Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is part of Ontario’s eHealth initiative and there is a movement afoot to have all patient records digitized by 2015.
The Central West Local Health Integration Network, which plans, funds and integrates health care services in Brampton and immediate surrounding area, says 76 per cent of family physicians and 49 per cent of specialists have switched from paper records to EMR. According to the LHIN this is the highest rate of adoption among family practitioners and specialists in Ontario.
“EMR adoption meets one of the key priorities in our third Integrated Health Services Plan (IHSP 3) which is Streamlining Transitions and Navigation of the System,” said Scott McLeod, Central West LHIN CEO. “This includes supporting the use of modern technology and improving linkages among Health Service Providers so they have access to the patient information they need.”
EHealth Ontario, a provincial agency formed in 2008, is charged with developing and implementing the component systems.
EMR is a computer-based patient medical record used by physicians, nurses and administrative staff and contain patient information that authorized health professionals can access electronically rather than through a traditional paper chart.
Electronic records are intended to improve patient care by giving physicians better access to clinical information, improve physician office efficiency and workflow, and reduce duplicate tests and clinical assessments.
More than nine million Ontarians already have an electronic health record.
By 2015, 13 million patient records will be digitized.
As the EMR deadline gets closer, the LHIN is encouraging doctors to get on board.
“My colleagues and I could never go back to paper,” said Dr. Frank Martino, primary care lead for the Central West LHIN. “The EMR has added efficiency that allows me to manage my diabetic patients better, ensures more effective cancer screening and disease prevention. It also really improves the patient’s journey by linking health service providers to share information.”
In order to support the adoption of EMR, the Central West LHIN continues to facilitate sessions with physicians to provide information about the benefits of moving to a paperless environment.
EHealth was the focus of a major spending scandal in 2008, culminating in a report from auditor general Jim McCarter that found a heavy reliance on outside consultants and poor strategic planning wasted hundreds of millions of dollars, over 10 years.
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Quelle/Source: Mississauga, 10.03.2013
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