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Project: Health Infostructure Atlantic: Case Management System

Canada Health Infostructure Partnerships Program

Project Description

The Health Infostructure Atlantic (HIA) is a $24 million health infostructure project jointly funded by CHIPP in cooperation with four Atlantic provinces. The HIA project portfolio consists of three broad initiatives:

Tele-i4 - a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) and teleradiology initiative;
New or enhanced applications to support Case Management in the community health sector; and
Development of a Common Client Registry at the provincial level in Prince Edward Island.

This synopsis covers the Case Management component. Case Management is usually the term applied to the management of health service delivery in the community health sector. The scope of case management can be very broad, as it encompasses community-based programs such as home care, child health services, and mental health clinics. Case management applications were implemented in Nova Scotia (NS), Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), each intended for use with different target populations.

Outcomes

The case management projects in NL, NS, and PEI have increased program efficiencies and staff productivity. In NS and in PEI, efficiencies were created in the service delivery system with the result that more provider time could be devoted to service delivery as efficiencies were captured through the technology for inputting and accessing the forms.

Policy Implications

Of critical importance is the increase in information that will be available to policy, planners and researchers as a result of these projects. Information from operational databases is now available to planners and policy makers through the development and implementation of decision support systems thus moving many of these programs to a better basis for evidenced-based decision making.

Lessons Learned

The HIA Case Management Project reported multiple lessons learned and suggestions for future consideration, including:

The time required for consultation and decision-making in multi-jurisdictional technology installations - particularly if it must occur over widely dispersed geographic locations, such as Newfoundland and Labrador - should not be underestimated;
Early and regular contact with the regions helps to identify telecommunication gaps at the outset and thereby prevents a number of technical issues which can influence user acceptance of the technology; and
Implementation coordinators should be trained early - regional implementation coordinators who are trained and comfortable using the software can serve as constant and regular training mentors for staff during the formative stages of implementation.

The Future

Decision-makers within the case management component should consider adopting more mobile technologies, such as laptop computers or tablet PC technology, for field workers.