Central Intake and e-Referral: The Proven Answer to Prolonged Wait Times for Mental Health Patients and a Speedy Path to Specialist Care Canadians are not usually described as a smug people; we’re polite, deferential, humble perhaps, but rarely smug. Until it comes to a discussion of Canadian healthcare versus American healthcare. We chuckle at being told…

Novari Proves Its Worth During The Pandemic The Company’s Software Streamlines Perioperative Procedures, Aiding in Swiftly Reducing Surgical Backlogs   Ontario’s healthcare system, already stretched in many areas and battling to keep up with wait times while trying to wring as much value out of limited financial resources as possible, was pushed to the brink…

In their recent article the National Post reports: “In spite of some of the highest spending on health care among developed nations, Canada ranks near the bottom of the pack when it comes to the availability of doctors and hospital beds and has the longest wait times of the whole bunch, concludes a new report…

In the Canadian Healthcare Technology November 2020 issue, this article explores Dr. Chris Simpson, Novari Health’s Chief Medical Information Officer’s experience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and how this has affected hospital wait times as well as potential solutions to mitigate this problem. Dr. Simpson writes: “‘never waste a good crisis’, the change management experts say.…

  The Canadian Medical Association reports: Returning wait times to pre-pandemic levels for six key procedures will cost at least $1.3B, says a new report commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) on the backlog caused by COVID-19. “There are no doubts that the impact of the pandemic will be felt for years to come.…

  In the recent CBC News article they detail the backlog in hospital wait times that have drastically worsened due to COVID-19. “It’s going to have serious consequences the longer this pandemic goes on.” CBC News writes: Ongoing surgical and diagnostic backlogs will only worsen without immediate government help to address a strained health-care system,…

  With many parts of the country now in the midst of the forecasted second wave of COVID-19, many hospitals and regional health authorities continue their efforts to maintain and/or ramp up scheduled surgeries and procedures. However, few, if any, have been able to get back up to 100% of usual volumes, let alone even…

Microsoft Webinar As frontline clinicians and healthcare workers raced around the clock to save lives affected by the pandemic, patients with pre-existing health conditions in queue for critical and scheduled surgeries were also deeply impacted as surgery wait times increased indefinitely, constraining the already stretched resources of healthcare providers across Canada. As a frontline clinician,…

In the Canadian Healthcare Technology October 2020 issue, they discuss the “Ontario-based virtual care service that quickly ramped up in March when COVID-19 cases were peaking is Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN), now part of the new Ontario Health government agency. An early provider of virtual care services, OTN has provided the opportunity for either direct-to-patient…

In their recent article, Thunder Bay News Watch reported that Thunder Bay Regional plans to ramp up to 120 per cent of surgical capacity in the first week of October to work through the added caseloads, which is about 1,000 more than the usual 3,000 on the waiting list at any given time. “THUNDER BAY…

In their recent article, CMAJ News interviews Dr. Chris Simpson, cardiologist & Chief Medical Information Office for Novari Health as well as family physician Dr. Kamila Premji and Robin McGee, a cancer patient whose care was delayed due to the COVID-19 slowdown. “About one in three Canadians who need joint replacements or cataract surgery don’t…

  REGINA – The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) in partnership with eHealth Saskatchewan has deployed the Novari eReferral & central intake system province-wide for COVID-19 testing and assessment referrals. Working closely together, SHA, eHealth and Novari Health staff quickly configured the Novari technology to facilitate COVID-19 referrals to help ensure that patients with COVID-19 symptoms,…

  Saskatchewan Deploys COVID-19 Novari eReferral & Central Intake System   KINGSTON ON & REGINA SK, August 10, 2020 – The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) in partnership with eHealth Saskatchewan has deployed the Novari eReferral & central intake system province-wide for COVID-19 testing and assessment referrals.  Working closely together, SHA, eHealth and Novari Health staff quickly…

  In their recent article, CBC news reporter Amanda Pfeffer details the fact that virtual care is likely to remain the norm for family doctors in Ontario for now: While Ontario’s Stage 3 reopening means people can go to bars and eat in restaurants, family physicians are unlikely to transition from virtual to in-person visits any time soon,…

  KINGSTON, July 25, 2020: The Microsoft Crisis Champion IMPACT award recognizes the Microsoft partner who has had a significant impact on people, businesses, and/or communities in Canada, with quick response, innovative solutions, and empathy toward those affected by the coronavirus. On Tuesday, July 22, 2020, it was announced virtually at the annual Microsoft Inspire…

Increasing Schedule (“Elective”) Surgery/Procedure Capacity During & After COVID-19     With the first wave of COVID-19 now approaching an end in Canada, many provinces in Canada have begun to slowly ramp up scheduled surgeries and procedures. However, few, if any, have been able to get back up to 100% of usual volumes, let alone…

  In their recent article, CBC news reporter Colin Butler details the fact that surgical smoothing could help to eliminate conflict and adds granularity to medical decision-making: Cancelled surgeries have an estimated backlog of 100,000 elective procedures that have been delayed because of the pandemic – procedures that range from cataract removals to knee replacements, cardiac procedures and transplants – all medically necessary…

CBC News, Second Opinion Article: The Unintended Consequences of Surgery Delays During COVID-19 By Amina Zafar Min Hua (Jasmine) Yang died on May 2. Her cancer surgery in B.C. was delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Submitted by Jonathan Hu) The sacrifice Canadians have collectively made to flatten the coronavirus curve also includes immeasurable suffering from…

Matthew Anderson, President and CEO, Ontario Health has released on May 7, 2020, an updated Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic identifying recommendations for reintroducing scheduled surgical and procedural work, as well as the basis on which to prioritize this work. The recommendations provided in this document have since…

In collaboration with patients and their families, the Canadian Medical Association, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada have created this guide to help patients prepare for “virtual visits” with their doctor. It focuses on video visits, although it is also possible to receive virtual…

Ontario Health recently published an insightful infographic on Optimizing Elective Surgery: Virtual Care Supports in the COVID-19 Context. As the health system begins resumption of elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, virtually enabled models of care can help streamline pre and post surgical delivery and processes while  minimizing inperson contact. Virtual and digital tools enable…

In CTV News’ latest article, Dr. David Urbach, chief of surgery at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, said the pandemic offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overhaul the system and transform how surgeries are done nationwide in the aftermath of COVID-19.   Read the full CTV News article here.

There were 72,000 fewer surgeries performed in Ontario during a six-week period of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to a year prior, according to data released by the province’s central health-care agency. There were also more than 130,000 fewer CT scans and MRIs done for diagnosing cancer and other ailments. The data was included in the…

Surgical wait list management in Canada during a pandemic: many challenges ahead   The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a massive impact on waits for elective operations, with tens of thousands of scheduled surgeries being cancelled or postponed across Canada. Provincial governments will likely not only reopen elective surgical capacity when it is…

Ontario Health President and CEO, Matthew Anderson has released A Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic. In April 2020, Ontario Health convened a group of experts to form the COVID-19 Response: Surgical andProcedural Planning Committee, chaired by Dr. Chris Simpson, to develop recommendations about how scheduled surgeries and procedures…

The BC Ministry of Health outlines their Commitment to Surgical Renewal in the latest message from Adrian Dix, British Columbia Minister of Health.   Read the full article here.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal’s recent publication “Confronting the COVID-19 surgery crisis: time for transformational change” outlines the merits of a central intake system as Canada begins to plan rescheduling elective surgeries that were ground to a halt due to COVID-19.   Read the full article here.

Canada Health Infoway’s funding is helping to improve access to care to Ontario citizens, leveraging Novari eVisit’s technology. Canada Health Infoway published the announcement below on their website on April 21, 2020 Click here to see the announcement on Canada Health Infoway’s website.     Expanding Access to Virtual Care Services in Ontario Infoway Partners…

The suspension of elective surgeries across Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency has resulted in massive surgical backlogs. Even prior to the pandemic, some Canadians waited many weeks, months and, in some cases, even longer than a year for surgery. The unprecedented and wholesale cancellation of elective surgeries now presents a huge challenge to…

Need to see a doctor and can’t access care?  The Ontario Virtual Care Clinic may be able to help. Patients throughout the province of Ontario, who do not have a primary care physician or are unable to see their own physician, are now able to “see” a family physician virtually by visiting www.seethedoctor.ca (using the…

To improve capacity to provide care for COVID-19 patients, provincial ministries of health and hospitals across the country have taken the unprecedented emergency action of cancelling most elective surgeries. Doing so has freed up hospital beds normally occupied by elective surgical patients following their surgeries. Cancelling elective surgeries is a difficult, but prudent, course of action during a pandemic emergency.  Unfortunately, doing so has created and…

Many healthcare systems around the world are turning to virtual care technology as they implement tools and strategies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.   Novari has executed an agreement with the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) to provide enhanced virtual care functionality, including “virtual waiting rooms”. As opposed to visiting hospital emergency departments or medical clinics, the…

Novari’s virtual care technology has been quickly called upon to assist in delivering care during the COVID-19 pandemic.  We are currently working seven days a week on continuing to provide patients the ability to see a healthcare professional without the need to visit a hospital emergency department or their primary care physician’s office.   Virtual care…

How often have you found yourself waiting months for a doctor’s appointment or referral? While the healthcare system is full of well intentioned, caring individuals, the system has left many Canadians waiting in long queues to receive the medical care and attention they need. Healthcare administrators and providers in the North West worked with Microsoft…

This past weekend the #NovariFamily had the opportunity to celebrate another successful year! We are very excited about what is to come in #2020!

Novari Health’s Medical Imaging Requisition Management™ (MIRM) eReferral solution has gone live at North York General Hospital (NYGH), eliminating the burden of paper-based medical imaging requisitions and streamlining medical imaging workflows.   Like most hospitals, the medical imaging department at NYGH receives many thousands of imaging requisitions from community-based physicians. There is a global movement…

The Cowichan Tribes-owned, Mustimuhw Information Solutions (MIS), is a trusted digital health partner, supplying unique software solutions designed specifically to meet the needs of First Nations Health Centres and Child & Family Service Agencies across Canada. MIS has partnered with Novari Health to offer their First Nations Health Centres and social service agencies Novari’s virtual…

Watch Dr. Chris Simpson’s Breakfast with the Chiefs presentation “Ontario’s Access to Care Challenges from My Side of the Gurney and Computer” on LongwoodsTV’s YouTube channel. Dr. Simpson’s presentation focuses on “Ontario’s Access to Care Challenges from My Side of the Gurney and Computer”. By international standards, Canada performs poorly in all areas of access…

Dr. Chris Simpson, Chief Medical Information Officer at Novari Health, and former President of the Canadian Medical Association will be presenting at Breakfast with the Chiefs on September 25, 2019 in Toronto. Dr. Simpson’s presentation focuses on “Ontario’s Access to Care Challenges from My Side of the Gurney and Computer”. By international standards, Canada performs…

CIHI Update on Wait Times The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has released updated data on wait times for priority procedures in Canada. The data shows that approximately 30% of patients who required a hip or knee replacement or cataract surgery did not have their procedure done within the recommended wait times. Read More

Novari eReferral Technologies Now Helping More Ontario PatientsTORONTO, Ontario, Canada – December 4, 2018 — Canadian healthcare administrators, clinicians, hospitals and ministries of health are focusing on improving access to care for patients.  Novari Health’s unique access to care software platform is enabling dramatic improvements for Canadians accessing healthcare services and in shortening wait times. Long…

Still Waiting After All These Years Canadians cherish their healthcare system. It has become part of our national fabric; one of the defining characteristics of our country. We value the principle that our access to health care depends fundamentally on need rather than on the ability to pay. Our national heroes include the founders of…

  KINGSTON, Ontario, Canada – July 23rd, 2018: Novari Health is proud to announce that our team has won the 2018 Microsoft Canada Citizenship and Community IMPACT Award. These annual awards recognize Microsoft partners who demonstrate excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. Microsoft prides on having the largest partner ecosystem…

KINGSTON, July 10th, 2018: Novari Health has been nominated by Microsoft Canada as one of the 2018 Microsoft IMPACT award finalists. The IMPACT Awards showcase the excellence and innovation within the Microsoft Canadian Partner community. Novari Health has been nominated for the Citizenship and Community Award, this award recognizes partners that have leveraged Microsoft technology…

  KINGSTON, May 28, 2018: Novari Health, an international leader in designing, building and deploying access to care software technologies that improve access for patients, announces the appointment of Dr. Chris Simpson (BSc, MD, FRCPC, FACC, FHRS, FCCS, FCAHS) as Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO). Dr. Simpson is recognized nationally and internationally for his clinical…

  KINGSTON, May 8, 2018 – Novari Health’s eReferral and central intake technology has gone live in the North West and Central LHIN regions of the province.  The 14 Local Health Integration Networks have been mandated to implement a central intake and rapid clinical assessment model of care for patients being referred for possible hip…

Following an innovative and competitive procurement process, Novari Health’s eVisit solution was selected by the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) as the enabling technology for a primary care project, in which participating patients may have virtual visits with their family physician.

Following an innovative and competitive procurement process, Novari Health’s eVisit solution was selected by the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) as the enabling technology for a primary care project, in which participating patients may have virtual visits with their family physician.

Having widely deployed our software platform in various healthcare settings, and with our own clinical background, Novari fully appreciates the importance for physicians and office staff in having a seamless experience when using an electronic medical record (EMR) system. The Novari EMR Connect™ functionality facilitates connectivity between any web-based physician office EMR and the various…

Novari is pleased to announce that the Novari Access to Care software platform has successfully gone live across the North West LHIN. The project was jointly led by Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and the North West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). With the objective of improving access to care for patients, the Novari…

Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) has commenced an implementation of the Novari Access to Care Platform. HHS is a leading-edge teaching hospital with over 15,000 employees, physicians and volunteers across its six-hospital sites and six specialized healthcare facilities. An experienced implementation team from Novari has begun to work with a multidisciplinary team from HHS towards a…

John Sinclair, President of Novari Health is pleased to announce that John Lott has joined the team at Novari as Vice President-Corporate Affairs. John has over 25 years of senior leadership experience in the areas of Performance Management that includes decision support, case costing, benchmarking, patient safety quality risk, and the development and implementation of…

Recognizing the similarities between the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian healthcare systems, Canadian based Novari Health has expanded to serve the Australian and New Zealand healthcare markets. Novari Health Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Novari Health Inc. and is based in Sydney’s CBD. Novari’s recruitment efforts have attracted top local talent, some…

The Mississauga Halton Central Intake Program has selected Novari eRequest™ as its software platform as it moves to implement electronic eReferrals with a central intake capability.

KINGSTON, ON: Novari Health is pleased to announce that is has signed an alliance agreement with QHR Technologies Inc., a leader in the Healthcare Information Technology sector. Novari Health and QHR’s Electronic Medical Records (“EMR”) division are collaboratively integrating technologies to bring the combined benefits of two popular systems to Canadian healthcare providers and patients.…

John Sinclair, Novari Vice President (Kingston) and Leslie Motz surgical director at Lakeridge Health (Oshawa) will be co-presenting at the upcoming 174th IFHIMA Congress (Health Information Management). The conference attracting delegates and speakers from around the world is being held in Montreal May 13-15. The Novari / Lakeridge presentation titled “Implementing a Regional Surgical Access…

Brief Overview Since the early 2000s improving access to surgical and other hospital based care has been a national, provincial and regional priority across the country. Federal and provincial governments have allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to improve Canada’s weak performance in this area relative to other developed countries. Despite this investment, Canada continues…