Next-Generation Healthcare at Fraser Health Authority: AI-Driven Clinical Documentation, Virtual Assistants, and Decision Support

Fraser Health has a vision to be national leaders in digitally transforming health care, prioritizing exceptional experiences, revolutionizing care delivery, and harnessing the power of virtual care for a seamless, equitable and easily accessible high-quality health system.

The Advance Program is a series of projects designed to improve the quality, consistency, and safety of patient care across the Fraser Health region. At the heart of the Advance Program is the implementation of MEDITECH Expanse. MEDITECH Expanse is live at three sites with a fourth planned in late summer 2024 and completion at remaining sites in 2025.

Fraser Health is a pilot site to leverage generative AI in clinical documentation in MEDITECH Expanse focused on the hospital course summary. We established a Data Analytics Platform with real time dashboards as part of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) 1.0 and are layering in predictive analytics in CDS 2.0. We have also enabled the Advance Training Virtual Assistant to support learners and end-users.

We will share Fraser Health’s journey to enable next generation health care.

Terri Baker has over 35 years of experience in health care including front line nursing, nursing education, health informatics, strategic leadership, project management, and change management. Working closely with senior executives and clinical operations to lead complex HIT projects across acute, community, and primary care. 

She understands the complexities of the healthcare environment and the challenges faced by clinicians to deliver quality patient/client/resident care. She brings a strong focus on the advancement of quality clinical practices across the care continuum though the effective adoption of clinical information systems.

Terri has a Master’s of Science in Nursing from the University of British Columbia and is the Chief Clinical Information Officer at Fraser Health, where she co-leads the Advance Program.

Hamidreza Eslami boasts over a decade of expertise as a data science leader, specializing in the application of advanced analytics in both service and manufacturing environments. His educational journey began in Industrial Engineering and culminated with a Ph.D. program at McGill University’s faculty of management, focusing on management science. Over the past seven years, Hamidreza has played a pivotal role at Fraser Health Authority (FHA), contributing data-driven solutions that have significantly enhanced healthcare services for nearly two million residents. Through his strategic decision-making and dedication to AI implementation, he has contributed to meaningful advancements in healthcare delivery and operations at Fraser Health Authority.

Currently, Hamidreza holds the position of Data Science Manager, leading a team of 10 proficient data scientists in pioneering numerous projects involving machine learning and artificial intelligence as well as operations research. Under his guidance, his team has made groundbreaking advances in predictive and prescriptive healthcare analytics, optimizing patient outcomes and operational efficiency. Hamidreza also imparts his knowledge and experience as a faculty member with British Columbia Institute of Technology's School of Business.

Precision Medicine: The Future of Health Care

Twenty years after completion of the Human Genome Project, genetics and personalized medicine is rapidly being part of everyday clinical practice but will only be successful if this information is integrated into the electronic medical record and workflows. Frederick Health has been on a Precision Medicine Journey since 2021 with a mission to provide a personalized gene-informed approach for disease prevention and management to improve the quality of life for Frederick County and the broader community. Precision medicine offers healthcare providers the ability to discover and present information that either validates or alters the course of a medical decision from one that is based on the evidence for the average patient, to one that is based upon an individual’s unique information. It facilitates a clinician’s delivery of care personalized for each patient. Genome‐informed prescribing is perhaps one of the first areas to demonstrate the power of precision medicine at scale. Clinical trials provide the patient with treatment opportunities that they would otherwise not have, so this makes it especially important for this area to be integrated into the electronic medical record.

Leadership Summit Facilitator

Jackie Rice, BSN, RN is the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at Frederick Health. She provides leadership for the continued development of an innovative, robust, and secure information technology environment for Frederick Health. The primary responsibilities of her office encompass a wide variety of strategic technology issues.

Frederick Health is the only hospital in Frederick County, Maryland. It has 269 licensed beds, employs a staff of nearly 3,300, and offers services in 26 locations through a network of primary care and specialty providers. Jackie’s team provides support for and delivery of IT infrastructure and services, information security systems, administrative systems, and client support services.

Jackie serves on the Maryland HIMSS Chapter Board of Directors as past president. Prior to joining Frederick Health, Jackie served in multiple healthcare roles, starting with a nursing background of 20 years which led her to a career path in Information Services. She follows the mission of Frederick Health to positively impact the well-being of every individual in our community.

Session Facilitator

Joel Benware is a transformative, results-driven healthcare technology and operations senior executive who served at three different community hospital leadership teams over the past 18 years in the roles of COO, CIO, and Compliance Officer. Joel recently joined the vendor community as President Acmeware Inc., a data analytics and consulting firm that works with Meditech Hospitals.

Joel holds a B.A. in Political Science, a Master’s in Technology Management, a second Master’s in Healthcare Administration and attained Fellowship status in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and a Certified Healthcare Chief Information Officer (CHCIO) through CHIME. Joel has been the moderator and guest speaker for the International Medical Users Software Exchange (MUSE) Executive Institute where thought leaders gather to discuss the MEDITECH EHR and the supporting ecosystem of third-party products.