Who We Are
The Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) is one of the largest Telemedicine networks in the world. OTN helps deliver clinical care and professional education among health care providers and patients. We are transforming the way patients receive needed health care by extending and enhancing access to health care providers and eliminating barriers to care, all across Ontario.
"Telemedicine" (TM) is the delivery of health-related services and information using telecommunications technologies such as two-way videoconferencing systems and tele-diagnostic instruments such as digital stethoscopes, otoscopes and patient examination cameras.
OTN's vision is for telemedicine to become a mainstream channel for healthcare delivery and education. In other words, conducting visits via telemedicine will become as normal and everyday as traditional face-to-face office visits or in-person professional education sessions.
OTN is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario.
A province-wide telemedicine solution
OTN was created through the April 2006 merger of three award-winning, provincially-funded telemedicine networks: CareConnect (Eastern Ontario), NORTH Network (Central & Northern Ontario) and VideoCare (Southwestern Ontario). This merger, supported by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and Canada Health Infoway (CHI), leveraged the networks’ successes, assets and resources to ensure that telemedicine will continue to grow and satisfy demand for services.
Today, more than 2,700 health care professionals deliver care using OTN. Our programs and services are delivered in over 660 sites across the province. In 2008/09, 53,745 clinical consultations in Ontario were conducted using telemedicine.
With the commitment and innovation of partner organizations and healthcare professionals across the province, OTN has made Ontario the most sophisticated, extensive telemedicine environment in Canada and a world leader.
In addition to funding from the Province, Canada Health Infoway provides OTN with funding that helps support our growth and the development of a variety of special projects. Our work is further supported by eHealth Ontario. We also partner with Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telemedicine Program (KOTM), a regional broadband network services provider directed by the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telehealth Tribal Council.