Hi Everyone.
As you know, UHN is continually breaking new ground to enhance our patients' experience and outcomes, and to transform the health care system. We're all familiar with our clinical and research breakthroughs, such as the Total Joint Network's work on improving access to total joint replacements.
These achievements cannot happen without the solid organizational foundation provided by Clinical Support and Corporate Services. Led by Executive Vice President Kevin Empey, this team is responsible for UHN's well being in the areas of financial operations, government relations, corporate planning, nutrition, labs, materials management, infection control, corporate facilities and retail operations. Clinical Support and Corporate Services are system leaders in their own right. I'd like to highlight some examples of this leadership:
Financial Services and Government Relations - In this era of accountability and multi-year funding, hospitals are required under law to balance their books. To this point UHN has consistently managed to meet its financial and clinical service obligations. In addition to keeping UHN on track with our finances, our financial services team plays an active role in shaping public policy as it relates to hospital operations. For example, we participated in the development of the Ministry's hospital funding formula and accountability agreement - two instrumental tools that today shape how hospitals are funded and operate.
Capital Planning - Coming out of our successful "Project 2003" capital project, we decided to leverage our expertise in capital planning by creating a consulting business called PRISM. This business was the first of its kind in Canada that was created by a health care institution, and today serves more than six hospitals across Ontario.
Labs Services - UHN laboratories have developed expertise to service acute programs at UHN with the largest pathology service in Canada. Since almost every treatment decision is based to some extent on laboratory test results, lab services are an essential component of our patient care programs. In addition, our labs provide services to many hospitals through Toronto Medical Laboratories (TML). Launched in 1995 by UHN and MDS Inc., TML today provides lab services and medical directorship consulting to more than 18 hospitals.
In the past year, TML has developed or expanded innovative services that are enhancing patient care in Toronto and across Ontario. For example, UHN is the first hospital network in Canada to introduce tele-pathology, an emerging form of telemedicine that supports the practice of pathology from a distance. Within minutes, pathologists at TGH can telephone their diagnosis to the surgeon waiting in the TWH operating room across the city. This innovation has amazing potential benefiting patients and providers alike.
Materials Management - Another corporate initiative benefiting UHN and other hospitals is in the area of materials management. A few years ago, UHN, Mount Sinai and Sunnybrook Health Sciences joined forces to create Shared Healthcare Supply Services (for purchasing) and Hospital Logistics Inc. (for logistics and inventory management). These were successful and enabled us to achieve savings in materials so we can reinvest in patient care. The excellent work of SHSS and HLI has been extended to 12 hospitals under the name of Hospital Business Services. One model will now help most of our LHIN.
Our list of corporate success goes well beyond these examples. Without the leadership and creativity of Clinical Support and Corporate Services, UHN couldn't excel in patient care, research and education.
Bob
