Cancer Care Ontario recently captured a pair of prestigious awards for the development and deployment of the Wait Time Information System, created in support of the Ontario government’s Wait Time Strategy.

For developing the Wait Time Information System (WTIS), Cancer Care Ontario was chosen for the 2007 Diamond Award by the Canadian Information Productivity Awards (CIPA), the top national award in the not-for-profit sector for overall excellence in information technology. The WTIS was also selected as the Gold Award winner for Innovation Management, handed out by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC), beating out 53 other nominees for the honour.

“These public accolades are wonderful to receive,” says Melissa Farrell, Acting Project Manager, Ontario’s Wait Time Strategy. “And it is even more rewarding to see our Wait Time Strategy having a direct impact on patient care. We are seeing real results in reducing wait times with over 255,000 people in this province getting improved access to care for critical surgeries.”

The WTIS is the technological backbone behind the province’s public reporting website www.ontariowaittimes.com and an integral part of the province’s Wait Time Strategy. The information that makes up the system is gathered from over 1800 physicians, in 81 hospitals, in near real time and reported on the website.

The WTIS delivers tangible benefits to patients, caregivers, clinicians, hospitals, the province and Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) by providing access to timely and accurate information on wait times for the five key services that are currently being reported. By focusing on better patient outcomes the system enables better informed decisions for care planning, improved wait list management and hospital service schedules and an improved ability to direct resources and funding.

The CIPA Awards are handed out to recognize excellence in IT development and innovation and the Diamond Award is their top-honour. In announcing the selection of the WTIS for the Diamond Award, CIPA trumpets, “(the) WTIS has transformed the way key healthcare services are delivered in Ontario and transformed the relationship between patients and the health system.” CIPA goes on to celebrate the development of the WTIS as creating a, “transparent process for patient, clinicians, hospitals and governments.” (Source: http://www.cipa.com/award_winners/winners_07/CancerCare254.html)

The WTIS was also given the Gold Award for Innovative Management by the IPAC. This honour is in recognition of exceptional public sector management, with the 2007 competition theme being ‘New Service Breakthroughs with Technology.’ In a news release announcing the award winners, the IPAC stated the WTIS was chosen for the esteemed Gold Award for having, “found a way to reduce wait times for surgeries and other key health services through innovative technology.”  (Source: http://www.ipac.ca/MediaReleases29-Aug-07)

“These awards acknowledge the Ontario government's steadfast commitment to report to the public on the performance of the health care system and reflects the combined efforts of hospitals, health care professionals and various public and private sector partners across the province,” said Sarah Kramer, Lead for the Wait Time Information Management Strategy, and VP and CIO for Cancer Care Ontario. “The end result is that physicians are able to manage their patient wait lists more effectively and patients are getting faster access to the services and care they really need.”

For more information on Ontario’s Wait Time Strategy, please go to www.ontariowaittimes.com.

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