OBIO® partners with MUHC to evaluate CareChain, enabling advanced musculoskeletal surgical assessment and triage
May 12, 2026 (Montréal, QC) – Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, such as low back pain, neck pain, hip and knee osteoarthritis or shoulder disorders, are among the most common reasons patients seek care and a major contributor to long waits for specialty consultation. In many referral pathways, patients can wait months before receiving an expert assessment—only to learn they are not surgical candidates and could have started appropriate non-surgical approach much earlier. These delays can prolong pain and disability, increase avoidable repeat visits and investigations, and place unnecessary strain on scarce specialist capacity.
Through OBIO’s Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN®), supported by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is launching the evaluation of CareChain to strengthen MSK referral pathways by standardizing how referrals are assessed, prioritized, and directed. CareChain is a clinical decision support tool and care coordination platform built to facilitate physiotherapy-led advanced surgical assessment and triage on behalf of specialists. The platform provides structured, evidence-informed digital workflows that capture the right clinical information upfront, guide consistent assessment and decision-making, and ensures timely escalation to specialty care when surgical indications are present. As a result, patients receive the right care sooner and health system resources are used more efficiently.
By enabling advanced assessment earlier in the patient’s journey—and improving the quality and completeness of referral information—CareChain is designed to help MUHC:
Reduce wait times for specialist consultation by prioritizing patients with clearer surgical indications for timely review.
Accelerate access to care by directing non-surgical patients to appropriate management pathways without unnecessary delay.
Reduce health system utilization by limiting avoidable specialist visits, repeat assessments, and unnecessary diagnostic tests (e.g., MRIs).
Improve continuity and coordination of care through standardized data capture and seamless information-sharing across care teams.
The evaluation of CareChain at the MUHC will assess key operational and patient-flow indicators over time, including triage outcomes, pathway routing, timeliness milestones, and measures of efficiency and resource utilization using routine clinical and administrative data.
“Improving access starts with getting patients to the right pathway earlier,” said Dr. Alan Forster, Director of Innovation, Transformation and Clinical Performance, MUHC. “CareChain supports a more consistent and coordinated approach to MSK triage—helping our teams prioritize appropriately and reduce delays for patients who need timely specialist care.”
“CareChain was built to extend specialist capacity by enabling physiotherapists to perform advanced surgical assessment and triage using structured clinical decision support,” said Paul Santaguida, CEO & Co-founder of MultiCIM Technologies Inc (CareChain). “With MUHC and OBIO®, we’re focused on demonstrating measurable improvements in access, wait times, and system efficiency—so patients receive the right care at the right time.”
“EAHN® connects healthcare organizations with innovative Canadian companies to evaluate procurement-ready technologies in real-world settings. The collaboration between OBIO®, CareChain and MUHC is a great example of how promising health technologies from Ontario can be matched with healthcare partners in other jurisdictions through EAHN®,” said Dr. Maura Campbell, President and CEO, OBIO®. “Through this evaluation with MUHC, we’re generating the evidence needed to de-risk the adoption and procurement of the platform and support the company’s scale-up.”
About CareChain (MultiCIM Technologies Inc.)
CareChain is a clinical decision support, practice management, and care coordination platform designed to support physiotherapy-led advanced MSK surgical assessment and triage on behalf of specialists. It enables consistent assessment workflows, prioritization, routing to appropriate care pathways, and performance monitoring—helping health organizations improve access to timely MSK care while reducing unnecessary utilization of specialist resources. For more information, please visit ca.carechain.app.
About the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a leading academic health network in Montréal, Québec, committed to delivering high-quality care, advancing research and innovation, and improving health system performance through evidence-informed practice and continuous improvement. For more information, please visit muhc.ca.
About OBIO®
Founded in 2009, OBIO® is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization. OBIO® is prioritizing the evaluation of new technologies through its Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN®), supported by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), and focusing on implementing new solutions using critical technologies through its Life Sciences Critical Technologies & Commercialization (LSCTC) Centre of Excellence, supported by the Government of Ontario. OBIO® is engaged in strategy, programming, policy development and advocacy to address the needs of the next generation of companies developing innovative human health products. For more information, please visit OBIO.ca and follow OBIO® on LinkedIn and X.
Media Contacts:
Paul Santaguida
CEO & Co-founder
MultiCIM Technologies Inc. (CareChain)
paul.santaguida@carechain.app
Bianca Ledoux
Media Relations Advisor
McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
bianca.ledoux@muhc.mcgill.ca
263-999-8255
Doriane Rey
Senior Manager, Marketing & Communications
OBIO®
dorianerey@obio.ca