London Health Sciences Centre Reduces ED Visits by 39% and Readmissions by 30% for Thoracic Surgery with SeamlessMD

London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), one of Canada’s largest acute care hospital organizations and the regional referral centre for southwestern Ontario, partnered with SeamlessMD to extend patient support across the entire surgical journey – from preparation before surgery through recovery at home.

LHSC initially launched SeamlessMD with its thoracic surgery program, which performs approximately 250 to 550 procedures each year, including lung resection, esophagectomy and other foregut procedures. The health system wanted to move beyond post-discharge remote patient monitoring to better prepare patients before surgery, deliver procedure-specific education, reduce avoidable phone calls, and identify complications earlier during recovery.

Following implementation, LHSC saw reductions in 30-day emergency department (ED) visits, readmissions and average length of stay, alongside high levels of patient confidence and satisfaction.

Key Results

• 39% reduction in 30-day post-operative ED visits
• 30% reduction in 30-day post-operative readmissions
• 0.20-day reduction in average length of stay
• 95% of patients would recommend SeamlessMD

Supporting Patients Across the Entire Thoracic Surgery Journey

Before partnering with SeamlessMD, LHSC had experience with remote patient monitoring for thoracic surgery, but the existing device-based program was focused primarily on the post-discharge period and reached approximately 250 patients. LHSC wanted a scalable approach that could support patients from the moment care begins through recovery at home – and eventually expand beyond thoracic surgery.

In August 2025, LHSC launched its first SeamlessMD Digital Care Journey for lung surgery. Working closely with LHSC’s interdisciplinary clinical and operations teams, SeamlessMD customized procedure-specific pathways that patients can access through text, email, mobile and web.

Before surgery, patients receive education and tasks covering topics such as pre-anesthesia visits, smoking and alcohol cessation, breathing and walking exercises, diet, and medication instructions. After surgery, patients receive guidance on wound and chest tube care, pain management, diet and physical activity, while completing daily symptom questionnaires for 30 days after discharge. Automated workflows provide self-care guidance for lower-risk concerns and help care teams identify when a patient may require clinical intervention.

Reducing ED Visits and Readmissions

Following the implementation of SeamlessMD, LHSC compared outcomes for 183 patients using the platform with a control group of 223 patients. The 30-day post-operative ED visit rate decreased from 8.07% to 4.92%, representing a 39% reduction, while 30-day readmissions decreased from 3.14% to 2.19%, a 30% reduction. Average length of stay also decreased from 3.36 days to 3.16 days.

Remote monitoring has also helped LHSC identify potential complications earlier. In one instance, a patient submitted a photo of their incision while reporting that recovery appeared to be progressing well. A Remote Care Management nurse noticed subtle signs of a potential infection, escalated the case to the surgical team, and enabled the patient to be admitted directly for intravenous antibiotics rather than first going through the Emergency Department.

Dr. Richard Malthaner, Chair of Thoracic Surgery at London Health Sciences Centre, shared:

SeamlessMD extends our care beyond the hospital walls. It prepares patients before surgery, supports them through recovery and alerts us when intervention is needed – reducing emergency visits and readmissions while giving patients greater confidence at home.

Improving Patient Confidence and Experience

Across LHSC’s thoracic, trauma and orthopedic care plans, patients reported high levels of confidence and satisfaction with their digital care journeys. 95% said they would recommend SeamlessMD, while 92% said the platform helped them feel more confident before surgery and 91% reported feeling more confident at home after surgery.

Patients highlighted having clear information about what to expect, knowing which symptoms were normal or concerning, and being able to easily submit information and photos to their care team.

Scaling from One Care Plan to Eight

The thoracic program also became a foundation for broader adoption across LHSC. After enrolling its first lung surgery patient in August 2025, LHSC expanded SeamlessMD across thoracic surgery, pediatric and adult trauma, spine surgery, and orthopedics, reaching eight care plans within 12 months.

As Nerissa Taylor, Manager of Operations, Virtual Care Program and MyCarePortal at LHSC, explained:

We were looking for a technology partner that could support any patient population we needed, from the moment care begins, through recovery at home, on a device the patient already uses. SeamlessMD was the right partner to help us bridge the great hospital care patients receive to continue with this support while they recover at home.

Read the full case study to learn how London Health Sciences Centre is using Digital Care Journeys to improve surgical outcomes, support patients throughout recovery, and scale digital care across clinical programs.