Canada
United Kingdom
Strata Health announces a significant eHealth advance with the launch of early assessment notification functionality within its Strata Resource Matching and E-Referral™ Resource Matching and eReferral suite.
Strata Health leverages the internet empowering front line clinicians within acute and community settings to collaborate in real time transitioning of clients from acute environments to optimal alternate levels of care in the Community. The technology leverages proprietary ‘resource matching and eReferral’ algorithms to accelerate client discharge to optimal community settings improving acute access and delivery of client safety and choice. With the goal of improving efficiencies in the flow of patients through the health care system, the Toronto Central LHIN has been implementing the Strata Resource Matching and E-Referral solution for their Resource Matching and Referral program across the LHIN.
“Traditionally, paper-based client discharge assessments for community programs only began once the hospital patient was determined ready for discharge.” comments Don Schick, Strata Health CEO. “To date, our solution has taken that work online supporting simultaneous collaboration between the multiple clinicians involved with that patient. This has lead to significant discharge planning efficiencies, and complete discharge packages to allow immediate matching and discharge of the patient to the optimal Community care.”
“But what if we couldinitiate that match client need to community resource WELL IN ADVANCE of the physical discharge from acute?” Schick queried. “That was the challenge presented to us in the Toronto Central LHIN Resource Matching and Referral program by UHN/SIMS and the Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) in early 2009.”
But why is this important? “Well, there is clear and compelling evidence regarding the merits of this approach from the FLO collaborative projects, Institute for Health Care Improvement (IHI) and many studies in the UK and US,” emphasized Stacey Daub, Senior Director Toronto Central CCAC. “These studies have been clear that physical discharges are significantly delayed when discharge planning occurs at the end of the acute stay. Proactive care planning to mobilize the services required by that patient immediately upon the identification of an Alternative Level of Care (ALC) status will be a significant advance in supporting our team’s daily efforts to achieve timely discharges!”
Over the last six months, Strata Health designers guided by clinicians involved with the Toronto Central LHIN Resource Matching and Referral program worked together to create new functionality supporting and notifying system stakeholders of early discharge planning, while ensuring the tool supported the many complex assessment scenarios clinicians encounter across thousands of patient hospital stays. The solution went live as a Strata Resource Matching and E-Referral™ production feature in Toronto on October 30th, 2009.
“The potential of this advance for our clients around the world is very exciting,” continued Schick, “We have now included this functionality as a configuration option for Strata Resource Matching and E-Referral™ across our Canadian and International client base.”
About Strata Health Solutions Inc: www.stratahealth.com
Strata Health leverages technology to achieve dramatic patient flow improvement within health systems. Our clients say they’ve entrusted us with the job of creating patient flow solutions that achieve real and dramatic benefits for patients, their families and the world’s devoted front line caregivers. Operational in Canada, the UK and Australia/New Zealand, Strata Health is a privately-held Canadian corporation. It is comprised of professionals with empathy for those who need care and intense respect for those who devote themselves to caring for others.
Strata Resource Matching and E-Referral™ is an online, real-time waitlist optimization system practically improving the patient experience and system access. Connected to care providers in the community, it provides front line clinicians with real-time tools to flow appropriate discharging patients to available bed and program openings. The e-Referral system radically reduces the time that patients occupy acute care beds after they have been assessed for discharge into alternative community programs – now including Mental Health & Addictions, Rehabilitation/Sub-Acute, Home Care, Continuing Care Centers, Assisted Living, Palliative, Physiotherapy, Community Support and Adult Day Programs.