SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Andrew Will admitted that using the Administrative Information Management System (AIMS) has been challenging for the organization, and said they decided to drop the component that caused problems for employees and move to a new program as part of the province’s larger AIMS project aimed at improving operations across the health-care system.
Will and 3sHealth CEO Mark Anderson announced on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the SHA office at Saskatoon City Hospital, the direction the Saskatchewan government will take regarding a modern, integrated platform to support finance, payroll, supply chain, human resources and staff scheduling. They said the goal is to replace an estimated 80 outdated and disconnected systems across the health system.
“The first phase, which is now fully implemented and stable, updates our finance, payroll, human resources and supply chain systems. These components are now in use by approximately 50,000 employees across the province. Importantly, this phase has replaced 74 of the approximately 80 legacy systems that were previously relied upon, and those functions remain stable and secure.
“The second phase of AIMS, which focused on employee scheduling, was introduced to about 7,000 employees across the province in a staggered approach. However, this phase has proven to be the most difficult so far, with widespread reports of operational disruptions and staff frustration,” said Will.
He did not address whether the previous decision to use AIMS — which had been heavily criticized for causing confusion, scheduling problems and payroll issues for health-care workers represented by the Service Employees International Union West (SEIU-West) — was a mistake. Instead, he said replacing the outdated systems was necessary.
“They were out of date. We had multiple systems and numerous processes across the province. So, it was not finding a solution for that. The challenge was not an option. We had to find a solution. I'm confident that the solution we have in the Phase 1 component of AIMS will meet our needs. We will need to improve our process as we go forward continuously. That's normal in any complex implementation of a solution like this across an entire province and 50,000 employees. But that part of the implementation is stable and secure. Regarding the scheduling component of AIMS, we were not satisfied with the solution. So, definitely part of our work ahead is engaging our partner in Deloitte in terms of the recommendations that were made with respect to that scheduling product,” said Will.
SEIU-West President Liza Zunti again highlighted the flaws in AIMS, especially in scheduling, where workers experienced software errors when posting or applying for shifts and pay inconsistencies due to overtime errors. She called the SHA’s decision to stop using AIMS a victory for Saskatchewan’s health-care workers, who had been raising concerns for months.
“If your schedule shifts aren't reported properly to payroll, your paycheck will be affected. Additionally, unscheduled, unfilled shifts leave patients and residents without the care they need and deserve. We are pleased with the government's decision to discontinue the AIMS scheduling system. This is a win for health-care workers across the province. It is an excellent example of the strength we have when we work together and raise our voice,” said Zunti during a separate media event with Saskatchewan NDP Associate Shadow Health Minister Keith Jorgenson at the SEIU-West office in the city.
Zunti said, however, that not all issues have been resolved, as the procurement side of the system continues to encounter problems. She said members reported that the procurement tab is not relaying information to purchasing, forcing them to use the old system to order supplies.
“I don't believe that it's only the time validation and the payroll portion of it that is not working correctly. There are obviously more things that are not working correctly in this system. We have now paid $272 million of taxpayer dollars to the system over the course of seven years. I could tell you it is not just a matter of we don't have what we need and my pay is incorrect, but we need to look at how it's affecting the patient care in this province,” added Zunti.
“I am not suggesting that it should be scrapped. I am not an IT expert by any stretch, and I am pretty sure there are parts of this that function quite well. The problem we are seeing is that I don't think this was tested or bugs worked out before it became part of something we had to deal with, and now we've had to manage it for several years, to the detriment of the patients we serve. So there probably are some good things about it. We're just not seeing that part of it.”
Jorgenson and the NDP said the $272 million spent on the troubled AIMS software could have funded another children’s hospital in Saskatoon, adding that the government must either fix or scrap the faulty system to ensure health-care workers are paid properly and hospitals receive the equipment they need.
