The CAR continues to spearhead a collaborative and coordinated effort to implement digitized referrals across jurisdictions nationwide by hosting the Conference on Digitizing Healthcare Referrals.
The day of insightful meetings took place in Toronto on Tuesday, November 12, featuring expert speakers in front of an audience of radiology department and clinic directors, business managers, health human resource leads, health policy representatives, and other key radiology stakeholders.
“The conference provided an excellent platform to bring attention to the need for implementing CDS systems with important decision-makers in our field,” said Dr. Ania Kielar, CAR President. “Streamlining referrals is proven to have a positive impact on physician health and patient care.”
At present, administrative burden siphons around 10 hours per week on tasks that don’t require the expertise of a physician, and innovative approaches are needed to reduce this burden. Key benefits of CDS systems include support for administrative functions, increased adherence to referral guidelines, and a streamlined referral process.
The sessions were broken into four topical categories, each with an element of group discussion and speakers specific to the topic: Current Status of Healthcare Referrals in Canada, Harnessing Technology to Improve Referrals and System Efficiency, Regulatory and Ethical Considerations, and Looking Forward. The overall objectives of the day were to:
- Provide an overview of the current state of digitization efforts in Canada
- Create a discussion forum for shared challenges and barriers to implementation
- Develop an actionable and reproducible set of recommendations to facilitate implementation
Dr. Kathleen Ross, Past-President of the Canadian Medical Association, delivered a Keynote that demonstrated the barriers to productivity existent in healthcare and how a more efficient system is attainable through collaboration, technological innovations, and a focus on clinical well-being. While CDS implementation remains a challenge in much of Canada, the day’s meetings shared perspectives from successful Canadian jurisdictions, like Quebec’s implementation case study, and international healthcare systems, like the experiences in the US and UK.
CDS implementation is a critical issue and has been a consistent priority for the CAR. Dr. Steve Herman explained the gravity of the situation for many radiologists at a similar CAR-led meeting in 2022, which persists today.
“These systems have the potential to significantly improve patient care by ensuring the right test gets done the first time. This shortens queues for procedures which reduces wait times and exposure to ionizing radiation for patients. They also have the potential to save healthcare systems labour and resources by avoiding performing studies that do not provide patient benefits.”
The CAR is grateful for the participation of the expert speakers and panelists, as well as the key stakeholders in the audience for their attention to this critical issue.