Project ABC
Authorization, booking, and coordination of public health services.
Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster is helping to accelerate the transformation of our evolving public health ecosystem. As the coronavirus pandemic continues its deadly path, dramatic changes are taking place including some unexpected positive side effects. In the name of safety, virtual care has seen rapid adoption in months instead of years. With this paradigm shift, individuals and families are being engaged in ways previously not contemplated and care providers are realizing opportunities to deliver better care more efficiently and with greater convenience. All of these changes would not have been possible without technological advances and collaboration between ecosystem participants that make it easier to connect data, applications, and processes. The net result is that people and their care providers are seeing positive changes in their lives.
Project ABC came together in early 2020 under the Digital Technology Supercluster’s COVID Program to develop tools for the Authorization, Booking, and Coordination of widespread testing and vaccination. The project, led by Cambian, successfully upgraded and integrated robust and proven technologies from leading Canadian organizations including Cambian, LifeLabs, IBM, WELL Health, and Tickit Health. Solution usability was reviewed by Simon Fraser University. Validation and review for support of vulnerable populations was conducted by Providence Health Care. With a combination of open standards and workflows that support system interoperability these enhanced technologies can now enable more efficient and effective utilization of scarce public health medical resources.
An unexpected challenge for the project was that vaccines for COVID-19 were developed much faster than originally anticipated. This resulted in rapid implementation of a variety of testing and vaccination solutions across Canada to meet the immediate needs of health agencies. The fragmented nature of the sector, compounded by the urgency of the situation, led to the adoption of interim solutions to facilitate the rapid provision of vaccinations meeting short-term requirements.
As of summer 2021, healthcare organizations across Canada are starting to investigate options to replace interim solutions with more robust and better integrated long-term solutions. Project participants are anticipating strong adoption of the project technologies over the coming years. The new tools will be systematically introduced to public health organizations responsible for maintaining systems of record, and to primary care providers responsible for delivering services to the public. Sales channels for the tools are in place and project participants are collaborating to achieve commercial success.
Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster has played an instrumental role in this success story by bringing together project participants, providing a platform for co-investment, and encouraging ongoing collaboration in follow-on projects. Future plans and opportunities include working together on Canadian and international sales opportunities, development of additional complementary technologies, and engagement with new partners to reach underserved segments including primary care and indigenous organizations.