First Hospital in Canada Achieves HIMSS Davies Award for Improving Healthcare

WHITBY, ON, Oct. 8, 2015 /CNW/ - Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) has been named a 2015 recipient of the HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Enterprise Award for Excellence. 

Ontario Shores is the first hospital in Canada and one of 77 organizations in the world to receive this prestigious recognition.  This follows closely on the heels of Ontario Shores being awarded the Stage 7 designation for a completely Electronic Medical Record (EMR); the only hospital in Canada to receive this.

The Davies Award recognizes the outstanding achievement of using health information technology to substantially improve patient outcomes while achieving return on investment. Only organizations that received the HIMSS Stage 6 or 7 designations are eligible for this recognition.

"We are delighted to have been chosen as a recipient of this Award.  At Ontario Shores, we are committed to advancing the use of clinical data to ultimately improve process and performance," says Karim Mamdani, President and CEO at Ontario Shores. "This award is a reflection of how we align current clinical practices with evidence-based recovery-oriented mental health care to support quality of care," Mamdani adds.

The Davies Awards program promotes electronic health records enabled improvement in patient outcomes through sharing case studies and lessons learned on implementation strategies, workflow design, best practice adherence, and patient engagement.

"Ontario Shores is the first Davies Award Enterprise recipient in the Behavioral Health Space in some time and the first Canadian hospital to receive this award," says Jonathan French, Director of Health Information Systems at HIMSS and program director of the HIMSS Davies Enterprise Committee.

"Ontario Shores has leveraged technology to ensure their patients receive the correct treatment and care at the correct time. They have reduced medication errors and infections that threaten the health of their patients, while improving their quality of life through improved mental health. The replicable workflows they have developed that intertwine real time data delivered by the EMR directly into care delivery are an outstanding example for behavioural health facilities looking to improve care delivery through the use of technology. The Davies Committee and HIMSS congratulate the team members of Ontario Shores on improving the outcomes of their patient population through the effective use of health IT."

Examples of how the EMR has improved patient care were submitted and included the great value to patient safety by ensuring proper verification and administration of medication.  Real-time identification of errors provided a safeguard in reducing the potential for medication errors to reach the patient. 

In addition, the EMR was the primary medium through which new procedures were implemented and monitored.  

Ontario Shores also implemented Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) in order to consistently integrate evidence-based care and standardize workflows organization-wide, thus allowing opportunities for evaluation and improvement. 

"Since the implementation of CPGs, adherence to evidence-based practices has increased, significantly reducing inconsistencies in the provision of mental health care," shares Mamdani.

"I congratulate Ontario Shores as the Davies first Canadian recipient. The value their HIT adds to patient outcomes is remarkable," says Pat Wise, Vice President, Health Information Systems, HIMSS

Ontario Shores remains committed to the ongoing improvement and standardization of patient care.

About Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences:
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) is a leader in mental health care, providing a range of specialized assessments and treatment services for people living with complex mental illness. Patients benefit from a recovery-oriented environment of care, built on compassion, inspiration and hope. Ontario Shores engages in research, education and advocacy initiatives to advance the mental health care system.

SOURCE Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences

Andrea Marshall, Manager, Communications and Public Affairs, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, 905-430-4055 ext. 6581, Cell: 905-439-0224, [email protected]