Unity Health Toronto partners with Sinai Health to support their Epic electronic patient record system implementation

Unity Health Toronto and Sinai Health are partnering to bring a new era of connected care to Toronto through the implementation of Sinai Health’s new Epic electronic patient record (EPR) system. Guided by Unity Health’s award-winning Epic implementation, this partnership will give patients and care teams more seamless access to health information across organizations.  

Unity Health implemented its network-wide Epic EPR system in November 2024, serving patients, staff and physicians across St. Joseph’s Health Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital and Providence Healthcare. Under this model, Sinai Health will adopt  Unity Health’s Epic instance as part of Sinai’s EPR implementation to improve information sharing and enhance the staff and patient experience.

“This partnership builds on a long-standing relationship that has always existed between Unity Health and Sinai Health,” says Altaf Stationwala, President and CEO of Unity Health. “It’s a relationship of trust, collaboration and ultimately, a relationship forged on doing what’s best for patients.”

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Last year, the provincial government directed hospitals to pursue shared EPR environments, rather than standalone systems. This direction accelerates a broader, province-wide shift towards a more connected, collaborative and digitally-integrated health system.

Building on successful shared Epic models elsewhere in Ontario, the partnership will support a smooth implementation at Sinai Health, informed by learnings and best practices at Unity Health, while strengthening coordination between the two organizations.

“This partnership is going to be provincial leading from day one,” says Dr. Gary Newton, President and CEO of Sinai Health. “These are two academic hospitals, with innovation in our DNA, joining forces to implement a contemporary, cutting-edge EPR system. This is exactly what our province demands of us and exactly what our patients need from us.”

Since launching its Epic EPR system in 2024, Unity Health has achieved several Canadian firsts in digital health innovation. This includes becoming the first organization in Canada to use MyChart Bedside, which allows inpatients to access their health information and complete other care-related tasks from their hospital beds. Unity Health was also first in Ontario to integrate Epic with Toronto Paramedic Services, allowing first responders to securely share patient information gathered in the field, helping care teams access critical information earlier and supporting faster, more informed care for patients.

Sinai Health can expect to achieve similar milestones with support from Unity Health, streamlining patient care and providing a more personalized care experience for patients and their families.

“Today at Sinai Health, teams are working across many different applications, which adds complexity and administrative burden,” says Jane Merkley, Executive Vice President, Chief Nursing Executive and Chief Operating Officer at Sinai Health. “We’re looking forward to one integrated system that supports more connected care, informed decisions, and a better experience for both care teams and patients.”

This partnership positions Unity Health and Sinai Health as provincial leaders in digital health collaboration. Supported by the provincial government, this initiative will lay the foundation for a playbook that will guide future implementations under this model.

With Epic EPR systems as the cornerstone, this initiative also creates opportunities for future innovation and system synergies between Unity Health and Sinai Health, including in AI and advanced analytics. 

Once Sinai Health’s EPR system is implemented, the organization will gain access to Epic’s AI tools, which are currently being tested by Unity Health. Teams at Unity Health and Sinai will  also establish a common AI governance structure, which will guide AI efforts between the two organizations.

“We’re building more than an electronic health record partnership,” says Damian Jankowicz, Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Chief AI Officer at Unity Health. “We’re building an exciting foundation for the future, where we can deploy and scale AI responsibly, for the benefit of patients and providers.” 

Once implemented, the shared Epic environment will also continue to evolve across both organizations, strengthening the secure flow of information across Toronto’s downtown health network. Patient care will remain at the heart of this work, improving continuity of high quality, safe care for Ontarians.

“As we look at some of the challenges that are in front of us, this initiative helps us build better patterns of care and improve efficiencies for our care teams,” says Stationwala. “This benefits patients across the city, who trust Unity Health and Sinai Health to deliver exceptional care.”

By: Anna Wassermann