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Surgical programs can now connect with patients virtually to support patients at home

Thunder Bay, Ontario – Jan 28, 2021 – Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) is now keeping patients safe, connected, and out of the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic with , a digital patient engagement platform for patients undergoing surgery. TBRHSC is the first hospital in the Ontario Health North region, to launch ������Ƶ as part of Ontario Health’s recent Surgical Transitions initiative for hospitals to quickly implement pre and post-op monitoring technology for safer surgical transitions from hospital to home during the COVID-19 pandemic. ������Ƶ is the only Canadian company on the Ontario Telemedicine Network’s (OTN) Vendor of Record for Surgical Transition Solutions.

������Ƶ enables TBRHSC to safely discharge patients earlier and minimize in-person home care services by guiding patients from pre-op preparation through post-surgery recovery with personalized education, progress-tracking and remote monitoring. Upon discharge from the hospital, patients are able to report their pain scores, symptoms, and share wound photos from their own devices, enabling them to be monitored by the care team. 

TBRHSC is rolling out the ������Ƶ platform broadly for patients across many surgical programs, including Hip & Knee Replacement, Spine, Shoulder, Urology, Colorectal, Bariatrics and Thoracics. Since going live in November 2020, over 170 patients at TBRHSC have already benefited from the platform, with 91% recommending their experience to others, 87.5% saying the program helps them feel less anxious before surgery, and promising early results improving outcomes such as ED visits, hospital length of stay, and readmissions.

As one TBRHSC patient shared about the positive experience being supported by remote monitoring by their care team during the pandemic: “I like the fact if there was a problem someone would be monitoring my response and guide me through my issues.”

“This program helped me feel connected. I knew if a problem arose I had somewhere to turn”, shared another TBRHSC patient. For the clinical team, ������Ƶ also provides dashboards and analytics ranging from real-time individual patient symptom-tracking to population-level protocol compliance and patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

“Engaging and monitoring patients remotely allows us to deliver safer perioperative care during the COVID-19 pandemic – regardless of where patients live,” said Caroline Fanti, Director, Regional Surgical Services at TBRHSC. “Smart health technology aligns well with our mission to deliver a quality patient experience that is responsive to the needs of the population of Northwestern Ontario.”

“Our patients are very happy with this technology and the connectivity it provides”, said Skylar Christian, Lead Nurse Practitioner for remote patient monitoring at TBRHSC. “Being able to use the dashboards to monitor what patients are reporting is enabling us to follow-up more quickly. Patients can return home sooner with immediate, constant access to the information and support they need throughout their journey.”

“We are tremendously grateful to be working with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre during this time when remote patient care is more important than ever,” shares Dr. Joshua Liu, CEO at ������Ƶ. “This opportunity serves as a testament to Ontario Health’s commitment in supporting our  communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and we’re thrilled to be able to help keep more patients safe, healthy, and out of the hospital in our home province of Ontario.”

About ������Ƶ

������Ƶ provides the #1 digital patient engagement platform used by hospitals and health systems to elevate the patient experience, improve outcomes and lower costs. Patients access digital care plans on their smartphones, tablets or computers and are guided through their health conditions or treatments via reminders, education and progress tracking. Providers receive alerts, monitor patients and access analytics to deliver better care. ������Ƶ is directly integrated with Epic and Cerner. Health systems such as Trillium Health Partners, William Osler Health System and Sunnybrook use ������Ƶ to improve patient satisfaction while reducing hospital length of stay, readmissions, and costs.

For more information and to see ������Ƶ in action, please visit: .