SCOPE Expands to Bring Better Care Closer to Home

Imagine getting the specialized care you need, quickly and without making a trip to the emergency department. This is the promise of the SCOPE (Seamless Care Optimizing the Patient Experience) program, now expanding in partnership with Halton Healthcare and Connected Care Halton Ontario Health Team.

SCOPE connects primary care providers with specialized services like diagnostic imaging, palliative care, pediatrics, cardiology, and long-term care. This reduces emergency department visits and lightens the load on family physicians.

The program has expanded to include more specialties and was the first in the province to add pediatrics. In just six months, it added cardiology, orthopedics, and a remote care management service.

This service uses technology to let a nurse monitor patients with complex chronic conditions at home. Early detection of serious health changes allows for quicker management, reducing hospital admissions. This spring, a fracture clinic service will be added.

So far, SCOPE has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from family physicians. Dr. Nadia Alam, Primary Care Lead for SCOPE Halton Healthcare, shares more:

SCOPE lets us treat heart failure, diagnose puzzling symptoms, get emergency CT scans, and see sick kids quickly by a pediatrician. With support from the hospital and home care, family doctors can use their full expertise to care for patients in the community, keeping them healthy and out of hospital – which is exactly what our patients want.

“Our goal is to keep expanding SCOPE to better serve our communities and ease the pressure on healthcare services from rapid population growth. We always welcome family physicians and nurse practitioners from across Halton to join SCOPE, making it easier to provide rapid access to quality care for their patients,” adds Jody Strik, Director of Transitions, Integrated Care & Rehabilitation Clinics at Halton Healthcare.

More information about SCOPE Halton Healthcare is available on their website.