Health Minister Josie Osborne said last month the province is searching for additional funds for patient care by consolidating corporate functions, optimizing shared services and reducing duplication
Island Health has laid off a number of administrators as well as an IHealth project team — which has launched a fully computerized system in just half of the Island’s eight major hospitals — as part of cost-cutting measures.
A review of B.C.’s health-care system with the aim of cutting costs began in March. Led by Dr. Penny Ballem, it focused on the provincial health authority and in June expanded to the province’s five regional health authorities, including Island Health.
Health Minister Josie Osborne said last month the province is searching for additional funds for patient care by consolidating corporate functions, optimizing shared services and reducing duplication.
Reducing administrative bloat to focus on front-line resources was part of B.C. Premier David Eby’s election promise and was in the minister’smandate letter.
Island Health said in a statement it’s “reducing unnecessary costs and redirecting resources to meet patient needs.”
Last month, as part of this initiative, Island Health reduced one vice-president position by not filling a vacancy from retirement, and combined its so-called people and communications portfolios under one vice-president.
A number of executive director positions were also consolidated, “resulting in several layoffs of non-contract leaders.”
“These changes are being made to ensure we are maximizing value and better meeting the needs of those we care for, and those who provide care,” Island Health said in a statement to theTimesColonist.
The health authority has also eliminated an undisclosed number of people in its IHealth project team.
It says “the most recent IHealth project phase is now complete” and “positions created specifically to support this work are no longer required.”
“We want to recognize the excellent work and commitment of the IHealth project team for the successful implementation of this important clinical resource,” said Island Health.
The health authority did not say when or how the remaining hospitals will be fully updated, other than to say other clinical-solutions and information-technology staff will continue to provide electronic record support.
The IHealth computerized system includes an IHealth Electronic Record on patient histories that’s available at all hospitals and includes 300 health authority sites.
A hospital’s computerized system becomes fully functional with the addition of what’s called “computer provider order entry,” where clinicians order medications, radiology tests and lab work via computers rather than written notes.
The health authority has fully implemented the system at four of eight major Vancouver Island hospitals, including Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, Royal Jubilee Hospital, Victoria General Hospital (along with South Island Surgical Centre and Gorge Road Health Centre) and most recently Cowichan District Hospital in May.
The next sites that were due to move to the fully computerized IHealth system included Saanich Peninsula Hospital, West Coast General Hospital in Port Alberni, and North Island Hospital in both Comox Valley and Campbell River.
Smaller Vancouver Island hospitals are also awaiting the fully computerized upgrade: Tofino General Hospital, Lady Minto on Salt Spring Island, as well as Port Hardy Hospital, Port McNeill Hospital and Cormorant Island Health Centre.
The health authority has said the accuracy of the computerized system improves patient and medication safety and increases efficiencies in the creation and distribution of clinical documents. Patients receive access to their laboratory and diagnostic imaging results and some clinical documents through theMyHealth patientportal.
The IHealth implementation has been a long, rocky and expensive road for Island Health.
Nine weeks after the $174-million IHealth record system launched March 19, 2016, at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, Dufferin Place residential care centre in Nanaimo and Oceanside Health Centre in Parksville, physiciansreverted to pen and paper, calling the system unsafe.
Former B.C. Liberal health minister Terry Lake ordered a third-party review just months after the launch.
Another independent reviewin 2018 under the NDP government noted Island Health could not complete the full project scope within its initial $173-million budget and made nine recommendations.
The laid-off positions made public this week had been funded by an IHealth project budget, which is separate from Island Health’s annual operating budget, according to the health authority.
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