OCE Continues to Build Capacity in Healthcare-related Innovation Procurement

Second round of REACH projects announced

TORONTO, Nov. 6, 2017 /CNW/ - Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) is pleased to announce six successful applicants for the second round of REACH (Resources for Evaluating, Adopting and Capitalizing on Innovative Healthcare Technology), an innovative program designed to help Ontario healthcare provider organizations more rapidly adopt innovative healthcare technology solutions.

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REACH is a grant funding program being delivered by OCE on behalf of Ontario's Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS). The funding supports healthcare organizations in developing new ways to procure solutions that do not exist in the market, or need to be adapted or improved to meet their high-priority needs – a process known as innovation procurement.

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OCE is supporting participating projects in the second round of REACH with a $4.3-million program investment from the province.

"Our government is committed to funding forward-thinking approaches to procurement that can support better outcomes for Ontarians," says Tracy MacCharles, Minister of Government and Consumer Services.  "The projects funded through OCE's REACH program will demonstrate new ways to procure solutions that will allow health care organizations to operate more effectively, and improve both patient satisfaction and health outcomes."

Six public healthcare service provider organizations will be receiving REACH funding for their projects:

• The Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team eHealth Centre of Excellence for the project A Unique Partnership between the eHealth Centre of Excellence and the Ontario Telemedicine Network will use Innovative Methodologies to Procure a Technology Solution for Virtual Visits in Waterloo Wellington.The eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE) and the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) are working together to advance access to primary care in the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network. 
• Kingston Health Sciences Centre, in partnership with 3SO and Queen's University for the project Management of COPD Patients in Kingston.The Kingston Health Sciences Centre is working towards reducing the frequency of patients who visit the emergency room related to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Current issues causing ER overcrowding and higher healthcare costs put patients at risk of developing secondary complications.
• Markham Stouffville Hospital for the project Co-Designing a Smart Hospital to Improve Patient & Information Flow.Markham Stouffville Hospital is dedicated to providing a cost-effective solution to automate and integrate patient and information flow services (such as bed management, time tracking, and asset tracking) to increase efficiencies and reduce the Cost per Weighted Case (CPWC).
• Mackenzie Health for the project Real-Time Data Collection through a Smart Replenishment Tracking Solution.Mackenzie Health is investing in a solution to create an on-demand hand hygiene supply replenishment process to support hand hygiene best practices, which will integrate into an 'Internet of Healthcare Things' platform (IoHT) with real-time data capabilities. The support services replenishment process can help eliminate the need for manual rounding of support staff while increasing data modeling and analytics capabilities that support best practices in hand hygiene compliance, reducing hospital-acquired infections.
• Southlake Regional Health Centre, in partnership with Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, MEDEC,  PLEXXUS, Stevenson Memorial Hospital, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Trillium Health Partners for the project Innovation Procurement for a Patient Communication Hub.Southlake Regional Health Centre aims to positively impact patient satisfaction, awareness, and engagement in maintaining health through a Patient Hub Communication system that will enable patient education and support.
• TransForm SSO (TransForm) for the project Innovation Procurement for Traceability in the Erie St. Clair RegionTransForm aims to solve the challenge of tracking and tracing products and care processes that are linked to patients in the health system. By applying innovation procurement methodologies to identify vendors and implement traceability solutions, TransForm's goal is to effectively adopt digital tools and strategies to track and trace products from manufacturer to end use.

"OCE is very excited to continue building institutional capacity in the area of innovation procurement, and these projects are embarking on a new way to procure healthcare solutions," says Dr. Tom Corr, OCE's President and CEO. "It's incredibly rewarding to support initiatives that will have an impact in the area of health system innovation."

More information about the REACH program can be found here.

About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc.

OCE drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research across key market sectors to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario's global competitiveness. In doing this, OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, investors and governments. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices and research, OCE invests in sectors such as advanced health, digital media and information communications, advanced manufacturing and materials, and cleantech including energy, environment and water. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario's Innovation Agenda as a member of the province's Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE). Funded by the Government of Ontario, the ONE is made up of regional and sector-focused organizations and helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their company and create jobs

SOURCE Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc.