February 23, 2023 (Ottawa, ON) – As language barriers in healthcare settings persist, OBIO®, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization, is funding the evaluation and adoption of innovative technologies in Canada’s healthcare systems through its Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™). Through the EAHN™ program, OBIO® has facilitated a partnership between Hamilton Health Sciences and Voyce Canada, a Toronto-based technology driven company offering a simple and seamless language interpretation solution, to evaluate Voyce’s medical interpretation platform.
“Voyce’s on-demand interpretation services caught the attention of EAHN™ because of its potential to decrease medical errors and enhance the patient care experience. EAHN™ facilitated an evaluation of the Voyce platform with Hamilton Health Sciences to put the technology through its paces in a real-world setting.” – Dr. Maura Campbell, CEO, OBIO®.
Voyce Canada provides language interpretation services in over 240 languages and dialects, including American Sign Language (ASL), to hospitals and healthcare systems. By connecting users with a medically-trained and certified interpreter in often less than 20 seconds, patients can receive PHIPA-compliant care in their own language, allowing staff to communicate more effectively with patients, ultimately reducing the time to deliver care.
“Linguistic diversity can impact access to care during health care encounters and preventative health services. By partnering with Voyce, we hope to address these language barriers and provide health care equity to our community.” – Ted Scott, Chief Innovation Officer, Hamilton Health Sciences
A successful evaluation will demonstrate Voyce’s value in emergency departments, inpatient and ambulatory/outpatient settings and help address any adoption barriers to allow for full implementation across healthcare organizations.
“Language and cultural barriers are one of the many concerns for providing accessible and equitable care around the world. In their most vulnerable moments, Voyce provides a comfortable platform for patients to communicate with their providers, leading to improved care outcomes.” – Andrew Royce, CEO.
About OBIO®
OBIO®, a not-for-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization, is prioritizing the evaluation of new technologies through their Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™) to provide solutions. OBIO® is engaged in strategy, programming, policy development and advocacy to further the commercialization of human health technologies, positioning Canada as a leader in the international marketplace. To learn more, visit: obio.ca.
About Voyce Canada
Voyce is a technology driven company deeply committed to helping people in need that are facing language barriers, enabling them to easily and quickly communicate and get help. Voyce’s professional and qualified language interpreters provide interpretation across a variety of technology and telehealth platforms in 240 languages and dialects, including American Sign Language. Across the U.S., Canada, U.K. and globally, Voyce supports thousands of sessions a day, providing language assistance to those in need. Learn more at voyceglobal.com and follow Voyce on LinkedIn.
About Hamilton Health Sciences
Hamilton Health Sciences is a community of 15,000 staff, physicians, researchers and volunteers that proudly serves southwestern Ontario residents. It is the only hospital in Ontario that cares for all ages, from pre-birth to end-of-life and offers world-leading expertise in many areas, including cardiac and stroke care, cancer care, palliative care and pediatrics. Hamilton Health Sciences is also a world-renowned hospital for healthcare research and has a daily focus on improving the quality of care for patients through innovation and evidence-based practices.
Contacts
For more information about OBIO’s Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™), or if you are interested in joining the Network, please contact: Bibaswan Ghoshal, Director, Market Acceleration, OBIO®
For more information about Voyce Canada, please contact: Ryan Wagner, Voyce
For more information about Hamilton Health Sciences, please contact: Wendy Stewart, Communications Advisor, Hamilton Health Sciences