It has been just over one year since Auditor General Jim McCarter issued a scathing report on how the province’s electronic health records attempt had loosely spent nearly $1 billion of taxpayer’s funds with little to show for it.
Political critics say Ontario is still “light years” behind the rest of the country when it comes to digitizing patient information.
However, Matthews said new leadership at eHealth Ontario – the province’s flagship agency working to bring electronic health records to everyone by 2015 – has turned the ship around and progress is being made.
There are now 5,500 doctors offices managing health information electronically, Matthews told a news conference Tuesday at the Taddle Creek Family Health Team office on Bay St.
“Work on this has kept going,” Matthews said, noting a modern health system means paperless medical records.
“There is much more to do but when it comes to eHealth we have clicked to the next page and we are on track delivering results for Ontarians.”
After an extensive national search, Greg Reed was appointed CEO and president seven months ago.
Doctors have been given $28,000 over 3 years to bring electronic medical records to their offices. Matthews said not all doctors will switch over – those late in their career may not wish to but younger physicians are angling to get electronic.
Ontario still needs a functioning system of electronic medical records, said Progressive Conservative MPP Christine Elliott (Whitby-Oshawa).
“The fact is, we are still light years away from this,” she said.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Tanya Talaga
Quelle/Source: The Star, 02.11.2010
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