Health technology for Canadians – a prescription for change

If you paid a visit to your doctor’s office or an emergency room lately, you may have noticed a few things – long wait times, busy doctors and a lifetime of medical information stored in paper files. Over 68% of Canadians believe this isn’t good enough and if you’re one of them, you’ll want to know what TELUS Health Solutions is doing to help improve the quality of healthcare for you and your family.

Despite massive investment, Canada’s healthcare industry is facing tough challenges that have disrupted the kind of quality care Canadians expect and clinicians try to provide. The workforce is shrinking, , chronic diseases are on the rise and Canadians are demanding a greater say in the way their health is managed. With 45% of Canadians waiting too long for routine appointments and only 23% receiving a written list of instructions to manage their health conditions, the time for change has come.

Healthcare matters to us as much as it does to you, which is why we’re investing over $100M over three years to develop solutions that foster stronger collaboration, drive disease prevention, empower patients as equal partners in their health and help Canada’s health providers get back to the heart of their business – delivering timely, quality care.

Improving healthcare in Canada – backed by TELUS Health Solutions

TELUS has a successful history working with hundreds of care organizations across Canada – hospitals, doctor’s offices, laboratories and pharmacies – all who rely on TELUS Health Solutions to provide the latest information, communications and technology solutions that support the highest quality of care for their patients. In fact, our solutions in healthcare are closer to you than you may think.

Children’s hospitals across Canada are using Upopolis, an online social networking site designed by kids, for kids that keep children, families and friends connected to each other.

In Ontario, clinicians at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre are using TELUS’ web-based electronic health record to improve the quality of care for their patients.

When over 9 million Canadians fill out their drug and dental claims, TELUS provides services to make sure those transactions are processed securely, accurately and quickly.

Hospitals in British Columbia and Ontario are giving patients greater convenience and comfort in the hospital with the TELUS Integrated Bedside Terminal, a service that provides entertainment and communication services right at the bedside

In Alberta, patients no longer need to travel hundreds of kilometres to see specialists thanks to our telehealth solutions which enable patients to have timely, virtual consultations about their health conditions.

Our efforts and leadership to improve the quality of care in and out of the hospital have earned TELUS Health Solutions the 2008 Health IT Company of the Year in Canada, as well as the #1 Canadian Healthcare Solution Company for two years in a row.

A New Era In Healthcare

Think for a moment about the difference that technology has made in your life. Whether it’s paying your bills online, changing a flight from your wireless device or downloading music to your phone, technology has dramatically impacted our lives. Now consider the power of what that convenience, speed and access to your personal health information can do for you and your family. Our history may be in telecommunications services, but we’re taking the power of our people, technology and expertise and using it to create a new era of healthcare in Canada that will improve the patient care experience for us all.

AT TELUS, we are passionate about healthcare and are committed to developing consumer-focused solutions that change the way information is being used across the health system.

For example:

TELUS health space^TM, powered by Microsoft HealthVault^TM, will be Canada’s first online consumer health service that will put Canadians in control of their health information and enable them to play a more active role in their care. With this service consumers will be able to electronically organize, track and manage health information for each family member in one safe, secure place. Individuals will also be able to access the latest applications like personal health record, chronic disease management tools and wellness products.

Personal health record is a user-friendly service that will give consumers the power to create and manage an accurate diary of their health, schedule appointments online, obtain educational support about their health and securely access the information anytime, anywhere.

Remote Patient Monitoring will enable patients with chronic disease such as diabetes, hypertension and congestive heart failure, to better manage their conditions using web-based tools to capture medical measurements including blood pressure, glucose levels and weight and send that information to their care providers in real time – all from the comfort of their own home.

Empowering Canadians with tools that enable them to manage their health and that of their family is quickly becoming a reality and TELUS Health Solutions is helping to make it happen. This is another way that the TELUS team is using our leadership, technology and innovation to live up to our promise – to help transform the way information is used in healthcare to ensure a healthier future for all Canadians.

Stay tuned for exciting announcements about new products and services from TELUS that will help you take a more active role in your family’s health and wellness.

To learn more about these and other solutions provided by TELUS Health Solutions, visit www.telushealth.com.

TELUS Health Solutions represents a unique set of technology, expertise and resources to help transform how information is used in the healthcare industry. TELUS Health Solutions has years of expertise in successfully implementing healthcare applications and information communication technology processes through industry leading solutions and consulting services to customers in Canada and around the world. It is backed by more than 1,500 TELUS Health Solutions team members including healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit telushealth.com.

Source: alive Web Exclusive, December 2009