August 20, 1999

Improving The Ability To Use Information In The Health System

(St. John's NF) - Today the Minister of Health and Community Services, Joan Marie Aylward and Andrew Grant, Chair of the Board of Management of the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information announced that work is commencing on the first phase of a Health Information Network (HIN) for this Province. The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information (NLCHI) has been mandated to carry out this work.

"NLCHI will put in place a project team to examine in further detail the first phase of a HIN", said Andrew Grant. "This phase is the development of a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) and a Client Registry for all residents of the Province, and is the cornerstone of a HIN".

NLCHI and the SmartHealth Consortium will begin work on developing a project framework and other details before asking the Department of Health and Community Services and Treasury Board for final approval to develop a UPI and Client Registry. The UPI will facilitate the linking of health information held in information systems owned and managed by the Department of Health and Community Services, the regional health boards and service providers across the province.

In 1998, NLCHI partnered with SmartHealth and its consortium of Newfoundland companies, ZeddComm, xwave, and Jane Helleur and Associates to prepare a benefits driven business case for the creation of a health information network in Newfoundland and Labrador. The business case identified various health, economic and financial benefits of a HIN.

The Department of Health and Community Services and Treasury Board have completed a due diligence process of the benefits associated with the UPI and Client Registry. This process confirmed that savings would accrue directly to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador primarily through reductions in out of province hospital and medical insurance claims made by persons who are no longer residents of this Province.

"We are very excited about the prospects for a health information network to be phased in over seven to ten years. The ability to provide accurate and timely information to physicians, nurses and other service providers for the treatment of their patients and clients will improve the quality of services provided," said Minister Alyward. "The health information network will also provide more accurate information for the management of the health system by both the regional boards and the Department of Health and Community Services.

In addition to health benefits, there are also significant economic gains, most notably in the growth of the provincial IT sector. Local companies will have the opportunity to gain leading-edge experience and build capacity in areas of electronic commerce, health informatics and security.

For more information contact:

Lucinda McDonald
Director of Communications
Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information
709-737-4691

or

Glenn Bruce
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377

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UNIQUE PERSONAL IDENTIFIER
BACKGROUNDER

What is a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI)?

A UPI is a number that is given at birth or when someone moves to Newfoundland and Labrador. Individuals will receive a UPI once in their lifetime. The number will not change if the last name is changed, or upon returning to the province to live.

Isn't the MCP number unique?

• The MCP number is not unique, in that individuals may be issued more than one number in their lifetime.

• The MCP card does not contain an expiry date and accordingly some former residents of Newfoundland and Labrador (i.e. those who have moved from the province) may be still using the card to obtain medical and hospital services elsewhere even though they are no longer eligible for insurance coverage from this Province.

• The Registration Master File is not accessible to providers on a 24 hour a day, seven day a week basis, which has many implications (for example, the registration of newborns does not occur immediately, requiring the use of the mother's MCP number until the newborn is registered).

 How is a UPI used?

A UPI will permit reliable tracking of an individual's interaction with health services and will enable linkages and cross-referencing of information about an individual stored in different health databases fragmented across health regions, facilities, and service providers.

How will the UPI be developed?

Development of the UPI will require creation of a registry of valid demographic information about each resident of the province and the implementation of additional processes to maintain its integrity. This will draw upon data in the existing MCP database, provider systems, and individual contact with residents. The details of the individual contact are still to be determined.

What are the benefits of a UPI?

The benefits of a UPI revolve around enhancing the provision of clinically appropriate services for individuals by:

• providing accurate client identification;
• helping avoid duplication of diagnostic tests and assessments;
• improving client care by facilitating access to data about health services received from other service providers;
• facilitating longitudinal research into the determinants and outcomes of major illnesses, as well as the effectiveness of the interventions used to treat disease or promote health; and
• removing the need for repetitious collection of demographic data from clients every time they seek health services.

A UPI will enhance the capacity of the health system to critically evaluate its current use of resources through outcomes management and utilization reviews. The database linkages possible with a UPI will permit:

• examination of the relationship between health program costs, outputs (services provided) and outcomes (improvements in health);

• comparisons between programs to determine the most cost-effective use of resources; and

• coordination among service providers who are caring for the same groups of clients to reduce costly duplication in services and free up resources which can be deployed in other health initiatives.

A UPI has financial benefits by providing timely access to client demographic and eligibility information. The financial benefits result from a reduction of ineligible billing of out-of-province health services.

1999 08 20 4:30 p.m.