Updated Health Care Data Places TBRHSC in Top Spots

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) rates high among other teaching hospitals in Ontario and Canada.

Today, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) updated the results for several indicators reported in the “Your Health System” web tool. These health care indicators provide opportunity for hospitals to track performance year-over-year to identify areas for improvement and areas where strategies are working well.

This year, only three hospital facility indicators were updated with 2014-15 data; they are: Hospital Deaths (HSMR), Total Time Spent in Emergency Departments (Admitted Patients), and Emergency Wait Time for Physician Initial Assessment.

In terms of Emergency Wait Time for Physician Initial Assessment, TBRHSC continues to be a strong performer. The average wait at TBRHSC is 2.2 hours, while the provincial average is 3 hours. “Despite having one of the busiest Emergency Departments in the country, our patients are assessed sooner. Patients at most other Emergency Departments in Ontario experience longer wait times,” explained Dr. Bill McCready, Interim President & CEO at TBRHSC, Interim CEO at TBRRI.

TBRHSC is also a top performer in Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio (HSMR). The HSMR is an important measure to improve patient safety and quality of care in Canadian hospitals. It adjusts for factors that affect in-hospital mortality rates, such as patient age, sex, diagnosis and admission status. It then compares the actual number of deaths in a hospital with the average Canadian experience. “TBRHSC has a lower HSMR than comparators, which is precisely where we want to be,” said McCready.

Unfortunately, TBRHSC continues to struggle with the Total Time Spent in Emergency Department for Admitted Patients. “This isn’t a surprise, due to our ongoing overcapacity situation, which creates a bottleneck of patients flowing from the Emergency Department to an Inpatient Unit. Although we have improved, this remains an area of concern. We continue to work closely with our system partners to address the root-cause issues such as the availability of health care services in the community,” McCready noted.

The CIHI data also shows TBRHSC as a highly efficient hospital. TBRHSC’s Cost of a Standard Hospital Stay is $4,477, compared to an average of $5,283 for other hospitals across Ontario.

“I am extremely proud of these results. They are a testament to the effectiveness of our dedicated, hard-working staff, and a demonstration of our commitment to the patients and families we serve,” said Nadine Doucette, Chair of the TBRHSC Board of Directors.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) collects and analyzes information on health and health care in Canada and makes it publicly available. Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments created CIHI as a not-for-profit, independent organization dedicated to forging a common approach to Canadian health information. CIHI’s goal: to provide timely, accurate, and comparable health information. CIHI’s data and reports inform health policies, support the effective delivery of health services, and raise awareness about the factors that contribute to good health and health care.

For more information, contact: