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CCH Introducing New Digital Engagement Tool for Surgical Patients

2022-01-15

Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) will be introducing a digital platform called SeamlessMD to help patients prepare for their surgical procedure and recover faster afterwards.

SeamlessMD at CCH will guide patients from pre-surgery preparation through post-surgery recovery with personalized education, to-do lists, progress-tracking and remote patient monitoring. Patients will be able to access SeamlessMD on any smartphone, tablet, and/or computer, and can also choose to share their SeamlessMD profile with caregivers.

SeamlessMD is also used by a variety of other healthcare providers and hospitals throughout Canada and the United States.

“Planning ahead and being prepared can help ensure you have a successful procedure and heal faster with a smooth recovery,” explains Dr. Chris Raynor, orthopedic surgeon at CCH, who worked on the hospital’s implementation of SeamlessMD. “Following surgery, patients can be sent into what feels like a black hole with limited support for recovery at home, and no way to track health status to intervene sooner for signs of complications,” he adds.

But with SeamlessMD, surgical patients will be able to take better control of their preparation and recovery journeys, by referencing self-management tools and having the ability to troubleshoot any potential side effects from home.

Patients will also have the ability to connect with someone on their care team using a messaging feature built into the app.

Although traditional engagement tools such as printout information sheets will remain available for those who want them, moving to SeamlessMD increases overall convenience for patients and enhances the patient engagement experience. SeamlessMD will be offered in both English and French.

“It is important that we provide patients with as many resources as possible so they can best understand their surgery and how they can prepare and recover. This can help them feel less anxious, more engaged, prepared and connected to their care team, and should reduce emergency department visits, length of hospital stays and readmissions,” emphasizes Dr. Raynor.

SeamlessMD’s platform is also being offered as part of a larger effort to improve patient-inspired care and operational excellence through innovation at CCH, and is an example of how our hospital continues to push boundaries and offer new innovative services.

Another recent example of this would be the MyChart Patient Portal. Introduced last year, MyChart allows CCH patients to view and share their electronic health records, clinical documentation and test results, and keep track of medical conditions, medications, and set reminders for appointments and annual screenings using a smartphone, tablet and/or computer. You can register for MyChart today at www.cornwallhospital.ca/en/MyChartReg.

CCH will be going live with SeamlessMD for hip and knee replacement patients early this year, with support for additional procedures being added soon afterwards.