Do you have questions about the Clinical & Systems Transformation (CST) project? Here are answers to a few of the commonly asked questions and there’s plenty more in our FAQ .

We’d love to know what else you want to hear about, so please send your questions to info@CSTproject.ca.

Q. Why is the CST project delayed?

A. Recent decisions to extend the design phase and seek a new vendor for the CST project have pushed out go-live dates, but this does not mean that project work has stopped.

The design phase was extended because more time was required to complete the work and ensure that it met our needs. Following this, the Health Organizations and IBM mutually agreed to end their partnership.

We are currently preparing to engage a new vendor partner to plan the work to finish the design, build and testing of our clinical information system.

Q. Is the CST project still going ahead?

A. The CST project is going ahead and remains a top priority for VCH, PHSA and PHC.

Our organizations are committed to ensuring the CST project delivers an integrated electronic health record and standardized clinical practices to meet the needs of clinicians and patients. We have an interim plan that will allow us to maintain project momentum and advance some work, while pausing some of the CST work that requires assistance from an external vendor.

Q. When will we know when sites are going live?

A. The implementation of our new shared clinical information system and workflows is scheduled to take place at sites from 2016.

At this stage it is still too early to set specific go-live dates. These dates will be determined closer to the end of design and build. We will provide updates when we have more information.

Q. What about the work we have already completed?

A. The work completed to date is extremely valuable and will not be wasted. We will be looking to engage a new vendor partner that will help us build upon the valuable design work already completed.

Q. What do recent staff changes mean for the CST project?

Until we have a clearer picture of our future direction, we need to slow down some work and spending. Because of this, from May 2015 the number of staff required on the project has decreased.

These staff changes are not a result of a project budget cut or a reflection of the quality of work done by the individuals or their teams. Rather, these changes will allow us to maintain momentum in key areas while carefully managing our budget. This pausing of work will reduce our spending and help position CST to be ready to move ahead successfully.

We value the work of all who are, and have been a part of Clinical & Systems Transformation. The people who have contributed to the project over the past two years have done outstanding work that we will build on as we revise and renew our plan and move forward.

Q. How is PricewaterhouseCoopers involved with the CST project?

The CST Project Board has asked PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada (PwC) to lead the development of a project re-plan. PwC will be working with us to review the project, particularly the timelines, governance structure and any project management processes previously managed by Team IBM.

Completing the re-plan will help us to build on the excellent work of our teams to date.

Background

• CST is a joint initiative of VCH, PHSA and PHC, and one of the largest and most complex health-care projects in Canada. It spans across several areas of the continuum of care, including: acute care inpatient and outpatient units and ambulatory care. As well as creating consistent, leading practices and a shared clinical information system, CST will deliver HIMSS Level 5 functionality.

• Clinical design teams made up of hundreds of highly-skilled, multi-disciplinary professionals from across VCH, PHSA and PHC started work on April 7, 2014. These teams are tasked with designing our future workflows, based on leading practices. In doing so, they are defining the requirements for our new clinical information system.

• The CST project will result in increased safety, effectiveness and efficiency of how we provide care on a broad scale. See our full list of benefits .

For more information, please contact Donna Stanton, CST Executive Director/Transformation Lead, VCH at Donna.Stanton@vch.ca.