Canada Health Infoway Inc. had said for years that half the population would have an electronic health record by the end of 2010, and every Canadian would have one by 2016.
But Infoway acknowledged in an audit report from Auditor General Sheila Fraser on Tuesday that the 50 per cent goal won't be reached until sometime in the first half of next year.
"Currently, Infoway's forecast indicates the country will come very close to the goal by 2010 and will cross the 50 per cent threshold in the first half of 2011," the agency told Fraser.
It was not immediately clear whether the slippage will effect another $500 million in federal money that was promised to Infoway in 2009, then put on hold while Health Canada conducted due diligence to ensure the money was being spent wisely.
Last fall, Fraser told Parliament that Infoway was reasonably well-managed, despite some contracting issues that the agency said were being corrected. But her positive report did not loosen the purse-strings for the additional half-billion that was promised, although the 2010 budget last month confirmed the money was still being allotted to Infoway.
Insiders say Health Canada was awaiting Tuesday's report by Fraser, which summarized the findings of audits of eHealth spending in six key provinces - Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.
Her report found no new scandals, but noted that most provinces were not properly monitoring and reporting timelines and costs.
British Columbia and Nova Scotia had the best practices, but the rest were faulted for weak controls over projects for which Infoway provided up to three-quarters of the cash.
"Provinces are hampered by the lack of comprehensive information, including costs, baselines, and performance measures for the overall initiative," says the report.
"Provincial ministries of health and the public are currently unable to assess whether the initiative is achieving its goals and objectives, on time and within budget."
Fraser also noted that Infoway does not obtain information from the provinces to ensure that national standards are being met.
Some studies have shown that electronic health records, if properly implemented, can save the health system billions of dollars each year through better efficiencies.
Last year, Ontario's auditor general, Jim McCarter, issued a scathing report on Ontario's eHealth agency, noting that tens of millions of dollars in contracts were tendered without competition.
Premier Dalton McGuinty later said his province might not meet its self-imposed deadline of 2015 for every Ontarian to have an electronic health record.
A separate audit of Health Canada, released earlier this year, found irregularities in the way the department handed out and accounted for federal cash to Infoway.
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Quelle/Source: CTV News, 21.04.2010
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