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Mike Krasnay
Author of
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OS28 - Learning to Leverage Technology (ID 33)
- Event: e-Health 2017 Virtual Meeting
- Type: Oral Session
- Track: Clinical and Executive
- Presentations: 1
- Coordinates: 6/07/2017, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Room 203AB
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OS28.01 - Sparking Digital Health Innovation Through eHealth Ontario's Innovation Lab (ID 255)
Mike Krasnay, Architecture and Standards, eHealth Ontario; Toronto/CA
- Abstract
Purpose/Objectives: eHealth Ontario helps health care stakeholders integrate the provinces electronic health record (EHR). This session introduces our Innovation Lab (www.innovation-lab.ca) and explores how it promotes innovation in Ontario. Health care is an information-intensive industry. The lab helps innovators garner support for solutions that make optimal use of health information for improved patient care. It is a free and open sandbox where participants can experiment to verify the usability of new products using the structure and composition of the EHR.
Methodology/Approach: Initially, the lab was built to help eHealth Ontario drive risk out of its own technology projects. Along the journey, we recognized the opportunity to enable innovation on a broader scale. Approaches used for developing the Innovation Lab include: Casting a wide net. Enticing talent that is potentially interested in health care, but is unfamiliar with health care-specific standards and protocols. Developing different levels of services: Lite Services are for innovators to access and illustrate proofs of concept for garnering initial clinical and financial support. These services are for getting started and are freely accessible. Secure Services are identical to our production systems, and include authentication and other privacy and security controls. Implementing a website with all relevant information, and a test harness to help familiarize newcomers to health IT messaging. Starting small and growing (as opposed to big bang).
Finding/Results: Through feedback from users, workshops with stakeholders and building on the services of our partner and host, Mohawk Colleges Mohawk eHealth Development and Innovation Centre (MEDIC), we discovered: Hamilton Health Sciences and their vendor, Influence Health, used the lab to build and validate a proof of concept integration between ClinicalConnect and the Provincial Client Registry (PCR) Lite Service (the PCR uniquely identifies individuals based on demographic information). They said: Using the Innovation Lab simplified the logistics and communication requirements associated with this very complex integration project. That other organizations want to contribute their assets to the lab. The benefits for them are: It encourages innovation with their assets They can explore further integration with other provincial assets That many organizations wish to provide support for innovation. We learned they should base their contributions on the value that their organization is uniquely positioned to provide. For eHealth Ontario, this is the provincial EHR assets; no one else can contribute this to innovation
Conclusion/Implication/Recommendations: Our start small and grow approach has allowed us to fund the lab with a modest budget. The initial services have already proven the effectiveness of the lab, and will continue to be leveraged by innovators as we add new services. Through our engagement with stakeholders from across the province, we are developing a consortium atmosphere in the lab, where all parties become part of the solution. Partnerships with other EHR service providers are key. Nobody owns innovation; it should be open, transparent and collaborative.
140 Character Summary: Ontarios Innovation Lab, our open EHR platform, fosters ehealth solution testing in a virtual EHR environment and gives innovators a space to prototype new ideas.
