The Care Coordination Centre is transforming care as Nova Scotia's first province-wide healthcare command centre. The provincial C3 uses technology to coordinate how patients access care throughout each step of their healthcare journey.
Thousands of patients receive care in Nova Scotia hospitals each day. From the time patients arrive, until their return home, they are trusting healthcare teams will work together to offer them the care, services and support they need.
With C3, our goal is to help patients flow smoothly through the system, accessing the care they need without barriers or delays.
C3 is connecting care to save lives – by combining patient care with advanced technology.
The C3 technology gives teams a clear view of each patient, where they are at in the system, and their needs. For example, it identifies who needs an MRI or to see a specialist, who is awaiting surgery or an ambulance transfer.
Teams also have a full, up-to-date picture of how healthcare resources are being used. Details like how many intensive care beds are open, how many patients are in emergency departments waiting to be admitted, and more.
C3 teams across Nova Scotia monitor patients from their admission to discharge, using information that displays on digital screens and computers to help flow patients through the system and address issues that may arise in real-time.
For example, if a patient can leave the hospital once home care is in place, how can we follow-up to make that happen.
This approach to care allows for quicker decisions, and reduces wait times, making it easier for patients to move through their healthcare journey.
C3 technology is a data-driven resources that provides real-time information to support healthcare providers in making better decisions. This allows healthcare teams to collaborate and respond to issues more quickly, C3 helps improve the quality of patient care alongside healthcare professionals.
This initiative is a key part of the Action for Health Strategic Plan, which focuses on improving how we deliver and manage care across the province.
"We are using innovative technology to guide care with a focus on connecting care to change lives."
- Andrea Muenster, senior director of C3
C3 Support Team
C3 Technology
Gives instant information on patient capacity across the province
Helps patients return back to their community with minimal delays
Helps to identify and reduce barriers preventing patients from accessing care
Visibility of patient tests, appointments, and scans etc.
Facilitates patient transfers across the province
Provides data for patient planning
C3 is available throughout Nova Scotia. Hubs in Sydney, Truro, Kentville and Halifax help teams manage care in each region of the province, while a provincial command centre helps coordinate patient needs and pressures across the province.
C3 teams connect with front-line staff to organize and manage appointments, follow ups, tests, scans and more, helping to fill missed appointments and gaps that may usually slow the flow of patient care.
C3 makes it easier for healthcare teams to work together from anywhere in the province, ensuring that the right people are in the right place at the right time to provide the best care.
C3 Tiles
Tiles, similar to apps, give real-time data dashboards that display information used by care teams to focus on what needs immediate attention. These tiles are displayed on the walls of the command centres, allowing teams to easily monitor when issues are assigned to the C3 team to resolve.
Each tile is programmed to manage specific areas such as bed management, discharge planning, staff scheduling, patient referrals and more.
The tiles are connected to each other, making it easier for teams to work together across the province. This helps when patients need to be moved to another healthcare zone to receive specific treatments or testing.
For example, when patients need specialized care, like a cardiac catheterization that is only available in Halifax, they are added to a tile-controlled waitlist. This list is regularly monitored by staff at the unit. The Cardiac Catheterization Lab can view the list to identify which patients need attention and assess the urgency of their condition.
There are currently five tiles being used across Nova Scotia:
How does C3 make things better for the healthcare system?
C3 brings healthcare teams together to make the most of resources across many healthcare systems (hospitals, emergency health services, community care, etc.) and supports patients to return to the community or to a hospital closer to their community. By using real-time data, C3 reduces paperwork, manual documentation and time-consuming calls that can slow down the flow of patient care. Our system can move care ahead quicker for patients by reducing these barriers.
How does C3 change the way we work within healthcare?
The tiles combine complex information for fast and easy awareness and understanding of critical information. Real-time automated insights mean less time spent searching for information and generating reports.
How does the Command Centre software increase efficiency?
By making operations easier and providing tools for streamlining communication with teams and partners across the province, the Command Centre helps staff save time by reducing unnecessary tasks, rework, and other inefficiencies they might experience throughout the day.
When will we see the improvements to access and flow?
We are already seeing improvements to communication among team members, preventing last-minute cancellations of appointments, and helping patients get back to the place they call home faster.
"C3 has completely changed the way my team communicates on a daily basis, it has become a vital tool that keeps us all on the same page."
- Katelyn MacDougall, clinical training lead for C3
"The Care Coordination Centre enables healthcare teams to see a real-time view of what their patients need today, tomorrow, and the support necessary to get them back to their community."
-Dr. Tanya Munroe, senior medical director, access and flow network
