Cynthia Davis, President and CEO of Lakeridge Health, and Dr. Steven Murphy, President and Vice-Chancellor of Ontario Tech University, sign a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize the Partnership for Advanced Technology in Health Care (PATH).
As Ontario faces increasing pressure to modernize health care in the wake of growing populations and evolving patient needs, health systems are looking for innovative ways to address these challenges and explore AI-driven technologies.
In Durham Region, Lakeridge Health, in collaboration with Ontario Tech University, is taking a significant step forward in the evolution of health care delivery with the launch of the Partnership for Advanced Technology in Health Care (PATH). This partnership seeks to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance patient care and improve health outcomes for Durham Region residents.
Like many areas, Ontario is feeling the impact of a global shortage of health care workers. The World Health Organization has identified this shortage as one of the most significant crises facing health systems, predicting a serious reduction of care capacity unless significant changes are made.
In Ontario, this issue is compounded by a high volume of alternate level of care (ALC) population. These are patients who no longer need hospital-level care but are unable to transition to more appropriate settings due to resource limitations. At Lakeridge Health, the ALC patient population is contributing to hospital flow issues, long wait times, and increased pressure on staff.
PATH brings together Lakeridge Health's clinical expertise and Ontario Tech's research capabilities to explore how AI can address these critical challenges.
According to Dr. Ilan Lenga, Chief Information Officer at Lakeridge Health, AI holds the potential to streamline workflows, allowing staff to focus more on direct patient care. "As the population changes and demands grow, we need innovative solutions to ensure that our teams have more time to focus on what really matters—delivering exceptional care to our patients," says Dr. Lenga.
Lakeridge Health has a long history of embracing technology to improve care. The Emergency Department Wait Times Tracker and the implementation of Epic, a digital health record system, are just two examples of how the organisation has worked to integrate technology to enhance care delivery. This new partnership represents another step in positioning Durham Region as a leader in health system innovation.
This collaboration underscores the value of community and academic partnerships in tackling the complexities of modern health care, especially for community-based health systems like Lakeridge Health, which lack the same in-house resources available to academic teaching hospitals. By blending Lakeridge Health's clinical expertise with Ontario Tech's academic strength, this groundbreaking partnership offers a new approach to addressing the evolving challenges facing health care systems.
From left: Dr. Ilan Lenga, Chief Information Officer, Lakeridge Health, Dr. Steven Murphy, President and Vice-Chancellor, Ontario Tech University, Cynthia Davis, President and CEO of Lakeridge Health, and Dr. Les Jacobs, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Ontario Tech University.
While AI presents significant opportunities for enhancing health care, there are also concerns about its impact on care delivery. “I think people worry about technology disrupting the clinician-patient relationship," says Dr. Lenga. “However, these systems are designed to augment and enhance the care clinicians provide, not replace or interfere with that essential relationship."
Another area of concern is the ethical and equitable use of AI technologies. “We are deeply committed to the responsible use of AI," Dr. Lenga explains. “We are developing a comprehensive policy to vet the development and procurement of these advanced technologies. This includes establishing a robust monitoring system to ensure these technologies are performing as intended, improving health outcomes in a way that is fair, ethical, and equitable for all."
As this initiative progresses, Lakeridge Health will explore clinical opportunities that could be improved through AI-driven innovation. From enhancing patient safety to streamlining administrative processes, the potential impact of this collaboration is significant—not just for Durham Region but as a model for other health systems looking to integrate AI into their operations.
The Partnership for Advanced Technology in Health Care exemplifies how health systems can and should leverage academic and community partnerships to enhance innovation and capacity to care. As pressures on Ontario's health systems continue to grow, this partnership paves a path forward, demonstrating how the integration of technology and collaboration can drive solutions that will contribute to the sustainability of health systems for generations to come.