Building a sustainable system: the making of the WTIS.

Abstract

Building Ontario's Wait Time Information System (WTIS) was one of the largest and most complex technology projects Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) had ever taken on. Increasing public concern about wait times and the lack of adequate tools to provide a clear or accurate picture of provincial wait times had led to a sense of urgency for the province to report wait time data. While healthcare providers and the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care (MOHLTC) sought to address timely access to care, the challenges to develop a suitable information management/information technology (IM/IT) solution within aggressive timelines were significant. For the WTIS project, success was defined by the ability to deliver a tool to capture wait time data that addressed business and clinical needs and by providing individuals with the ability to use the tool and its data to improve access to care.