CareChain helps clinicians assess patients earlier and connect them to the right treatment sooner
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are among the most common reasons people seek medical care and a major contributor to long waits to see specialists. To improve how patients with MSK conditions are referred and assessed, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is launching CareChain, a digital platform developed by MultiCIM Technologies Inc. that helps physiotherapists perform advanced assessments and determine which patients may need to see a surgeon, helping ensure
people get the right care sooner.
"Improving access starts with getting patients to the right pathway earlier," said Dr. Alan Forster, Director of Innovation, Transformation and Clinical Performance at the MUHC. "CareChain supports a more consistent and coordinated approach to MSK triage-helping our teams prioritize appropriately and reduce delays for patients who need timely specialist care."
In many cases, patients wait months for an assessment, only to learn they do not need surgery and could have started other treatments much earlier. These delays can prolong pain and disability, lead to unnecessary repeat visits and tests, and place additional pressure on already limited specialist resources.
CareChain helps physiotherapists carry out advanced assessments and determine which patients may need surgery. The platform guides clinicians through a structured process to collect the right information, support consistent decision-making and quickly refer patients to a specialist when surgery may be needed.
By supporting earlier assessments and better referral information, CareChain aims to help the MUHC reduce wait times for specialists, connect patients to the right treatment sooner, avoid unnecessary visits and tests, and improve coordination between care teams.
The MUHC will monitor how CareChain performs over time by tracking factors such as triage decisions, patient pathways, wait times and how efficiently resources are used, using existing clinical and administrative data.
The initiative is supported through OBIO's Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN®), a program that connects healthcare organizations with innovative Canadian companies to test and evaluate new technologies in real clinical settings. Through this collaboration, the MUHC will assess the impact of CareChain on patient access, wait times and care coordination, helping generate evidence to inform broader adoption.
