Humber River Hospital

The Humber River Hospital is one of Canada’s leading acute care hospitals. Its mission is to serve the health needs of the northwest Greater Toronto Area, which encompasses over 850,000 people. HRH is operated by the Humber River Family Health Organization, a non-profit organization that employs more than 500 physicians, nurses, and volunteers. Among its many accomplishments, the hospital is Canada’s first fully digital hospital and a world leader in sustainability.

During the past decade, HRH has undergone an extensive redesign and transformation. The hospital replaced outdated equipment and implemented advanced information and medical technology to meet the growing service demand. This included the development of a new 1.8 million square foot facility with 45 departments. In addition, the hospital was designed to LEED Gold standards.

The HRH Command Centre was launched in 2008, marking a significant milestone in the hospital’s multi-generational rollout. The Centre is a real-time, operational data platform that monitors, analyzes, and improves the flow of patients, reduces delays, and increases the accuracy of care. For example, the Command Centre is helping to decrease unpredicted illness rates, improve the effectiveness of labour and delivery, and flag elevated risk for expectant mothers. Since its launch, the hospital has been able to unlock 35 more beds and has reduced its Emergency Department wait times in Toronto.

The HRH Command Centre was developed in partnership with GE Healthcare. Jeff Terry, CEO of GE’s global ecosystem of NASA-style clinical command centres, was delighted to partner with HRH. GE’s expertise in healthcare analytics helped the project deliver several significant benefits to HRH. One such use was implementing the hospital’s first MEDITECH Oncology Management solution. MEDITECH has over 50 LIVE regional installations. By integrating the key into the hospital, HRH has saved time and money while improving patient satisfaction.

A part of Toronto

A vital part of the hospital’s design is its integrated approach to health and wellness. In addition to the Command Centre, the hospital has implemented many initiatives to achieve this goal, including service robots, automated guided vehicles, and lean and green design. As a result of these changes, the hospital has lower energy consumption. Additionally, it has achieved an unprecedented annual EUI target of 348 kWh/m2 (energetic use per square metre), 47 percent lower than the Energy Star Portfolio Manager Canada benchmark for hospitals.

Another initiative at the HRH is the implementation of a new Family Medicine Teaching Unit. The new FMTU will allow community-based family physicians to develop skills with HRH’s experienced clinicians. At the same time, it will enable HRH further integrate with the community, resulting in improved access to care and more informed patient care decisions.

HRH’s tile program aims to bring a new level of patient-centered quality healthcare to Ontario. The Hospital Research Institute’s (HRI) three pillars of priorities are to optimize care through community connection, primary care through population health management, and secondary care through technology.

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