Friday, January 19, 2024

Northern Health consultation and Changes towards Outpatient Lab issues gains Award for the Health Authority

An initiative from Northern Health over the last two years has delivered an award to the Health Authority for improvement to services across the Health Authority's delivery area.

The Award from Health Quality BC is for Northern Health's Lab Outpatient improvement program, which saw Northern Health reach out to residents using Lab services to seek out better ways to improve access, improve wait times and modernize lab services.

We noted of that public reach out program back in June of last year.

From their consultation with Northern BC residents Northern Health put in place their program for addressing the concerns raised.

Among some of the highlights:

Improving access was achieved by offering a blended service model of scheduled and unscheduled lab appointments, whereby patients could self-schedule either online using the HealthElife portal or by phone, the ability to drop-in while avoiding long line-ups using NH Check In for queueing, and the flexibility to bring in a requisition or have it sent straight to the lab. 

 In addition, lab staff and providers could focus on appropriate tasks thanks to the digitization of requisitions, modern processes and tools, expansion of clerical functions and support, standardization of the lab schedule, and improved patient flow management for drop-ins.


Northern Health also was a runner up in an award for palliative care, the full list of the 2024 Award winners can be reviewed here.

Celebrating the success for Northern Health was Pacific Northwest Division of Family Preacties


In Prince Rupert, the changes for lab services came during a period of extensive renovation for the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital lab facilities that following a significant fire in May of 2021.

That made for a challenging situation that added to some of the work required to address concerns for those in the region that use Lab facilities.

A wider overview of Northern Health themes is available here

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