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(HORIZON) – More New Brunswick patients are receiving hip and knee replacements sooner, as Horizon Health Network (Horizon) has eliminated the waitlist for eligible patients waiting a year or more for these types of surgeries at its facilities.
As of Thursday, March 28, all patients waiting a year or more for a hip or knee replacement surgery have had their procedure completed, or they were offered a surgery. In December 2022, this waitlist was approximately 700 with cases continuing to roll over the 1-year mark each day.
To achieve this milestone, during the 2023-24 fiscal year, Horizon surgical teams completed 2,917 hip and knee replacements, 1,077 of which were long-waiting patients. This is an increase of over 700 surgeries from the previous year.
Ensuring patients receive surgery as quickly as possible will result in better health outcomes and improved quality of life for patients, while reducing the potential of negative physical and mental health impacts that can come with prolonged waits.
“The fact that we have been able to clear the waitlist for individuals who had been waiting more than a year for their procedure shows our commitment to improving access to surgical services for patients,” said Greg Doiron, Horizon’s Vice-President Clinical. “We recognize there is still more work to be done as we strive to bring wait times for other surgeries closer to national benchmarks.
“I am very grateful for the tremendous efforts of staff and physicians who have made this possible, and I’m confident that we will continue to achieve progress as we work to enhance access to different surgeries for all of the patients we serve,” he added.
Eliminating the backlog of long-waiting patients for hip and knee replacements in just over 15 months was a core commitment of the organization. This led to the implementation of several initiatives of different size and scope, all of which played a significant role in optimizing operating room (OR) capacity and allowing our surgical teams to achieve this goal.
“Being able to deliver on this promise reflects our unwavering commitment to prioritizing patient care and addressing the needs of our community,” said Amy McCavour, Horizon’s Executive Regional Director, Co-Leader for Surgical Services, Intensive Care, NB Organ and Tissue Program. “I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our dedicated surgical teams, as well as allied health professionals and support staff, whose tireless efforts made this achievement possible.”
A small number of long-waiting patients were offered an appointment during this timeframe and were not available for surgery. These patients will be prioritized and booked in the near future.
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]]>Horizon is taking action to improve health care for all New Brunswickers. Our action plan is driven by four priorities: access to services, a positive patient experience, patient flow and recruitment and retention. Improvement projects within these four key pillars are being led by staff, physicians, and leadership across the network every day.
Horizon was recognized for its programs and policies that support the wellbeing, inclusion, and growth of its staff and physicians.
These includes:
“We recognize the challenges our health care workers are facing and how important it is for employees and physicians to be heard and supported,” said Gail Lebel, Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer. “We are doing everything we can to ensure our people have the resources and engaging workplace they need to provide quality health care for all New Brunswickers, and we are striving to be an employer of choice. We recognize there is still work to be done, however we are committed to delivering a workplace culture where continuous improvement is at the heart of what we do.”
About Horizon Health Network
With an annual budget of $1.4 billion, 14,000 staff, 1,242 physicians, many volunteers, 17 foundations and 16 auxiliary and alumnae organizations, Horizon Health Network (Horizon) is the largest regional health authority in New Brunswick and the second largest in Atlantic Canada. Committed to delivering quality and safe care in English and French to patients, clients and their families, Horizon operates 12 hospitals and more than 100 medical facilities, clinics, and offices throughout New Brunswick. With a collaborative team approach to offering services, Horizon delivers health care services to residents of New Brunswick, as well as northern Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Horizon is dedicated to educating the health care leaders of tomorrow by training physicians, nurses and other health care professionals and is home to the Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick and Memorial University’s clerkship programs. Other collaborative education programs include the Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board-accredited Horizon Pharmacy Residency Program, the Clinical Psychology Residency Program, The Moncton Hospital Post Graduate Dietetic Internship Program, and the Horizon School of Radiologic Technology (Saint John and Moncton).
Quick Facts
About Atlantic Canada’s Top Employers Competition
Atlantic Canada’s Top Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes employers that offer exceptional places to work. Organizations are selected based on eight criteria: physical workplace; work atmosphere and social opportunities; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. The editors publish detailed reasons for selection for these criteria, providing transparency in the selection of winners and a catalogue of best practices for employers and jobseekers. Organizations of any size and in both public and private sectors with a head office in one of the four Atlantic provinces can be considered.
]]>(FREDERICTON) – Horizon Health Network (Horizon) and the Chalmers Foundation are pleased to announce an additional (second) Interventional Radiology (IR) suite will be installed at Horizon’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (DECRH), improving access to surgical services.
“The expansion of this service reflects our commitment to delivering accessible and high-quality care to meet the needs of the patients in the Fredericton area,” said Horizon’s interim president and CEO Margaret Melanson. “This second suite will improve access and the patient experience by reducing wait times, enhancing scheduling flexibility, and ensuring prompt access to specialized equipment and personnel.”
“This would not be possible without the support of the Chalmers Foundation and their generous donors,” Ms. Melanson added.
The Chalmers Foundation has approved a fundraising campaign of $1.7 million for the installation of the second IR suite.
“We look forward to engaging with the community, and in particular, the local business community to help reach our $1.7 million goal by the end of 2024 to get this vital component up and running as quickly as possible. The IR suite is a strategy that helps address the growing demand for interventional radiology procedures at the DECRH, including some oncology needs,” said Chalmers Foundation CEO Charles A. Diab, PhD.
“The Foundation raised $1.7 million in the 2023 calendar year, and now we are looking to do the same in just 9 months which demonstrates the commitment of our Board and staff to helping support healthy, caring communities,” Mr. Diab added.
The IR suite will allow physicians to perform procedures that use minimally invasive image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat diseases in nearly every organ system. IR suites are designed to provide enhanced support for vascular procedures.
The existing IR suite has been instrumental in facilitating various interventional procedures across multiple specialties. There has been an increase in the number of patients requiring vascular interventions, including angioplasty, stenting, embolization, and other minimally invasive procedures. The creation of a second specialized suite will help accommodate this rising demand. In 2021-22, the DECRH IR team completed 1,589 cases (some cases include multiple exams/procedures). In 2022-23, that number rose to 2,465 procedures – a 38% increase.
The new suite will be equipped with state-of-the-art imaging technologies and interventional tools specifically tailored to address the complexities of vascular procedures, ensuring precision and efficiency in treatment. Staffing for the new suite will include highly trained technologists and nurses to complement the existing vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists.
Horizon has a plan to improve health care in New Brunswick. Our plan is focused on retention and recruitment efforts and improving the overall patient experience by addressing patient flow and access to services. Further details about Horizon’s four priority areas are available at HorizonNB.ca. This initiative also supports the Government of New Brunswick’s provincial health plan, Stabilizing Health Care: An Urgent Call to Action.
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]]>Beginning this week, patients scheduled for a hip or knee replacement surgery in a Horizon hospital will be able to access the SeamlessMD app from their smartphones, tablets, or computers, and are guided before and after surgery with reminders, evidence-based education, symptom-tracking surveys and videos to help them follow the care plan prescribed by their care team.
Family members and caregivers can also access the app, making it easier to support the patient.
“We are very pleased to expand access to SeamlessMD as part of our commitment to providing the highest quality care and enhancing the overall patient experience,” said Dr. Patricia Bryden, Executive Clinical/Academic Department Head and Co-Leader of Horizon Surgical Services and Critical Care. “Not only does this enhance the patient experience, but it also improves patient safety and reduces anxiety. The platform is allowing patients to return home earlier, freeing up hospital beds and reducing the need to cancel procedures due to a lack of bed availability.”
This initiative is in alignment with Horizon’s key priority of improving patient experiences, as this digital tool has proven successful in positively impacting patient users in health care organizations across North America by empowering patients to track and remain better informed of their health care journeys.
This approach helps patients stay on track with Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, an evidence-based approach to preparation and recovery that Horizon surgical teams use to help patients achieve the best possible recovery.
Funding for extending the availability of SeamlessMD to hip and knee replacement patients was provided by the provincial Department of Health.
Validated by more than 35 clinical studies and evaluations across multiple specialties to improve patient outcomes by helping them to recover faster and reduce costs, the platform generates automated feedback to help facilitate patient self-management.
SeamlessMD – which was named by the CAN Health Network as its Company of the Year in 2022 – was successfully introduced at the New Brunswick Heart Centre (NBHC) in early 2023, where it has been made available to patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
The CAN Health Network provides support for innovative Canadian technologies offering solutions for the health care system by working with members, including health care organizations (Edges) such as Horizon, and Canadian technology companies.
About SeamlessMD
SeamlessMD provides the leading Digital Care Journey platform for hospitals and health systems to engage, monitor and stay connected with patients across healthcare journeys. 35+ clinical studies & evaluations have shown SeamlessMD to improve the patient experience while reducing hospital length of stay, readmissions, and ED visits. Health systems such as Trillium Health Partners, SE Health, William Osler Health System, Sunnybrook, Grand River Hospital, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Nova Scotia Health Authority, and others use SeamlessMD to elevate the patient experience, improve outcomes and lower costs. Patients access digital care plans on their smartphones, tablets or computers and are guided via reminders, education, and progress tracking. Providers receive alerts, monitor patients and access analytics to deliver better care. To learn more visit www.seamless.md.
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]]>The service is expanding to the Fredericton and Upper River Valley area, allowing patients to self-book their X-ray appointments at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital, the Oromocto Public Hospital, the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville, and the Hotel-Dieu of St. Joseph in Perth-Andover.
The new tool will improve the patient experience by offering an easy, modern way for patients to book their own X-ray appointments.
Beginning Monday, March 11, 2024, Fredericton and Upper River Valley area patients with an X-ray note (referral) will be able to visit horizonnb.ca/radiography to book their own X-ray appointment.
“This milestone marks a significant step forward in our commitment to improving access and streamlining health care delivery,” said Zach Kilburn, Horizon’s Interim Vice President Professional Services. “I extend my sincerest gratitude to our dedicated medical imaging team and valued patients for their support and enthusiasm surrounding the launch of patient self-booking for X-ray services. Together, we are shaping a future where convenience, accessibility, and patient-centered care are top priority.”
To book an appointment, patients will need to confirm they have an X-ray note, or that it has been faxed to the hospital’s Medical Imaging (MI) department before proceeding. Health care providers may also use this tool to book their patients’ appointments on their behalf.
Appointments will be available Monday through Friday to coincide with the hours of operation of the facility selected when booking online. Patients can still call in to book an appointment if they do not have access to an online device.
To cancel or reschedule an appointment, patients can click the link in their confirmation email or contact the MI department at the hospital where they have booked their appointment.
This tool will help reduce the number of missed appointments and improve the overall patient experience. Reducing missed appointments will decrease wait lists and improve access to services for patients.
This self-booking service was successfully piloted in the Saint John area, and was expanded to Horizon hospitals in Miramichi and Moncton areas. Nearly 12,000 X-ray appointments have been scheduled using the new self-booking tool. Furthermore, over 1,600 responses to our patient satisfaction survey have been collected, and 94% of patients indicate that the platform is easy to use.
Horizon has a plan to improve health care in New Brunswick. Our plan is focused on retention and recruitment efforts and improving the overall patient experience by addressing patient flow and access to services. Further details about Horizon’s four priority areas are available at HorizonNB.ca. This initiative also supports the Government of New Brunswick’s provincial health plan, Stabilizing Health Care: An Urgent Call to Action.
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]]>Horizon will create a series of videos about commonly searched health conditions on YouTube by Canadians. Videos will be created in both French and English, approximately five minutes in length. YouTube Shorts will also be created for each health condition. Recent videos created as part of this program include those on COPD, HIV/AIDS and Childbirth.
“Horizon firmly believes that collaboration and partnerships are a top priority,” said Margaret Melanson, Horizon’s Interim President and CEO. “This partnership is a great way to highlight our team globally as experts in our fields and Horizon as a leading health care organization. While some people use the platform for entertainment purposes, many people use it as an educational resource or to answer questions they may have on certain topics, such as health.”
Each video will feature a Horizon physician or health care professional who will provide quality, fact-based information about a specific condition, including causes, symptoms, treatment and management, and prevention.
“We know receiving a new diagnosis can be scary and stressful, and we want to make that easier,” said Ms. Melanson. “These videos will serve as educational resources patients and their family can watch and share with loved ones to help answer their questions.”
Horizon is committed to providing exceptional care to New Brunswickers every day. This new partnership with YouTube will also help improve recruitment and retention as it expands Horizon’s brand as a leading health care provider.
“Making high-quality health information accessible for Canadians in English and French is our key priority at YouTube Health,” said Soneeka Patel, YouTube Canada’s Health Lead. “By partnering with Horizon, we’ll ensure that both New Brunswickers and Canadians across the country have equitable access to health information to make informed decisions for their health and wellbeing.”
For easy access to these resources, all videos will be housed on Horizon’s YouTube channel (@HorizonNB). Viewers will be able to subscribe to the channel and receive alerts when new content is added.
Horizon has a plan to improve health care in New Brunswick. Our plan is focused on retention and recruitment efforts and improving the overall patient experience by addressing patient flow and access to services. Further details about Horizon’s four priority areas are available at HorizonNB.ca. This initiative also supports the Government of New Brunswick’s provincial health plan, Stabilizing Health Care: An Urgent Call to Action.
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]]>Group A Streptococcus (GAS, or, more commonly, Strep A) is a common bacteria that causes a number of different infections in people of all ages, such as strep throat, sinus infections, skin or wound infections, and fever and rash (scarlet fever). Most symptoms are mild. In some cases, an infection can lead to more severe disease.
Options for assessment across New Brunswick include:
If you do not have symptoms, you do not need to be assessed or tested.
Horizon Nurse Practitioners (NP) are supporting local pharmacies in Moncton and Fredericton by temporarily providing assessments a few days a week, during the evenings. A participating pharmacy may refer you to a Horizon NP for an assessment.
More information on Strep A is available on the Government of New Brunswick’s website.
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]]>The new tool will improve patient experience by offering a new, easy, and modern way for patients to book their own X-ray appointments.
Beginning Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, Moncton area patients with an X-ray note (referral) will be able to visit horizonnb.ca/radiography to book their own X-ray appointment.
To book an appointment, patients will need to confirm they have an X-ray note, or that it has been faxed to the hospital’s Medical Imaging department before proceeding. Health care providers may also use this tool to book their patients’ appointments on their behalf.
Appointments will be available Monday through Friday to coincide with the hours of operation of the facility selected when booking online. Patients can still call in to book an appointment if they do not have access to an online device.
To cancel or reschedule an appointment, patients can click the link in their confirmation email or contact the Medical Imaging (MI) department at the hospital where they have booked their appointment.
This tool will help reduce the number of missed appointments and improve the overall patient experience. Reducing missed appointments will decrease wait lists and improve access to services for patients.
This self-booking service was a successful pilot in the Saint John area, and then expanded to the Miramichi Regional Hospital, and it will soon be available in the Fredericton area. To date, the new self-booking tool has successfully processed more than 5,000 X-ray appointments. Feedback from users has been overwhelmingly positive, with 96% of surveyed individuals expressing that they found the platform “easy to use.”
Horizon has a plan to improve health care in New Brunswick. Our plan is focused on retention and recruitment efforts and improving the overall patient experience by addressing patient flow and access to services. Further details about Horizon’s four priority areas are available at HorizonNB.ca. This initiative also supports the Government of New Brunswick’s provincial health plan, Stabilizing Health Care: An Urgent Call to Action.
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]]>(FREDERICTON) – Thanks to the installation of a new, non-invasive monitoring technology, Masimo Patient SafetyNet (PSN), Horizon is eliminating surgery cancellations related to patients with, or at risk for, sleep apnea at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (DECRH).
Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that causes your breathing to stop repeatedly while you sleep. These breathing pauses or “apneas” usually last 10 to 30 seconds and can happen many times throughout the night. Surgical patients with sleep apnea are at increased risk of having perioperative complications, including hypoxemia, pneumonia, difficult intubation, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, atelectasis, cardiac arrhythmias, and unanticipated admission to the ICU.
The Masimo PSN device provides continuous monitoring of oxygen saturation, pulse rate, respiration rate and is ideal for monitoring surgical patients with sleep apnea through a phone and central monitor, immediately alerting a nurse if a patient’s vital signs drop below a specific parameter. Although new to Horizon, the device has also been proven to reduce rapid response team activations and reduce transfers to the intensive care unit in other jurisdictions.
Since the launch of the pilot project in October 2023, there have been zero surgery cancellations related to sleep apnea monitoring and over 100 patients have been monitored using the new technology. In the 12 months prior to the installation of the Masimo PSN, 42 surgeries at the DECRH were cancelled due to sleep apnea monitoring staffing constraints.
“Improving surgical access for patients aligns with our critical action plan of providing access to safe and quality services,” said Dr. Patricia Bryden, Horizon’s Executive Clinical/Academic Department Head, Co-Leader of Surgical and Critical Care. “We are consistently looking for and implementing innovative solutions to enhance overall patient care and I’m very encouraged by this positive outcome.”
“We continue to look for ways to improve the patient experience by reducing surgical cancellations and wait times to provide timely and quality care,” said Greg Doiron, Vice President Clinical Operations. “Thank you to our nurse managers and our surgical services and maternity unit staff at the DECRH for their efforts in piloting this technology in Fredericton.”
In addition to its potential health and system benefits, the technology has resulted in an organizational cost-savings of over $40,000 since October 2023 and is predicted to save $160,000 annually in labour costs. Horizon plans to implement the system at its three other regional hospitals in the coming months.
Horizon has a plan to improve health care in New Brunswick. Our plan is focused on retention and recruitment efforts and improving the overall patient experience by addressing patient flow and access to services. Further details about Horizon’s four priority areas are available at HorizonNB.ca. This initiative also supports the Government of New Brunswick’s provincial health plan, Stabilizing Health Care: An Urgent Call to Action.
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]]>Beginning this week, the facility will now be open on Tuesdays – in addition to Mondays and Wednesdays – including holidays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to better serve our patients.
The centre, located within the Brookside Mall on the city’s northside, opened in November 2023, and offers care to patients of all ages experiencing unexpected non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries requiring urgent, same-day medical attention and treatment.
The facility is staffed by health care workers from Fredericton area emergency departments, including the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (DECRH) and Oromocto Public Hospital (OPH).
Horizon is committed to extending the Urgent Treatment Centre’s days and hours of service even further as staffing and space allow.
“The impact of the Urgent Treatment Centre on delivering accessible and high-quality care has already been significant, and we are proud to witness the positive outcomes it has brought to our community,” said Dr. Krishna Pulchan, Horizon’s Chief of Emergency Medicine in the Fredericton area.
“This extension of service reflects our dedication to meeting the evolving healthcare needs of our residents, and I want to express my sincere appreciation to the physicians and staff at the Urgent Treatment Centre for their relentless commitment and dedication. Their hard work has been instrumental in making this initiative a success, and it is a testament to their professionalism and compassion.”
People experiencing a variety of urgent to moderate medical needs – such as nausea, vomiting, flu-like symptoms, minor cuts and abrasions requiring stitches, sprains, strains and sports injuries, ear, nose and eye problems, allergic reactions, skin conditions and a variety of other acute medical conditions – should present to the centre, which also provides on-site X-ray services, rather than the emergency department.
In just over two months of operation, the centre has provided care for over 800 patients, with daily registrations ranging from 50 to 70 patients.
Adopting a patient-centered approach, the centre continues to operate on a first-come, first-served basis (no appointment required).
Over time, the centre will transition to a more traditional triage model, where patients experiencing the most acute medical needs, in accordance with the Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS), would be seen first.
Anyone experiencing symptoms such as chest pains, shortness of breath, signs of a stroke, severe injuries or mental health concerns should call 911 or present to the nearest emergency department.
Horizon has a plan to improve health care in New Brunswick. Our plan is focused on retention and recruitment efforts and improving the overall patient experience by addressing patient flow and access to services. Further details about Horizon’s four priority areas are available at HorizonNB.ca. This initiative also supports the Government of New Brunswick’s provincial health plan, Stabilizing Health Care: An Urgent Call to Action.
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