Joseph Brant Hospital Moves to a New Digital Health System on November 1

Anyone with an appointment at Joseph Brant Hospital after November 1 will be dealing with a new system behind the desk. The hospital goes live that day with Dovetale, the Epic digital health information system run by St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, and patients get a piece of it too: MyDovetale, a secure portal for viewing appointments and available health information from a computer, smartphone or tablet.

The launch is the central milestone of Project Harmony, a joint effort with St. Joe's. Both hospitals end up working from the same platform, so care teams at either one can reach patient information more easily, which matters for anyone whose care moves between Burlington and Hamilton.

On the staff side, the system is meant to hold more complete and consistent patient information, improve communication between care teams and cut the reliance on paper records. The hospital says those benefits arrive over time, as teams adopt the system and settle into new ways of working.

The first days and weeks are the part patients will notice. Joseph Brant says some processes may take longer than usual while staff and physicians adjust, and patients may see changes in how information is collected, documented and shared. Trained super users and dedicated help teams will be circulating through the hospital in high visibility vests during go live.

"This is a significant change for our hospital," said Eric Vandewall, president and CEO of Joseph Brant. "We are grateful for the patience and understanding of our patients, families and community." Care continues through the transition, and anyone with questions or concerns about their own care is asked to raise it with a member of their care team.