Trillium Health Partners (THP), THPS Solutions is seeking a cost-effective, and easily deployable solution to optimize their Holter monitoring process.
THP is posting this Call for Innovation to seek out qualified Canadian companies who can meet the desired outcomes. THP and CAN Health reserves the right to not move forward with this project at its full discretion and in particular if there are no qualified Canadian companies that can reasonably meet the desired outcomes.
To qualify for a CAN Health project, the company must have its headquarter in Canada and/or the majority (>50%) of the company owned by Canadians and/or significant economic impact to Canada including a high Canadian job creation potential, >70% of contract value to Canada (for distributors of a non-Canadian solution), independent autonomy over business operations and product development (for subsidiaries, affiliates or distributors), current presence (office(s) and client(s)) and can benefit from the CAN Health Network. Priority will be given to companies that meet all eligibility criteria.
For more information on the Call for Innovation process and the commercialization projects funded by CAN Health Network, please refer to the FAQ page on the CAN Health Network website: https://canhealthnetwork.ca/faq/
Problem Statement: THP Solutions is seeking a solution to optimize their Holter monitoring process, reducing cost, resource intensity, time consumption, and their reliability on specialized human resources.
Objectives: Offer a flexible option to deploy Holter monitoring without the need for technical support to deploy the unit, and enhance the overall experience for both patients and healthcare providers.
Essential (mandatory) outcomes
The proposed solution must:
- Create an opportunity for revenue generation to sustain the use of monitoring equipment. (Achieve a minimum 10%-15% margin on fees generated from the use of the new monitoring equipment.)
- Enhance patient satisfaction with the Holter monitoring experience. (Attain patient satisfaction scores of over 85% in response to the question: “How satisfied were you with the Holter monitoring experience?”)
- Ensure high satisfaction among healthcare providers using the new Holter monitor. (Exceed provider satisfaction scores of 85% in response to the question: “Overall, how satisfied were you with using the new Holter monitor?”)
- Improve access to Holter monitoring services. (Ensure Holter monitoring is available within 24 hours of referral.)
- Provide prompt technical support for questions related to the technology or application. (Respond to technical inquiries within 2 hours during 7 am-7 pm; or within 2 hours of the next day if questions arise after hours.)
- Resolve technical issues related to defective products promptly. (Address technical support for any defective product within 24 hours of the issue being identified, providing either a resolution or a replacement monitor)
The maximum duration for a project resulting from this Challenge is: 13 months
THP Solutions is a new virtual clinic, providing virtual care to residents in long-term homes, seniors living in their homes through the Community Paramedicine program, and those in the Mississauga community. As the clinic expands, it requires seamless referrals for Holter monitoring, a portable electrocardiogram (ECG) that continuously records heart activity to assess the risk of irregular heartbeats.
The existing Holter monitoring process at THP poses challenges in terms of cost, resource intensity, and time consumption, relying on specialized human resources for deployment. Patients must physically visit the hospital’s Cardiopulmonary Department, where a cardiology technician is required to deploy the unit. Subsequently, patients are required to wear the Holter device continuously for the study period, ranging from 24 to 72 hours. THP’s Holter monitoring capacity is constrained by the available monitors, each carrying a high replacement cost. Increased referrals from the Solutions Clinic would exert additional pressure on the limited Holter monitors and technical staff in the cardiopulmonary department.
In response to these challenges, THP Solutions is actively seeking innovative solutions to optimize the Holter monitoring process for the Solutions Clinic. An ideal solution would be cost-effective, of high quality, and easily deployable in the community and long-term care homes. Such a solution aims to alleviate the strain on services in the cardiopulmonary department, increase opportunities to deploy the monitor in settings outside of the hospital and with limited technical supports while enhancing the overall experience for both patients and healthcare providers while accommodating the growing demand for virtual care services.