National

Feds invest $15M in health-care AI development through Vancouver tech cluster program

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Jul, 2024 03:24 PM

Canada is investing about $15 million toward the development of artificial intelligence in health care that Federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne calls a "game changer" for improving the industry's ability to serve patients.

2 hours per day!⏰

That's the time AI tools from @wellhealth save doctors and nurses with each patient. Imagine the impact! Faster, smarter care for all Canadians. @DTSupercluster is pumping $15M into AI systems to revolutionize healthcare admin. Efficiency like never before! pic.twitter.com/eaZdnehhDg
— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦 (@FP_Champagne) July 10, 2024

Champagne says the funding will be invested through the ministry's Vancouver-based technology cluster program in five medical tech companies, creating technology that automates certain tasks to enhance care.

The AI initiative, known as the Health Compass II project, will use the federal investment of $15.3 million as leverage for gaining additional investments from partners to support the total budget of $44 million.

The technologies being developed through the program include a "patient-facing virtual agent" that is estimated to improve patient engagement by 30 per cent, as well as automation that streamlines administrative tasks and clinical documentation.

The companies developing the technology say the implementation of AI automation can save doctors hours of time each day for seeing more patients or for taking breaks to maintain their wellness and service delivery.

Champagne says the latest investment builds on initial funding from 2022 of $3.1 million for AI integration in electronic medical records as part of the original Health Compass program.

"And this is technology that we can use today," Champagne said during the investment announcement in Vancouver.

"I think that's what people want to see, more efficient delivery, making sure that their physician would have access to cutting-edge information, making sure they can look at data, and making sure that we can help more people ... this is a game changer in how we're going to be delivering (health)."

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Active wildfires tick up in central B.C., risk of lightning coming to the north

There are two wildfires of note, meaning they are either highly visible or pose a threat to public safety, located in northwestern B.C. The wildfire service's map shows a cluster of about two dozen new fires sparked in the Cariboo.

Active wildfires tick up in central B.C., risk of lightning coming to the north

Targeted shooting in Surrey

Police say they're investigating after a man turned up at the Surrey Memorial Hospital to receive treatment for minor gunshot injuries. R-C-M-P say officers were in the middle of responding to shots-fired reports along 66 Avenue near 127 Street when the man showed up at the hospital.

Targeted shooting in Surrey

Baby killed in crash

Police say it happened early yesterday morning when the family's car collided with a tractor trailer. The two adults in the front were pronounced dead at the scene, while the baby was airlifted to hospital only to die a few hours later.

Baby killed in crash

B.C. to provide more funding for new medical school, founding dean appointed

Eby says $33.7 million will go toward the renovation of an interim space at an existing building on Simon Fraser's Surrey campus, as well as at leased space to accommodate classrooms, laboratories and offices.

B.C. to provide more funding for new medical school, founding dean appointed

Residents of Merritt told to conserve water as city well has 'major failure'

There has been a "major failure" in a well in Merritt prompting the city to ask its residents to stop all non-essential water use. The city says in a statement that the failure is in the Voght well and affects the city's water distribution system.

Residents of Merritt told to conserve water as city well has 'major failure'

Trudeau attends NATO leaders' summit as Russia escalates aggression toward Ukraine

The ongoing war will top the agenda of the three-day summit following Russian missile attacks Monday that left death and destruction, including at a large children's hospital in Kyiv.