AbbVie's MAVIRET™ Approved by Health Canada for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in All Major Genotypes
MAVIRET is the first and only 8-week, pan-genotypic treatment for hepatitis C patients without cirrhosis and who are new to treatment*1
The approval is supported by a 97 percent (n=639/657) cure** rate across GT1-6 patients without cirrhosis and who are new to treatment2
MAVIRET is the only pan-genotypic treatment approved for use in patients across all stages of chronic kidney disease
MONTREAL, Aug. 17, 2017 /CNW/ - AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Health Canada has granted approval for MAVIRET™ (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir tablets), a once-daily, ribavirin-free treatment for adults with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection across all major genotypes (GT1-6). MAVIRET is the only 8-week, pan-genotypic treatment for patients without cirrhosis and who are new to treatment,* who make up a large portion of HCV patients in Canada.
"Despite recent advances in HCV treatment, physicians still face challenges treating patients with less common genotypes and those with other complicating health conditions," said Dr. Morris Sherman, MD, FRCPC, Chairperson, Canadian Liver Foundation. "In order to eliminate hepatitis C in Canada, we need to identify all those living with the virus and have effective treatment options for everyone. This new therapy provides another tool for physicians to expand treatment to a greater number of patients while at the same time shortening the duration which may lead to cost savings for the health care system."
MAVIRET is also approved for use in patients with specific treatment challenges, including those with compensated cirrhosis across all major genotypes, and those who previously had limited treatment options, such as patients with severe chronic kidney disease (CKD), those GT1 patients not previously cured with certain direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment, and those with GT3 chronic HCV infection.2MAVIRET is the only pan-genotypic treatment approved for use in patients across all stages of CKD.2
"With the approval of MAVIRET, we are proud to bring the hope of a new cure to people living with hepatitis C in Canada, reflecting AbbVie's dedication to addressing critical unmet needs for patients," said Stéphane Lassignardie, General Manager, AbbVie Canada. "MAVIRET is designed to deliver a virologic cure for most HCV patients including those with specific treatment challenges. AbbVie will continue to work with local health authorities and stakeholders across Canada to get our treatment to as many patients as possible."
The efficacy and safety of MAVIRET was evaluated in nine Phase 2-3 clinical trials, in over 2,300 patients with genotype 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 HCV infection and with compensated liver disease (with or without cirrhosis).
Approximately 300,000 Canadians are infected with hepatitis C.3 In 2012 alone, more than 10,000 new cases of hepatitis C were reported, but 40 percent of patients are estimated to be living unaware of their disease.4 GT1 is the most common genotype in Canada and GT3 is the most difficult to treat.3,5 Over time chronic hepatitis C can lead to chronic liver diseases, with a risk of developing cirrhosis of up to 30 percent within 20 years6 of infection. Additionally, HCV is common among people with severe CKD, and some of these patients previously did not have a DAA-based treatment option.7
With 8 weeks of treatment, 97 percent (n= 639/657) of GT1-6 patients without cirrhosis and who were new to treatment achieved a virologic cure.1 These high cure rates were achieved in patients with varied patient and viral characteristics and including those with CKD.2 Additionally, 97.5 percent (n=274/281) of patients with compensated cirrhosis achieved a virologic cure with the recommended duration of treatment, including patients with CKD.2 In registrational studies for MAVIRET, less than 0.1 percent of patients permanently discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions.2 The most commonly reported adverse reactions (incidence greater than or equal to 10 percent) were headache and fatigue.2
"In an extensive clinical trial program, patients achieved high cure rates with MAVIRET regardless of genotype, fibrosis score, viral load, and even in patients with resistant virus strains and those with chronic kidney disease," said Dr. Magdy Elkhashab, Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist, Director of the Toronto Liver Centre. "In clinical practice, MAVIRET has the potential to simplify treatment decisions for physicians, offering, in one therapy, a cure for the majority of HCV patients and cutting out pre-testing before treatment initiation."
MAVIRET combines two new, potent direct-acting antivirals that target and inhibit proteins essential for the replication of the hepatitis C virus.2 The presence of most genotypes or baseline mutations that are commonly associated with resistance have been shown to have no relevant impact on efficacy.2
Canadians prescribed MAVIRET will have the opportunity to be enrolled in AbbVie Care, AbbVie's signature patient support program designed to provide a wide range of services including reimbursement assistance, education and ongoing disease management support. AbbVie Care will support people living with HCV throughout their treatment journey to achieve high cure rates in the real world.
Approval of MAVIRET followed Health Canada's Priority Review process, which is granted to new medicines intended for patients with a life-threatening disease where there is no existing treatment with the same profile or where the new product represents a significant improvement in the benefit/risk profile over existing products.8 AbbVie's investigational, pan-genotypic regimen was also recently approved by the European Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
About MAVIRET™ MAVIRET™ is approved in Canada for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in adults across all major genotypes (GT1-6).2 MAVIRET is a new, pan-genotypic, once-daily, ribavirin-free treatment that combines glecaprevir (100 mg), an NS3/4A protease inhibitor, and pibrentasvir (40 mg), an NS5A inhibitor, dosed once-daily as three oral tablets.2
MAVIRET is an 8-week, pan-genotypic virologic cure** for use in patients without cirrhosis and who are new to treatment,* such patients comprising the majority of people living with HCV.1 MAVIRET is also approved as a treatment for patients with specific treatment challenges, including those with compensated cirrhosis across all major genotypes, and those who previously had limited treatment options, such as patients with severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) and those with genotype 3 infection.2 It is the only pan-genotypic treatment approved for use in patients across all stages of CKD.2
Glecaprevir (GLE) was discovered during the ongoing collaboration between AbbVie and Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ENTA) for HCV protease inhibitors and regimens that include protease inhibitors.
*Patients without cirrhosis and new to treatment with DAAs [either treatment-naive or not cured with previous IFN-based treatments ([peg]IFN +/- RBV or SOF/RBV +/- pegIFN)]. **Patients who achieve a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks post treatment (SVR12) are considered cured of hepatitis C.
About AbbVie AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.ca and www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvieCanada and @abbvie on Twitter or view careers on our Facebook or LinkedIn page.
1 Decisions Resources Group. Hepatitis C virus: disease landscape & forecast 2016. January 2017. 2 MAVIRET (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir tablets) Product Monograph. Date of Preparation: August 16, 2017. 3 Messina, JP et al. "The global distribution of HCV genotypes." Hepatology, 2015; 61: 77–87. Supporting information hep27259-sup-0001-suppinfo.pdf. Accessed August, 2017. 4 Hepatitis C: Get the Facts. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/poster-hepatitis-c-get-facts.html. Accessed August, 2017. 5 Wyles, D et al. SURVEYOR-II, Part 3: Efficacy and Safety of ABT-493/ABT-530 in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 3 Infection with Prior Treatment Experience and/or Cirrhosis. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in Boston, US on November 11-15, 2016. 6 Hepatitis C Fact Sheet. World Health Organization. World Health Organization, July 2017. Web. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs164/en/. Accessed August, 2017. 7 Fabrizi F, Poordad FF, Martin P. Hepatitis C infection in the patient with end stage renal disease. Hepatology. 2002;36(1):3-10. 8 Priority Review of Drug Submissions. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/fact-sheets/priority-review-drug-submissions-therapeutic-products.html. Accessed August, 2017.
SOURCE AbbVie Canada
Turkish Airlines Gives Back; Teams Up with Social Media Celebrities to Fight Famine and Drought in Somalia
ISTANBUL, August 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Africa's Top International Carrier Ships Second Cargo Plane Full of Food Supplies to Save Lives.
Flying to more countries than any other airline, Turkish Airlines is a leader in terms of international destinations served and Africa's top international carrier with 51 routes in the continent. And now, the award-winning carrier is quickly becoming a leader in giving back to those countries - in some of the challenging places in the world.
Turkish Airlines Gives Back; Teams Up with Social Media Celebrities to Fight Famine and Drought in Somalia (PRNewsfoto/Turkish Airlines)
Supporting with the group Love Army for Somalia (spearheaded by social media stars Jerome Jarre, Casey Neistat and actor Ben Stiller), Turkish Airlines is involved in delivering aid to fight famine and drought in Somalia. Hundreds of tons of supplies have been delivered to the people of Somalia since the beginning of the movement in March, 2017.
The airline that connects continents, cultures and peoples is a well-known brand with its corporate responsibility projects throughout Africa. Recent projects realized by Turkish Airlines in 24 African countries include building and renovating schools, orphanages, clinics as well as providing education and drilling water wells. Setting up solar panels for clinics situated out of urban areas and cooperating with local authorities and hospitals to provide medical aid are also among Turkish Airlines' corporate responsibility projects.
As the only international airline that flies to Somalia, Turkish Airlines has a unique access to getting much-needed emergency food support to the country, which is suffering from a devastating drought. Millions of children are at immediate risk of severe malnutrition.
When social media celebrity Jerome Jarre sent a Tweet asking Turkish Airlines directly whether they would send a cargo plane filled with food to Somalia, the company responded quickly - with a resounding yes. That first delivery took place in March, where 60 tons of nutritional supplements designed specifically for kids were sent to Mogadishu for immediate distribution.
Now, they're at it again. Another shipment of food, an additional 60 tons of the nutritional supplements for children, has been delivered to Somalia on Tuesday, August 15th.
Speaking on the occasion, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee Mr. M. İlker Aycı said; "As the first call of help to Somalia echoed in social media, Turkish Airlines immediately took notice. We gladly joined the global movement #LoveArmyForSomalia, contributing a cargo flight as well as food and supplies to the people of Somalia. Now, we are doing it again, this time delivering 60 tons of special food for Somalian children. As we take pride in connecting Africa to the world, we also take pride in our corporate responsibility projects that extend a helping hand to the African people."
Sharing his views on the global movement, the social media star Jerome Jarre said that; "What is fueling this movement are people around the world coming together. We are united by the idea that anything is possible if we work together to make it happen."
Following the supplies arrival in Mogadishu, non-governmental organizations including the ARC have provided logistics and guidance on the ground, ensuring that the lifesaving supplements reach the most at-need children and their families.
As the only international airline flying to Somalia, Turkish Airlines will continue to stand by the people of Somalia in their time of need.
August 15, 2017 (New York, NY): Developed by former United States Marine Nick Benas, accomplished yoga instructor Gwen Lawrence, and Stew Smith, CSCS, USN (SEAL), Tactical Mobility is designed to increase your mobility, flexibility, and endurance to perform and sustain on an elite level in the military, law enforcement, firefighting and emergency services, and tactical professions.
With Tactical Mobility you will increase your readiness and survivability in the field, keep your training balanced and effective, excel in the physical requirements of your job smoothly and without pain, get to it, get through it, and stay with it... whatever is in store!
Tactical Mobility presents a comprehensive regimen that complements your fitness routine to provide a focus on deep and long flexibility and joint movement. Combining yoga, physical fitness, and mental preparedness, Tactical Mobility provides what you need to excel on fitness tests and reach a new peak of performance in your profession.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Stewart "Stew" Smith is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness books such as The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, The Special Ops Workout, and S.W.A.T. Fitness. Stew has trained thousands of students for Navy SEAL, Special Forces, and many other military, law enforcement, and firefighter professions. He is currently the Special Ops Team Coach at the U.S. Naval Academy that assists in preparing future candidates for SEAL, EOD, and MARSOC training and runs a non-profit called Heroes of Tomorrow which offers free training for people seeking tactical professions.
Nick Benas, QMHA is a Qualified Mental Health Associate and a former United States Marine Sergeant as well as Iraqi Combat Veteran. Nick is the former Director of Business Operations for Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, a private non-profit mental health agency, located on the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon. He is also a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor by the National Council for Behavioral Health, teaching adults, and youth modules. He has been featured by more than 50 major media outlets for his business success and entrepreneurship, including Entrepreneur Magazine, Men's Health, ABC, FOX, ESPN, and CNBC.
Gwen Lawrence has been a practicing fitness professional since 1990. Her current practice includes private yoga training, class instruction, her sport-specific Power Yoga for Sports training program, and her VYX™ (Vinyasa Yoga Extreme) system. Gwen is the yoga instructor for several New York Yankees baseball players, team yoga instructor for the New York Giants and New York Knicks, and many youth teams in a variety of sports. Her writing appears in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Fitness, Shape, and Yoga Journal.
# # #
TACTICAL MOBILITY Written by Stewart Smith, Nick Benas, and Gwen Lawrence Foreword by Tom Coughlin 978-1-57826-668-5, $19.95 paperback 978-1-57826-669-2, $12.99 eBook
New from Hatherleigh Press. Distributed through Penguin Random House. Available wherever books are sold. www.hatherleighpress.com
Study Reveals Men & Women Are Equally Miserable About Their Body
A study in the Body Image Journal looked at 12,176 online surveys gathered by NBC News and Today, and found that the amount of women disliking their bodies is around the same as the amount of men who feel the same about theirs. So it's not just a women's issue.
6% of men and 9% of women reported that they were very to extremely dissatisfied with their looks. 15% of men and 20% of women said that they felt very to extremely dissatisfied with their weight. 28% of men and 26% of women said they were very to extremely satisfied with their looks.
Revolutionary New Breast Imaging Technology Comes to Canada
St. Joseph’s Health Care London is the first medical centre in Canada to install the new Senographe Pristina from GE Healthcare, which allows women to control their own comfort level during a mammogram.
London, ON - On Tuesday August 15, St. Joseph's Health Care London will unveil the first Canadian installation of the Senographe Pristina, a groundbreaking new breast imaging platform from GE Healthcare, designed by women for women.
“The new Pristina mammography unit offers a totally different mammography experience for women. It’s a complete departure from the mammogram exam as we know it,” said Dr. Anat Kornecki, Medical Director, Breast Imaging, at the Breast Care Program located at St. Joseph’s Hospital, part of St. Joseph’s Health Care London. “I believe the innovative design of the Pristina will be more inviting for women and help us improve the screening rates so vital to cancer prevention.”
Women can take breast health into their own hands with the Pristina’s first in-industry patient-assisted compression tool,a remote that allows patients to personally control and adjust the rate of compression during the exam. Designed with a woman’s comfort in mind, all parts in contact with the patient's breasts have gentle, rounded corners designed to help reduce discomfort and anxiety. With more comfortable patients, technologists can focus on precise positioning, making the exam more accurate and efficient.
The Pristina also allows patients to enjoy a soothing ambiance with various scenes and music available.
Media are invited view the Senographe Pristina, talk with the first Canadian patients to use the unit, and interview St. Joseph’s and GE Healthcare leaders.
What: The first Canadian installation of revolutionary breast cancer technology, the Senographe Pristina.
Where: St. Joseph's Hospital | 268 Grosvenor St | London, ON | Diagnostic Imaging Centre, Zone C, Level 0, Room C0-200 (closest entrance is Cheapside Entrance 4)
When: Tuesday, August 15 | Interviews start at 3:30 PM | Tour of machine at 4:30 PM
Who: Interviews are available with:
Dr. Anat Kornecki, Medical Director - Breast Imaging, St. Joseph’s Breast Care Program, and Regional Breast Imaging Lead, South West Regional Cancer Program
Heather Chalmers, General Manager, GE Healthcare Canada
First Canadian patients to use Pristina
Internet of Medical Things Shakes Up the Development of Medical Devices with Analytics and Cloud
Blockchain technology to mitigate security challenges and help IoMT providers tap growth opportunities, finds Frost & Sullivan’s TechVision team
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – August 10, 2017 – As patients are increasingly asserting their right to choose the therapy that best suits them, demand for better access to their medical data is intensifying. The shift in the balance of power during decision making is compelling healthcare providers to find more efficient ways of extracting meaningful information from medical records to present to patients. This has heightened the need for analytics to process the voluminous data produced by advanced, connected and smarter patient monitoring devices, which, consecutively, has turned the spotlight on the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Meaningful insights accrued from the range of connected medical devices and monitoring tools can help patients make lifestyle changes or better manage an existing disease, and simultaneously aid clinicians by facilitating decision making.
“Sharing of medical data or transmission of medical data through the cloud is a recent trend and is gaining traction, even in developing nations, with the healthcare industry becoming digitized,” observed Frost & Sullivan TechVision Industry Analyst Bhargav Rajan. “IoMT will accelerate the development of advanced medical devices that can seamlessly transfer structured information to electronic health records more efficiently than existing technologies.”
Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) Revolutionizing Healthcare is part of Frost & Sullivan’s TechVision (Medical Devices & Imaging) Growth Partnership Subscription. IoMT is an amalgamation of medical devices and applications that can connect to healthcare IT systems using networking technologies. The analysis covers product-centric and process-centric functions of the technology.
To access more information on this analysis, please click here.
While the benefits are many, IoMT has inherent IT security vulnerabilities that expose highly sensitive data to cyber and phishing attacks. Technologists are attempting to resolve this issue by employing blockchain technology, which enables a highly secure, decentralized framework for data sharing. Using a combination of artificial intelligenceand blockchain technology, companies can keep an audit trail of all transactions. Predictive modeling used in combination with big data analytics can reduce healthcare costs and improve patient experiences and outcomes.
“Blockchain technology in IoMT will allow patient records to be automatically fed with real-time data of the patients, which will subsequently be sent to healthcare providers over a secure network through a web-enabled platform,” noted Rajan. “Through this process, personalized care can be delivered to a patient in a remote location.”
About TechVision
Frost & Sullivan's global TechVision practice is focused on innovation, disruption and convergence, and provides a variety of technology-based alerts, newsletters and research services as well as growth consulting services. Its premier offering, the TechVision program, identifies and evaluates the most valuable emerging and disruptive technologies enabling products with near-term potential. A unique feature of the TechVision program is an annual selection of 50 technologies that can generate convergence scenarios, possibly disrupt the innovation landscape, and drive transformational growth. View a summary of our TechVision program by clicking on the following link: http://ifrost.frost.com/TechVision_Demo.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community.
Digital Health Market Update: Entering a Next-Generation of Digital Transformation in Healthcare
Frost & Sullivan hosts a complimentary briefing discussing innovations in the digitization of healthcare
SANTA CLARA, Calif. August 8, 2017
WHEN:
Tuesday, 29th August 2017 at 1:00 pm EDT
LOCATION:
On-line, with Complimentary Registration
SPEAKER:
Daniel Ruppar, Global Program Director, Digital Health, Frost & Sullivan
Digital health brings a diverse range of growth opportunities for vendors across the value chain. As the space evolves we have experienced a multitude of stepwise successes and stellar failures, yet funding continues to flood the sector. Major moves continue to come into the industry from the broader vendor environment, underlining the importance of health in everyone’s lives and progressively in strategic interests of the C-Suite across the ecosystem, from provider to payer to vendor organizations.
“What is exciting about digital health is the continued progression of investment, innovation, the change in conversation, and the understanding of old and new stakeholders’ needs. The road for digital transformation in healthcare will be a long one, yet it is one where all kinds of great companies, innovators, payers, providers, and consumers want to be a part of, which shows the promise of this market,” explained Daniel Ruppar, Digital Health Global Program Director, at Frost & Sullivan.
Healthcare delivery is evolving throughout the continuum of care, creating both new drivers and challenges. Stakeholders must overcome the data and information hurdles leveraging progressive improvements in health IT to form the backbone of collaborative and unified patient care, across all environments and points of experience in the patient journey. New models, digital tools, data driven treatment decisions, and learnings from global markets all present opportunities to solve challenges currently faced in healthcare. The progression of topics like artificial intelligence (AI) in areas from hard analytics usage to consumer platforms, or extensive market discussions about the telehealth value in mental health, demonstrate that this transformation is in progress.
Join Frost & Sullivan in this webinar update showcasing a variety of different facets of the market and continue to learn why there’s something for everyone in digital health!
Attend this webinar to discover the latest trends on:
• Highlights in new findings on diverse digital health sectors, such as data analytics, patient engagement, hospital health IT including workforce management software, and sleep tech.
• Leading investment telehealth areas identified in Frost & Sullivan research in 2017, and the further value of telebehavioral health.
• Consumer digital health platform progressions and integration of artificial intelligence.
• Will Apple’s Activity and Watch changes truly make a difference?
• Future impact components, including the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and blockchain.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community.
Mackenzie Health Launches First in Canada Epic End-to-End Electronic Medical Record
RICHMOND HILL, ON and VAUGHAN, ON, July 17, 2017 /CNW/ - On July 8, Mackenzie Health launched a new electronic medical record (EMR) that transforms the way care is delivered in this community. Implemented in collaboration with Epic, the software is the first full-suite Epic EMR to be installed in a Canadian hospital. A state-of-the-art system, the EMR makes it possible for the care team to spend more time with patients, provides physicians with exactly what they need to make important health care decisions quicker and empowers patients with easy access to their health records.
For patients, the new EMR brings a number of benefits, including a faster and more efficient registration process. Similar to the airport check-in process, patients who have scheduled appointments at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital can now swipe their health card on a Self-Serve Registration Kiosk, follow the simple instructions on screen, get an armband from a Patient Assistance representative and proceed to their appointment.
Registration for an appointment is even faster for patients who completed E Check-In through Mackenzie Health's new and improved MyChart. If patients are signed up for MyChart, they can register for their appointment up to seven days prior to their appointment and receive a barcode that they can scan at the hospital to indicate that they have arrived, get an armband and proceed to their appointment. MyChart is also available as an app.
In MyChart, patients can see their personal health information, view and cancel appointments and, in select areas, communicate with their care provider via written message. The patients' health record is also available to all those involved in their care, meaning that the entire care team has access to the same information and patients spend less time repeating questions or duplicating tests.
With computers available by the patients' bedside, nurses and physicians can document the care in real-time, as well as send orders directly to lab and pharmacy. The new EMR also increases medication safety and reduces the chance for errors with closed loop medication administration and bar code validation at patient's bedside.
Epic, the software developer for the system, is recognized as a world leader in medical records and information technology which has implemented its systems in thousands of hospitals worldwide and will be implementing them in several Canadian hospitals over the next few years.
QUOTES
"Our vision at Mackenzie Health is to create a world-class health experience for our patients and families, and ensure they receive the highest quality care possible. The implementation of the new electronic medical record supports this vision and will influence how we care for our patients here at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, as well as the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital and at the health system level."
Altaf Stationwala, President and CEO, Mackenzie Health
"The launch of the new electronic medical record is one of the largest transformational projects in Mackenzie Health's history and puts us at the forefront of care delivery. Over the past two years, our staff, physicians and volunteers have been working together as a team to ensure this journey is a success, and we are proud to be the first hospital in Canada to implement the end-to-end Epic system."
Dr. Steven Jackson, Chief of Staff, Mackenzie Health
"As Epic's first enterprise community member in Canada, Mackenzie Health continues their commitment to delivering high quality, compassionate and timely care with this milestone. Through these new tools and resources, Mackenzie Health can now expand their ability to provide patient-centered and community-based medicine for York Region and beyond. We look forward to a long and successful relationship as we work toward our shared goal of helping people get well, helping people stay well, and helping future generations be healthier."
Judy Faulkner, CEO, Epic
Quick Facts at a Glance:
Electronic Medical Record Implementation
The journey to the new EMR was a two-year process that involved significant software build, consultation with Mackenzie Health staff and physicians, testing and education.
Two weeks prior to the launch, over 100 Mackenzie Health staff transitioned over 15,000 scheduled appointments, including for X-Rays, MRIs and other medical imaging tests, dialysis and cardio-vascular rehabilitation, into the new Epic EMR.
Over 1,500 scheduled surgeries and ambulatory procedures were also converted from the legacy system to the new Epic EMR. More than 50 trained secretaries from physicians' offices spent over four days to converting the appointments. With this transition, physician offices can now manage their provincial wait times and their procedure schedules in one place.
In preparation for the EMR launch, a multidisciplinary team involving registration, nursing, pharmacists and more made sure all admitted patients were captured within Epic on July 7. This enabled the team to continue to provide the best care once the new EMR was launched on July 8. The process involved more than 70 people working together for over 20 hours.
To ensure staff, physicians and volunteers are well supported during the transition, a technical Command Centre staffed by approximately 90 staff members and an Operations Support Centre that oversaw clinical operations and coordinated the 265 additional support staff deployed across the organization, all working 24/7, have been instrumental for the go-live.
Mackenzie Health is a dynamic regional health care provider which includes the existing Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, as well as a comprehensive network of community-based services.
In March 2017, the organization received its second consecutive award of Accreditation with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada for its commitment to safety and quality patient care. This is the highest rating a Canadian health care provider can receive and we are proud to have earned this mark of excellence once again.
Guided by a vision to create a world-class health experience, Mackenzie Health has an unrelenting focus on the patient and is dedicated to patient needs now and in the future.
With over 500,000 residents in Southwest York Region, Mackenzie Health is proud to serve one of the fastest growing and most diverse communities in Canada.
The groundbreaking for the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital was held on October 25, 2016.
In January, Epic was named the #1 Overall Software Suite in the 2017 Best in KLAS: Software and Services report, for the seventh consecutive year. KLAS is an independent company that surveys users to help hospitals make informed decisions.
Over 187 million Americans, close to 58% of the population, are covered by Epic.
Epic currently exchanges 1.6 million records per day. Nobody exchanges more charts for care transitions than Epic users. More info on Epic interoperability: http://www.epic.com/software#Interoperability
SOURCE Mackenzie Health
Canada's only Hockey Camp for Children with Diabetes Kicks Off
TORONTO, July 18, 2017 /CNW/ - The Dskate Hockey Program kicks off their Hockey Camp program in Milton, Ontario on Monday, July 24, 2017 – a hockey program dedicated to young players living with diabetes. The goal of the program is to help young athletes achieve a greater quality-of-life, while discovering their limitless potential to succeed. Each year, the camp offers professional hockey skills training for children with diabetes, along with diabetes management education with a goal to develop empowered and excited kids, taking care of their own diabetes that feel like they are not so different from everyone else.
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
Dr. Michael Riddell, Senior Scientist at LMC Diabetes & Endocrinology and Professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science and the Muscle Health Research Centre at York University.
Dessi Zaharieva, PhD candidate in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science and the Muscle Health Research Centre at York University.
DSkate program participants (both children and their parents) will also be available for interviews.
Cory Conacher, NHL Hockey Player living with Type 1 diabetes will be at the camp Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.
WHEN:
Monday, July 24, 2017
Opening Ceremonies at 8:30 a.m.
Interviews are available between 9:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
WHERE:
Milton Sports Centre
605 Santa Maria Blvd.
Milton, Ontario | L9T 6J5
ABOUT DSKATE:
DSkate is a unique hockey program offering a hockey + diabetes sports education program which brings together elite-level professionals and individuals living with diabetes. The program unites the various components involved in diabetes management to support exercise and nutritional programming for increased activity and improved quality of life.
Ascensia Diabetes Care and Medtronic are the education sponsors.
Mannatech Brings Highest Grade Aloe Product in the World to Canada
June 29, 2017 10:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time
MARKHAM, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mannatech®, Incorporated (NASDAQ: MTEX), a global health and wellness company committed to transforming lives to make a better world, recently launched its most legendary ingredient, Manapol® powder, to its Canadian market. Manapol is the highest quality aloe vera gel extract in the world.
“Manapol is our core technology at Mannatech and something that the Canadian market has been especially passionate about and supportive of for years. I know they can’t wait to share the world’s highest quality aloe vera product with everyone around them.”
Manapol powder is a pure, premium, 100 percent aloe vera gel extract that is abundant in acetylated, mannose-rich polysaccharides, or acemannans. The acemannans in Manapol powder have a guaranteed molecular weight of more than one million Daltons1, testing the highest of any other aloe gel extract. As the most cutting-edge Glyconutritional product available, Manapol powder supports cellular communication and may provide gastrointestinal benefits.
“We’ve reached an exciting milestone by providing our most potent ingredient as a stand-alone product to our Canadian market,” said Mannatech’s Regional President of EMEAA and the Americas, Christopher Simons. “Manapol is our core technology at Mannatech and something that the Canadian market has been especially passionate about and supportive of for years. I know they can’t wait to share the world’s highest quality aloe vera product with everyone around them.”
For more than 20 years, Manapol powder has been an essential ingredient in other Mannatech products. Mannatech’s Advanced Ambrotose® product and Ambrotose® complex are among the company’s top-selling products containing the aloe gel extract, and are known for their immune and gastrointestinal benefits. Recently Mannatech announced it has secured its continuing source of premium Manapol powder with an exclusive deal with Natural Aloe Costa Rica. With this agreement, Mannatech provides its customers with transparency about where exactly the aloe in its products comes from.
To begin changing your life and the lives of those around you, please visit Mannatech.com.
About Mannatech
Mannatech, Incorporated, offers a profound wellness experience that makes a difference in the lives of people across the world. Through its innovative Glyconutrition products, Mannatech changes lives, providing an unprecedented level of natural wellness, freedom and purpose. With more than 20 years of experience and operations in 26 markets^, Mannatech is committed to changing lives. For more information, visit Mannatech.com.
Read more about Mannatech’s forward-looking statements.
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