the best selling book by C.K. Prahalad entitled “A Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid”. Indeed, while we were in India, TATA Motors launched with great excitement around the world their new automobile call the “Nano”. TATA Motors is using a number of innovative solutions to produce an automobile at the low price of $2500. This is a significant change from the lowest cost car in India and elsewhere in the world. But, what will this new lower entry automobile do for a country that is already extremely congested?
Health Needs and Opportunities
Regarding healthcare, India provides high quality medical care to the middle class and medical tourists. This contrasts with the India in which the majority of the population lives where residents have limited or no access to health care. Only 25% of the Indian population has access to western medicine, which is practiced predominantly in urban areas. Only 11% of the population has any form of health insurance coverage. It is estimated that 20 million people in India fall below the poverty line each year because of indebtedness due to healthcare needs.
India is threatened by a ‘double whammy’ of both infectious and chronic diseases. While some infectious diseases such as leprosy have been eliminated, other communicable diseases thought to be under control have returned in force and some have developed resistance to drugs: e.g. dengue fever, tuberculosis, malaria and pneumonia. This troubling trend is attributed in part to substandard housing, pollution, inadequate water, sewage and waste management systems. As Indians live more affluent lives they are adopting unhealthy western diets that are high in fact and sugar. Hence, India is experiencing a rise in chronic diseases such as hypertension, cancer and diabetes. Indians seem more vulnerable to Type II diabetes. in the 1970’s 2.1% of Indians had diabetes whereas today the figure is 12.1% for adults over age 20.
Medical tourism is one of the major external drivers of growth in the Indian healthcare sector. India provides ‘best in class’ treatment in many cases at less than one tenth of the cost incurred in US. For example a liver transplant in the US cost approximately $500,000, whereas in India it costs $45,000.
India faces a huge shortage of trained health personnel including doctors, nurses and paramedics. There are immediate opportunities to participate in capacity building of both health personnel and health services (both medical care and public health).
This is where the opportunity lies in working with India for fulfilling the global health vision of the Faculty of Health.
Partnership with Rajasthan in a Centre of Excellence for Healthcare
Dr. Kurian, Ms Kurian and I met with Dr. P.P.S. Mathur, the Vice-Chancellor of Rajasthan University of Health Sciences and eight senior faculty members in medicine and nursing. Also, we toured the main teaching hospital and medical laboratories. In our discussions it became clear that a joint effort would yield a win-win result. We decided to establish the Canadian Centre of Excellence for Healthcare in Jaipur. This would be an academic-public-private partnership involving the State of Rajasthan Ministry of Health, Rajasthan University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health at York University, the Michener Institute (Toronto) and Alpha Laboratories.
Just half a year later, on July 9, 2008 we came together, this time in Canada. The reason was to formally sign several memoranda of understanding in the areas of mutual academic interest. The Rajasthan Health Ministry wants to partner with Alpha Corporate Group in establishing a state-of-the-art medical laboratory center that will also serve as a significant teaching site in collaboration with the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences. The aim is to raise standards and achieve international accreditation in medical laboratory professional training. York University’s Faculty of Health and the Michener Institute, Toronto will collaborate on academic aspects (training, research) with the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS). Also, this collaboration with RUHS will provide York University with opportunities to develop joint programs in health leadership, nursing and related health sciences as part of the Faculty of Health’s global health priority.
This partnership will bring under one umbrella the expertise from academia and the private sector to achieve the goals of establishing a world-class Centre at the forefront of health education and technology and will focus on infrastructure development in the following key areas:
- Health Education and Professional Development
- Information and Communications Technology Healthcare
- Medical Labs and Diagnostic Imaging Laboratories
- Standards and Accreditation of health professionals
In the initial term, the Centre will undertake Medical Lab Technician Training (with the Michener Institute in the lead); a Leadership and Management certificate program (York in lead); a Nursing professional development initiative (York in lead) and ongoing Research and evaluation (York in lead) on areas such as health system performance and safety, interprofessional teamwork, eHealth and health informatics.
A Lasting Impression
One of the most vivid memories from my trip to India was a visit to Jaipur Foot (www.jaipurfoot.org). BMVSS (Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti) was set up in 1975 as a formally registered society in India. BMVSS is the largest organization in the world in fitting artificial limbs and calipers. The beauty of the Jaipur Foot is its lightness and mobility. Invented in 1968 by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Pramod Karan Sethi and an artisan Ram Chandra, the Jaipur Foot is sublimely low-tech – made from local material for the approximate cost of $28. It is provided free of cost to thousands of needy people.
I watched a craftsman (Ramnarain) shape a piece of aluminum into Jaipur Foot and fit it to a patient (Beharilal) in less than 45 minutes. Both Beharila and Ramnarain were superbly satisfied with the result. We can all learn much from this organization dedicated to helping people at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’.
BACKGROUNDER – York University and the Faculty of Health
York University is located in Toronto, Ontario. It is Canada's third-largest university and has produced several of the country's top leaders in the fields of health promotion, health sciences, chemical and space sciences, law, politics, management, literature, philosophy, journalism, and fine arts. York supports a student population of approximately 50,000 and staff of 7,000, as well as 200,000 alumni worldwide. It is home to 11 faculties, including the Schulich School of Business, Osgoode Hall Law School and the Faculty of Environmental Studies, as well as 23 research centres.
York University is very much committed to promoting interdisciplinary education and working towards expanding its boundaries of influence beyond the Canadian borders. Its Faculty of Health is dedicated to promoting Centres of Excellence in Healthcare and Health Promotion especially in the area of Public Health.
The Faculty of Health, established in 2006, has an ambitious mission to be an integrative force for promoting health – locally and globally. The Faculty consists of four integrated units encompassing Health Policy and Management, Kinesiology and Health Science, Nursing and Psychology. No university in Canada combines these strengths and perspectives in equivalent depth.
The Founding Dean of the Faculty of Health, Dr. Harvey Skinner, received graduate degrees in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario (PhD 1975; MA 1974); and Honors BA from McMaster University (1972). He is a Registered Psychologist in Ontario and a certified trainer in Motivational Interviewing. Previously, he was Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. In September 2007 Dr Skinner was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Faculty members include renowned educators, researchers and policy makers dedicated to improving health promotion, disease prevention and health care. With over $7 million CDN per annum of externally-funded research grants, the faculty’s integrative research spans the continuum from the laboratory to the bed side to the community. The faculty has a strong complement of researchers including Tier One Canada Research Chairs, Distinguished Professors, Premier’s Research Excellence Awards recipients. Also, York University’s Faculty of Health supports numerous York on-campus research centres such as the Centre for Vision Research, York Institute for Health, LaMarsh Centre on Violence and Conflict Resolution, Milton & Ethel Harris Research Initiative on Child Development among others.
The Faculty of Health has almost 9,000 students and approximately 400 faculty members (177 full time; 227 part-time), and over 20,000 alumni from its previous host faculties.
Harvey A Skinner PhD, CPsych, FCAHS, is Dean, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto. The Faculty is on an ambitious mission to be an integrative force for promoting health – locally and globally.
Canadian Centre of Excellence in Jaipur
An Indo-Canadian Collaboration
Andrew Holt
Health care is a global concern. World-wide growth in clinical and technical knowledge, pressures to meet the changing demand and expectations both locally and internationally, fragmentation of services and overwhelming cost burden have created many opportunities for international collaboration. Although there is widespread discussion at local, provincial and national levels little attention is being paid to systematically create collaborative international teams that draw on the inherent knowledge from diverse systems of medical practice, policy and governance, training strategies, professional licensing, funding and integrated systems for care delivery and observations made on the relationship between life style and susceptibility to diseases. The diversity of the ways in providing health care services offers many untapped opportunities for teams that collaborate across international boundaries to develop better treatment programs. Much remains to be learned through the organized and systematic sharing of care delivery strategies, methods, tools and bodies of knowledge. Collaborative models that draw from this vast intellectual and economic pool are an integral part of creating sustainable health care systems that will be effective, affordable and accessible over the long term.
The proposal to establish a Canadian Centre of Excellence by the Alpha Health Group, York University, and Michener Institute in Toronto, Canada in collaboration with the State of Rajasthan, India and the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences in Jaipur, is to work towards this goal. The Centre of Excellence will be at the forefront of technology and will focus on developing the following key areas:
Private and public sector resources from India and Canada will invest in the Centre of Excellence to ensure delivery of the best quality healthcare services in the following areas:
The Center of Excellence will provide state-of-the-art technology. Faculty from Rajasthan, York and Michener will use an inter- disciplinary team environment that integrates the latest e-health systems and evidence based clinical practices, to teach the students. Clinical and technical faculty could be augmented by professional faculty from areas such as engineering and international Masters in Business Administration to ensure graduating health professionals are properly trained to use the latest information systems in their team based clinical practices. Empowering health professionals to fully utilize information and knowledge management strategies is a vital skill required for life-long learning and the maintenance of competency throughout their professional career.
Experience gained at the Centre of Excellence would provide new insights into the provision of health care that could be shared internationally and contribute to the growth of quality health care within India and other countries. The International exchange of knowledge will bring together most relevant information into the clinical decision making process and training of new graduates. The Centre of Excellence will provide both India and Canada an opportunity to enhance the health services of Jaipur in the short term and will lay the foundation for a collaborative model with the potential for global impacts on health care practices over the longer term.
--------------------------
Corporate Profile
Alpha Healthcare Group
Alpha is a privately owned Canadian healthcare company founded in 1971 and is located in Toronto, Ontario Canada. The IT division of Alpha is engaged in developing Healthcare software including but not limited to, medical practice information systems.
Alpha Corporate Group has been serving the healthcare industry for over 37 years, providing state-of-the-art Medical and Diagnostic Imaging Laboratory Services, Industrial/Pharmaceutical Laboratory, and Managed-Care Medical Clinics. In addition, Alpha provides Electronic Medical Records and Practice Management Software for the healthcare professionals and institutions.
Alpha’s Research interest includes research in natural products, synthetic organic chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry, laboratory medicine and research and development of software systems to improve the efficiency, economy, and efficacy in treatment and management of diseases. Alpha is currently working with York University, Ottawa University, Dalhousie University and Waterloo University in Healthcare Related Research Projects to develop innovative solutions for care and treatment of patients and promoting healthy life style changes.
Andrew Holt is Vice President, Corporate Development, Alpha Health Group
Andrew Holt
Health care is a global concern. World-wide growth in clinical and technical knowledge, pressures to meet the changing demand and expectations both locally and internationally, fragmentation of services and overwhelming cost burden have created many opportunities for international collaboration. Although there is widespread discussion at local, provincial and national levels little attention is being paid to systematically create collaborative international teams that draw on the inherent knowledge from diverse systems of medical practice, policy and governance, training strategies, professional licensing, funding and integrated systems for care delivery and observations made on the relationship between life style and susceptibility to diseases. The diversity of the ways in providing health care services offers many untapped opportunities for teams that collaborate across international boundaries to develop better treatment programs. Much remains to be learned through the organized and systematic sharing of care delivery strategies, methods, tools and bodies of knowledge. Collaborative models that draw from this vast intellectual and economic pool are an integral part of creating sustainable health care systems that will be effective, affordable and accessible over the long term.
The proposal to establish a Canadian Centre of Excellence by the Alpha Health Group, York University, and Michener Institute in Toronto, Canada in collaboration with the State of Rajasthan, India and the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences in Jaipur, is to work towards this goal. The Centre of Excellence will be at the forefront of technology and will focus on developing the following key areas:
- IT applied to Healthcare
- Medical Labs and Diagnostic Imaging Laboratories
- Accreditation and licensing
- Human Resource Development through Education, and training
- Applied research
Private and public sector resources from India and Canada will invest in the Centre of Excellence to ensure delivery of the best quality healthcare services in the following areas:
- State of Art Medical and Diagnostic Imaging Laboratory services
- Professional training and Continuing Education Technology School starting with Medical Laboratory Technology and Public Health Nursing School
- Standards for Accreditation and licensing of Medical Laboratories, Hospitals, Nursing schools and other healthcare institutions in the State of Rajasthan
- Electronic Medical Record
- Electronic Document Management (including natural language extraction)
- Other Software Products:
- Electronic prescription ordering (to monitor pattern of use and also abuse by patients and ordering physicians)
- Computer aided diagnosis and treatment
- Evidence based medicine
- Dynamic Scheduling of patients and optimization of resource allocation
- Inter-disciplinary training environment for health professionals
- Workflow Analysis
- The proposed Centre of Excellence for healthcare will apply the latest IT technology to health services and will collaborate in areas, such as:
- Research: will focus on application of health informatics in healthcare, including tracking of infectious diseases and immunization status. Among the target research areas are evidence-based medicine, forecasting hospital needs and epidemics, biostatistic profiles, and monitoring quality of care. Alpha will also work with Rajasthan University of Health Sciences to facilitate the development and implementation of tele-medicine at the University teaching hospitals in Jaipur.
- Education: this will include tools such as Alpha Computer Aided Diagnosis tool (Alpha CAD) to assist physicians and train medical students on the use of evidence-based medicine in diagnosis and treatment. Other areas of education will include medical schools and medical technology schools.
- IT in Healthcare: Patient management IT tools will be made available in all 6 university teaching hospitals in Rajasthan (Globemed), clinics (UHM), and medical schools (Alpha CAD)
- Accreditation and licensing: Alpha will provide international and national standards and facilitate the development of standards for accreditation and accreditation of healthcare institutions including diagnostic imaging, medical laboratories, hospitals, etc. where required.
- Diagnostic Imaging and Medical Labs: a public-private partnership will be established to provide medical imaging and medical laboratory services to the University teaching hospitals and the private sector in Jaipur.
The Center of Excellence will provide state-of-the-art technology. Faculty from Rajasthan, York and Michener will use an inter- disciplinary team environment that integrates the latest e-health systems and evidence based clinical practices, to teach the students. Clinical and technical faculty could be augmented by professional faculty from areas such as engineering and international Masters in Business Administration to ensure graduating health professionals are properly trained to use the latest information systems in their team based clinical practices. Empowering health professionals to fully utilize information and knowledge management strategies is a vital skill required for life-long learning and the maintenance of competency throughout their professional career.
Experience gained at the Centre of Excellence would provide new insights into the provision of health care that could be shared internationally and contribute to the growth of quality health care within India and other countries. The International exchange of knowledge will bring together most relevant information into the clinical decision making process and training of new graduates. The Centre of Excellence will provide both India and Canada an opportunity to enhance the health services of Jaipur in the short term and will lay the foundation for a collaborative model with the potential for global impacts on health care practices over the longer term.
--------------------------
Corporate Profile
Alpha Healthcare Group
Alpha is a privately owned Canadian healthcare company founded in 1971 and is located in Toronto, Ontario Canada. The IT division of Alpha is engaged in developing Healthcare software including but not limited to, medical practice information systems.
Alpha Corporate Group has been serving the healthcare industry for over 37 years, providing state-of-the-art Medical and Diagnostic Imaging Laboratory Services, Industrial/Pharmaceutical Laboratory, and Managed-Care Medical Clinics. In addition, Alpha provides Electronic Medical Records and Practice Management Software for the healthcare professionals and institutions.
Alpha’s Research interest includes research in natural products, synthetic organic chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry, laboratory medicine and research and development of software systems to improve the efficiency, economy, and efficacy in treatment and management of diseases. Alpha is currently working with York University, Ottawa University, Dalhousie University and Waterloo University in Healthcare Related Research Projects to develop innovative solutions for care and treatment of patients and promoting healthy life style changes.
Andrew Holt is Vice President, Corporate Development, Alpha Health Group
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
To read the original blog and 52 comments click here:
Do I get paid too much