At Southlake Health, patients are now being scanned on six new Canon Aplio i ultrasound systems. The new systems replace aging equipment, give clinical teams clearer and more detailed images, and help the hospital make better use of the diagnostic imaging capacity it already has.
We're proud to be part of how it happened. The new systems are the first investments delivered through a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Southlake Health, Canon Medical Systems Canada and CHG-MERIDIAN. Southlake led the way. Canon brings the technology and long-term clinical support. We provide the flexible financing that ties it together.
The result is a hospital that can access advanced technology sooner, while protecting its ability to invest in other patient care priorities.
Southlake Health: a hospital that thinks long term
For 100 years, Southlake Health has built healthy communities through leading-edge care. With 6,000 staff, medical staff, volunteers and learners, and an operating budget of more than $600 million, Southlake serves patients across the northern York Region and southern Simcoe County. Its regional cardiac and cancer programs reach patients from as far north as Muskoka to as far south as North York.
That scale comes with a familiar challenge. Diagnostic imaging plays a part in so many patient journeys, and the technology behind it needs to keep pace. Replacing equipment, the traditional way means large one-time purchases that compete with every other priority in the hospital's budget. Southlake chose a different path.
Value over price: the thinking behind the partnership
In January 2023, Southlake Health introduced value-based procurement. Instead of choosing the cheapest option, the hospital looks at the full value an investment can deliver to patients, clinicians and the organization over time. It was a new approach at the time, and it has since been replicated across Canada.
This partnership puts that thinking into practice. Rather than a traditional equipment purchase, it brings technology, financing and ongoing clinical support together in one arrangement.
For Southlake, the benefit is simple. The hospital gets advanced technology sooner, with predictable costs spread over time, and keeps its capital available for other patient care priorities. That supports both modern care today and the hospital's long-term financial sustainability.
What it means for Southlake's patients and care teams
The Canon Aplio i is a premium diagnostic ultrasound platform. It offers enhanced imaging resolution, penetration and detail across a broad range of clinical applications. For Southlake's sonographers and radiologists, that means more detailed diagnostic information and greater confidence when assessing patients, including in more complex cases.
The benefits go beyond image quality:
- Clearer, more detailed imaging to support confident diagnosis
- Greater efficiency: some examinations can be completed more efficiently while maintaining high-quality imaging
- More capacity from existing resources: those efficiencies can create room to see additional patients within Southlake's existing operating capacity
- Ongoing clinical support from Canon throughout the life of the equipment
- Budget room for other priorities, because costs are spread over the agreement instead of paid upfront
Our role
"Healthcare organizations across Canada are under increasing pressure to modernize technology while managing significant financial constraints. At CHG-MERIDIAN, we believe innovative financing should enable, not delay, access to critical diagnostic equipment. Our partnership with Southlake Health and Canon Medical Systems Canada demonstrates how value-based procurement can remove financial barriers, accelerate technology adoption, and create a sustainable pathway for continuous innovation. Together, we're helping ensure healthcare providers can invest in the latest imaging solutions today while preserving the flexibility to meet tomorrow's evolving patient care needs."
— Paul Hemburrow, Healthcare Account Executive, CHG-MERIDIAN Canada
At CHG-MERIDIAN, we develop, finance and manage customized technology usage models for the IT, industrial and healthcare sectors. In Canada, our flexible leasing and financing solutions help hospitals and health systems access the latest medical technology while improving budget predictability and operational efficiency across the full equipment lifecycle. Working with Southlake and Canon is exactly the kind of collaboration we believe in: the hospital sets the goals, and the financing is built around them.
This is just the beginning
The six ultrasound systems are the first investments delivered through this collaboration, not the last.
More equipment supported through the partnership between Southlake, Canon and CHG-MERIDIAN is expected to arrive in the near future. It will give Southlake's teams new technology to support a broader range of diagnostic and interventional procedures, extending the benefits of the collaboration further across the hospital's Diagnostic Imaging program.
The bigger story is the model itself. This partnership shows a new way of thinking, where healthcare organizations work with industry leaders to accelerate innovation while making sure every investment delivers meaningful long-term benefit. Southlake's approach to value-based procurement has already been replicated across Canada. We believe collaborations like this one can help more hospitals follow the same path.
We'll share more as the next phase of the partnership arrives. Follow along here and on our LinkedIn page for updates.
Want to explore what a partnership like this could look like for your hospital? Talk to our healthcare team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Six new Canon Aplio i ultrasound systems. They replace older ultrasound equipment in Southlake's Diagnostic Imaging program.
Three partners: Southlake Health, Canon Medical Systems Canada and CHG-MERIDIAN. Southlake leads the collaboration, Canon provides the technology and clinical support, and CHG-MERIDIAN provides the financing.
It's an approach to buying goods and services that focuses on the full value an investment delivers over time, rather than the lowest upfront price. Southlake Health adopted it in January 2023, and the approach has since been replicated across Canada.
A traditional purchase means paying the full cost upfront. This partnership brings technology, financing and ongoing clinical support together, and CHG-MERIDIAN's flexible financing model spreads the cost over the agreement.
Spreading costs over the agreement lets Southlake access advanced technology sooner while preserving its ability to invest in other patient care priorities. It also supports the hospital's long-term financial sustainability.
It's Canon's clinical application support offering. It supports Southlake's teams throughout the life of the equipment, not just at installation.
The Aplio i provides clearer, more detailed images across a broad range of clinical applications, supporting greater confidence in diagnosis. It can also allow some examinations to be completed more efficiently, creating room to see more patients within Southlake's existing capacity.
Yes. The ultrasound systems are the first investments in the collaboration. More equipment is expected to arrive in the near future to support a broader range of diagnostic and interventional procedures.
Yes. We work with hospitals and health systems across Canada to finance medical technology from any manufacturer, with models built around each organization's budget and goals. Contact our healthcare team to start the conversation.