The Minister’s Medal Honouring Excellence in Health Quality & Safety
The annual Minister's Medal Honouring Excellence in Health Quality and Safety recognizes the excellent work that health care providers do every day to put patients in the centre of the circle of care.
Congratulations to the 2015 Minister's Medal winners in both the Team and Individual Champion categories. The theme for the 2015 Minister's Medal is "Putting Patients First".
The 2015 Minister's Medal Honouring Excellence in Health Quality and Safety recognizes the excellent work that health care providers do every day. Each year the Medal is awarded to one team of organizations and one individual champion who put patients in the centre of the circle of care and incorporate a focus on quality and safety into everything they do.
Patients are at the heart of Ontario's Action Plan for Health Care. That's why the theme for the 2015 Minister's Medal Honouring Excellence in Health Quality and Safety was Putting Patients First, Health care providers put patients first through:
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Improved access to care. The ministry is committed to getting Ontarians the care they need, when they need it. Applicants who have removed barriers to care and/or streamlined processes are encouraged to apply.
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Better coordinated care. For patients who are treated by multiple providers, coordination of care is critical to positive outcomes. This year's application criteria prioritize programs that improve coordination of care so patients get the right care from the right providers.
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Information. By educating patients and keeping them well-informed, health care providers can help patients help themselves. Applicants whose efforts have resulted in greater transparency for patients are encourage to apply
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Patient engagement. This year's application criteria also emphasize the importance of the patient's voice in the development and delivery of individual health care approaches.
North East LHIN Virtual Critical Care Unit
Team Recipient: North East LHIN Virtual Critical Care Unit
The North East LHIN Virtual Critical Care Unit (VCCU) is an initiative based at Health Sciences North (HSN) in Greater Sudbury that uses state-of-the-art videoconferencing technology and electronic medical records sharing to connect HSN with smaller Critical Care units and Emergency Departments at hospitals across northeastern Ontario. The VCCU allows a team of Intensive Care physicians, specially trained nurses and ICU respiratory therapists from HSN to be available for round-the-clock consultations and follow-up visits for critically ill patients at participating hospitals. The VCCU reduced avoidable transfers to a higher level of care by 36%; patients are able to remain in their home hospital instead of being medically transferred. Further, in its inaugural year of operation, the VCCU saved the health care
Dr. Jeremy Theal, eCare
Individual Champion Recipient: Dr. Jeremy Theal – eCare
Dr. Jeremy Theal is a Gastroenterologist and Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) at North York General Hospital (NYGH). He led the successful implementation of e-Care, an electronic medical record (EMR) transformation project at NYGH that aims to replace error-prone manual paper systems with advanced EMR technologies and tools. Through strong clinical leadership, relentless focus on the objective of better patient outcomes, and a willingness to challenge old practices, 100% of clinicians at NYGH adopted e-Care. Dr. Theal also Conceived of and led the development of the Canadian CPOE Toolkit—a web-based toll that shares evidence-based implementation tools at no cost to hospitals across Canada.