"Canadians want their medical information available electronically to the clinicians who care for them," said Alvarez. "And that's starting to happen in communities across Canada. Collaboration among governments is at an all-time high and with continued federal funding, we are well on our way to providing every Canadian with an electronic health record by 2016."
Working with its federal, provincial and territorial partners, Infoway is quickening the pace of development and implementation of electronic health records. Infoway approved $311.5 million in new EHR investments in 2007-08, bringing the total cumulative value of its investments to $1.457 billion or 89 per cent of Infoway's $1.6 billion in capitalization by the federal government. The investment brings the total number of projects underway to 254, representing a four-fold increase from the 53 projects that were nderway in 2004.
"The electronic health record projects the government of Canada is investing in are coming alive, bringing tangible results to Canadians and the clinicians who care for them," said the Honourable Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Health.
These efforts are translating into real benefits for patients from coast-to-coast: In Nova Scotia, the shared diagnostic imaging program provides digital images of X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds to authorized health practitioners where and when they're needed; patients in remote northern communities are connected with health care professionals in urban centres through telehealth, improving their access to care; and electronic medical records are generating much-needed efficiencies in the face of growing clinician shortages, increasing chronic disease and growing administrative demands.
In addition to the steady progress being made in all electronic health record programs including registries, diagnostic imaging, lab and drug programs, Infoway continues to target investments in replicable solutions that support health system transformation, such as telehealth and public health surveillance.
To find out more, access a copy of Infoway's 2007-08 Annual Report by visiting www.infoway-inforoute.ca.
Canada Health Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. Infoway jointly invests with every province and territory to accelerate the development and adoption of electronic health record projects in Canada. Fully respecting patient confidentiality, these secure systems will provide clinicians and patients with the information they need to better support safe care decisions and manage their own health. Accessing this vital information quickly will help foster a more modern and sustainable health care system for all Canadians.
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Quelle/Source: Canada NewsWire, 11.08.2008
