Building on Innovation and Success

In 2023, The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) became the first hospital in Ontario to deploy GrayOS, a cutting-edge technology from Gray Oncology Solutions (Gray), to enhance the efficiency of operations in radiation therapy. The results were transformative:

Improved access to care for patients: Compliance with Ontario Health wait times significantly improved, with the percentage of patients meeting benchmarks increasing by 19%. Reduced administrative burden for staff: The time spent scheduling appointments was reduced by approximately 60%. Recognized success for TOH: TOH’s efforts were honoured with the Ontario Health 2024 Innovation Award for improving operational efficiency and patient care.

Building on its success in radiation therapy, TOH is expanding the use of GrayOS to other areas of patient care, beginning with Transplant & Cell Therapies.

Tackling Operational Challenges in Transplant & Cell Therapies

Transplant and Cellular Therapies (TCT), such as bone marrow and stem cell transplants, or CAR T-cell therapy, are life-saving treatments for cancers, blood disorders, and immune diseases. While bone marrow transplants have been used for decades, newer treatments involving immune effector cells offer cutting-edge ways to harness the immune system to fight cancer.

The Ottawa Hospital

The Ottawa Hospital's TCT Program is one of the largest in North America and is distinguished by its pioneering efforts in cellular therapies. Notably, it was the first program outside the United States to receive accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). In 2020, it achieved its seventh accreditation, which included certification for immune effector cell administration, such as CAR T-cell therapy.

TCT operations involve multiple complex steps, from therapy planning, collecting cells to infusion and post-treatment recovery. It requires precise scheduling, managing time-sensitive procedures, ensuring seamless transitions between treatment phases, and aligning schedules across different departments. In this highly intricate environment, unexpected delays or resource constraints can disrupt patient care, underscoring the critical need for operational efficiency.

GrayOS: Streamlining TCT for Better Patient Care

To address these challenges, TOH is now implementing GrayOS to streamline the operations of the TCT department.GrayOS is an intelligent scheduling and resource management solution tailored for healthcare. It automates complex scheduling tasks, ensuring seamless coordination of a patient’s treatment journey while providing a real-time overview. Using advanced algorithms, it optimizes the use of staff, rooms, and equipment to prevent bottlenecks and reduce wait times.

By reducing administrative workload and improving resource allocation, GrayOS allows healthcare professionals to focus on patient care while ensuring timely treatments.

Transforming the Future of Transplant & Cell Therapies

With GrayOS, TOH is setting a new standard for transplant and cellular therapy operations, making treatments more accessible and efficient for patients. By streamlining complex workflows, TOH will reduce wait times, improve efficiency, and ensure every patient receives timely, well-coordinated care.

"We’re excited to build on the success of GrayOS in radiation therapy to improve transplant and cell therapy coordination at TOH. As the number of transplants and therapies grows, it’s essential to manage each step smoothly — from planning to post-treatment care. By leveraging GrayOS, we can better understand our capacity, streamline care, and ensure more patients receive these critical therapies in a timely and safe way.” - Julie Renaud, Director, Cancer Clinical Services, The Ottawa Hospital

"We’re thrilled to deepen our collaboration with The Ottawa Hospital and bring the same transformative impact we achieved in radiation therapy to transplant & cell therapy. Our mission is to remove operational barriers so that every patient receives the best possible care—TCT represents an area with plenty of room to improve efficiency." – André Diamant, CEO, Gray Oncology Solutions