Eastern Health says pilot IT system will expedite referrals to cardiac cath lab

Eastern Health has launched MyCCath, a secured, web-based pilot IT solution for clinicians at the Health Sciences Centre for referring Newfoundland and Labrador patients to the cardiac catheterization (cath) laboratory services.

According to Eastern Health, the new procedure will help expedite referrals for procedures at the specialized lab, including angiograms, angioplasties and implantation of stents and cardiac devices, among others.  The cardiac cath lab performs close to 6,000 procedures each year.

“By working in collaboration with our employees and external partners, we believe that together we can develop innovative solutions to improve access and help to ensure more positive health outcomes for those we serve,” said David Diamond, president and CEO, Eastern Health.

MyCCath, aimed at cardiologists, medical internal physicians and other cardiac cath laboratory staff, offers: electronic referrals for cardiac procedures, automatic feedback to the referring physician regarding referral status and procedure schedule, integration with a province-wide client registry and improved administrative reporting capabilities, Eastern Health said in a news release.

“Our province has one of the highest incidence of heart disease in Canada, therefore it is important for us to lead the country in innovative approaches to heart disease,” said Dr. Sean Connors, clinical chief for cardiac critical care with Eastern Health. “MyCCath is a valuable tool because it reduces delays in the referral process, resulting in more timely intervention and enhanced quality care for patients.”

The MyCCath pilot was developed in partnership with MOBIA Technology Innovation. Initially a pilot project at the Health Sciences Centre, MyCCath will be expanded to relevant health providers across the province in the coming months, Eastern Health said.

“The development of MyCCath is an example of how private and public sectors, working together, drive innovation that will improve patient care, and deliver much needed hospital efficiencies. With employees in Newfoundland and Labrador and across Atlantic Canada, we are pleased to partner with Eastern Health to deliver this application,” said Rob Lane, CEO of MOBIA Technology Innovations.

Eastern Health pitched the MyCCath IT solution at a Hacking Health ‘hackathon’ session held in April 2017, which was hosted by the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries (NATI). Hacking Health, a non-profit organization.

Eastern Health says the success of MyCCath has led to a second Hacking Health Café, being led by Eastern Health in collaboration with Memorial University and the NL Centre for Health Information (NLCHI). It will focus on identifying innovative health care solutions for the province’s senior population. The session, open to the public, will be held Nov. 29 in Room 1M102 at Memorial University’s faculty of medicine.