Latest news with #HealthPEI
CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
More patients using self-registration kiosks at P.E.I.'s 2 main hospitals, official says
Social Sharing Health P.E.I.'s self-registration kiosks are seeing an increase in use since they were put in last fall, a hospital manager says. The kiosks were installed in November 2024 at Prince County Hospital in Summerside and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown. "The idea behind it is to allow patients to self-register for scheduled appointments that they have for certain clinics," said Anne Douglas-Oakley, the manager of health records, admitting and telecommunications at PCH. "It's helping reduce wait times for registrations for people that would like to use it." It's most often used by people who come in for daily appointments — for example, to get a dressing changed on a wound or surgical site. In the first few months of the kiosks being in place, only a handful of people used them per day, Douglas-Oakley said. Now, about 15 or 20 people are using them each day, she said. Patients swipe health cards The installation of the kiosks is part of Health P.E.I.'s five-year digital health strategy. Patients can swipe their health card at the kiosk, where their appointment information shows up on a screen. Once patients confirm their personal information, their paperwork is sent to the clinic they are visiting for their appointment, Douglas-Oakley said. It's just another way for a patient to register. — Anne Douglas-Oakley While the option to self-register is available to patients, the option to speak face-to-face with a registration clerk remains available. Douglas-Oakley said the choice is comparable to the self-checkout option at the grocery store. "Some people prefer to use the self-checkout versus the cashier. Both are available, and it's just whatever they choose," she said. "Having the kiosks come in is not eliminating any jobs… It's just another way for a patient to register." Where the kiosks are used The kiosks are available only at the QEH and PCH ambulatory clinics, which register more than 300 outpatients a day for various services, Douglas-Oakley said. Laboratory and diagnostic imaging clinics still require face-to-face registration with a clerk. There are no plans to expand self-registration kiosks to emergency departments, Douglas-Oakley said.
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Tender issued to remove banned building material from Montague hospital
Social Sharing Plans are in the works to start removing asbestos from Kings County Memorial Hospital in Montague, P.E.I. The provincial health authority says a recent assessment found several areas of the facility had been built with asbestos-containing materials that need to be taken out before planned renovations can proceed. The province issued a tender for the work this week, and once it begins, officials estimate it will take about a month and a half to complete. Tara Roche, Health P.E.I.'s administrator of community hospitals east, said the work is unlikely to affect services offered at KCMH. "I don't anticipate it will impact patients much at all," said Roche. "Part of our priority was to ensure that." Once a popular and fire-resistant insulation material, asbestos is commonly found in old roofing, tiles and similar products. It's also carcinogenic. When asbestos is disturbed, it releases fine particles into the air, which have been associated with a variety of cancers when they are inhaled. The hospital in Montague was built in 1971, before the use of asbestos was banned in many parts of the world. Canada prohibited its use in 1990. More work to come This is only Phase 1 of a broader plan to remove the material from the hospital. This time around, the province is budgeting $400,000 for work in the laundry, physiotherapy, storage and central sterile reprocessing (CSR) areas. Those areas were prioritized because the CSR needed some upgrades and an assessment scored the other locations as being "high risk," Roche said. "It tells us there is some asbestos around pipe, and there is some asbestos in some of our compound within our drywall — and some areas are more risky than others." Roche said physiotherapy services will move elsewhere in the hospital, while some laundry and sterilization services will be shared by other Health P.E.I. facilities in the area. The areas of the hospital where the work will be happening are mostly used by staff, she said, but the public will notice some barricades and other measures to seal off the removal zones. Roche said she is hoping work can begin in July or August.
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Health P.E.I. CEO says streamlined executive team will boost accountability, performance
Health P.E.I. says it's making changes to its executive leadership team in what it calls an important step in restoring public trust. The main changes include the addition of the following positions: chief of governance and risk, chief of people and professional practice, and provincial chief of nursing. "The health-care system is fairly large and complex here in Prince Edward Island, and it really needs to be well-managed," Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser said in an interview with CBC News. "We've streamlined the number of executives but we've put a real focus on accountability and performance." Filling new positions Fraser said Health P.E.I. has started recruiting for the new executive leadership positions in an open and transparent process, adding that anybody who wants to compete for one of the positions is welcome to do so. The salaries of the executive positions were approved by Health P.E.I.'s board of directors and will be made public, she said. "In setting these salaries, we identified our Atlantic comparators and we sought to compare our salaries to theirs," Fraser said. "We didn't want to lead or lag the market. We wanted to be in a place where we could recruit and retain, but still be fiscally responsible and recognize that we are a small health authority relative to some of our… comparators." We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders. While Fraser said reducing the cost of the new executive leadership structure wasn't one of the guiding principles, she said it will be more cost-effective than what has been done in the past. Fraser said the last executive structure that was in place in 2024 cost about $2 million when fully staffed, while salaries for this new one are set to add up to between $1 million and $1.5 million. Effect on everyday Islanders While average Islanders might not notice much of a difference when it comes to executive leadership changes within the provincial health authority, Fraser said the trickle-down effects will improve the care they get. "We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders," she said. "Over the course of the past year, we have — with our interim executive — been able to drive results that are quite significant relative to what we were seeing over the course of the past couple of years." Fraser said MRI and diagnostic imaging wait times have gone down, the number of open hospital beds has gone up and the surgical backlog has been reduced. Health P.E.I. has also hired more staff across the province this year compared to any previous year, Fraser said. "It's about having the right process, the right procedures. It's a complex, very integrated system and we need to move it all forward," she said, adding that Health P.E.I. will continue to push hard to deliver better access and lower wait times.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Health P.E.I. CEO says streamlined executive team will boost accountability, performance
Health P.E.I. says it's making changes to its executive leadership team in what it calls an important step in restoring public trust. The main changes include the addition of the following positions: chief of governance and risk, chief of people and professional practice, and provincial chief of nursing. "The health-care system is fairly large and complex here in Prince Edward Island, and it really needs to be well-managed," Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser said in an interview with CBC News. "We've streamlined the number of executives but we've put a real focus on accountability and performance." The changes come after the provincial health agency received audit recommendations on restructuring its executive leadership team, which currently has many senior roles being filled on an interim basis using contract employees hired through private recruitment agencies. Filling new positions Fraser said Health P.E.I. has started recruiting for the new executive leadership positions in an open and transparent process, adding that anybody who wants to compete for one of the positions is welcome to do so. The salaries of the executive positions were approved by Health P.E.I.'s board of directors and will be made public, she said. "In setting these salaries, we identified our Atlantic comparators and we sought to compare our salaries to theirs," Fraser said. "We didn't want to lead or lag the market. We wanted to be in a place where we could recruit and retain, but still be fiscally responsible and recognize that we are a small health authority relative to some of our… comparators." We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders. — Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser While Fraser said reducing the cost of the new executive leadership structure wasn't one of the guiding principles, she said it will be more cost-effective than what has been done in the past. Fraser said the last executive structure that was in place in 2024 cost about $2 million when fully staffed, while salaries for this new one are set to add up to between $1 million and $1.5 million. Effect on everyday Islanders While average Islanders might not notice much of a difference when it comes to executive leadership changes within the provincial health authority, Fraser said the trickle-down effects will improve the care they get. "We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders," she said. "Over the course of the past year, we have — with our interim executive — been able to drive results that are quite significant relative to what we were seeing over the course of the past couple of years." Fraser said MRI and diagnostic imaging wait times have gone down, the number of open hospital beds has gone up and the surgical backlog has been reduced. Health P.E.I. has also hired more staff across the province this year compared to any previous year, Fraser said. "It's about having the right process, the right procedures. It's a complex, very integrated system and we need to move it all forward," she said, adding that Health P.E.I. will continue to push hard to deliver better access and lower wait times. "I won't be satisfied until we meet national standards or better."
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Health PEI issues tender for asbestos removal at hospital
Health PEI said it will issue a public tender on Thursday in collaboration with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to remove asbestos from Kings County Memorial Hospital (KCMH) in Montague. A recent assessment found several areas in the hospital contain asbestos requiring removal, said a news release from the province. The asbestos is contained and poses no risk to patients or staff unless disturbed, said the release. The province said it will spend a maximum of $400,000 on the removal through the Capital Repair and Maintenance budget. The tender is phase one of a plan to remove asbestos from the facility 'in a safe and controlled manner,' said the release. A Health PEI representative said laundry, physiotherapy, central sterile reprocessing and storage areas are being prioritized for cleanup because of operational needs and safety concerns. The province said additional areas will be addressed, pending funding and further planning, during phase two. Health PEI said the work will be done by professionals following strict safety protocols and is expected to take 10 weeks. KCMH was built in 1971, before the ban on asbestos in building construction. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
