Dear Colleagues,
I'd like to start by thanking you for the very kind words and thoughts that have been sent my way since I told you that I was leaving. As I work my way through a number of 'last' meetings and events, I am always struck by how much energy, enthusiasm and talent there is in this organization and how thankful I am to have worked with all of you.
I thought I should bring you up to date on one of the most exciting things that will happen at UHN and one which I will cheer on from Queen's Park. That is the work that has been done to date around a new electronic patient record. We are now in the due diligence phase with a vendor with the objective of hammering out a contract that supports the implementation to success, ensures that UHN is building for the future, and provides a base for the research hospital of the future in terms of databases and the ability to access information.
The Board of Trustees is actively engaged and I know that Lydia and Justine will receive invaluable assistance from the newly-formed IT Committee of the Board as most of the members of this committee have gone through enormous IT projects in the past. And, as the Board looks for the next President & CEO, I'm sure that this work around a new electronic patient record will be front and centre in the discussions with all candidates.
So – to all of you who participated in the process of evaluation, vendor selection and the excitement of seeing what a 21st century patient record looks like, I encourage you to remain engaged during the due diligence process. You are setting the stage for the future with this work and we absolutely need to get the contract, the staffing, the budget and the implementation of the system right. It may be taking a bit longer than anticipated but as Justine would say, "we need to go slow, to go fast".
This period of due diligence will also give us some time to work with everyone in the organization about what a complete electronic patient record will mean for practice. You need to dream about what could be possible, challenge yourself to think in new ways, and prepare for the uncertainty that is always there when change happens.
UHN excels at taking on challenges such as this!
Bob
