NLIS 36
March 21, 2002
(Health and Community Services)

 

Government continues investments in health information technology

Julie Bettney, Minister of Health and Community Services, today announced that government is continuing its investments in health information and communications technology. This year, government will begin to see the benefits of its $12.8 million strategic investment.

"Information technology plays an extremely valuable role in the delivery of quality health and community services," said Minister Bettney. "The greater the capabilities of our information and communications systems, the more able we are to create efficient systems that meet the health care needs of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador." Research has shown that better information leads to better health.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is making a clear commitment to the development of core IT systems within the regional and integrated health and community services boards.

Government is investing $6.9 million, with support from the federal Canadian Health Infostructure Partnership Program (CHIPP), to develop a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) in a number of health boards across the province. This technology allows diagnostic images, such as x-rays and MRI, to be stored, managed and distributed in digital format on computer networks. The sites that have been designated for this funding are the Peninsulas Health Care Corporation, Central West Health Corporation, Avalon Health Care Institutions Board, and the Janeway Children�s Health Centre through the Health Care Corporation of St. John�s.

The provincial and federal governments are spending an additional $775,000 for the development of the Children in Need project. This funding, also through CHIPP, is being spent to support the sharing of information between departments for case management for the Model for the Coordination of Services to Children and Youth and is a 50/50 cost-shared program.

Government is also spending $1 million to support other provincial strategic health information and communications technology. Key projects that are identified for funding include:

  • a server upgrade for the Newfoundland Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation to provide a stable environment for the Oncology Patient Information System. This will ensure cancer care providers continue to have access to patient diagnosis and treatment information;
  • a mini-Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) for Health Labrador Corporation which will enable more expedient diagnoses within the region;
  • upgraded information technology storage for Central East Health Care Institutions Board that will improve quality of care to the patient by providing clinicians and administrators with more timely and accurate information;
  • additional Meditech modules for the Avalon Health Care Institutions Board to improve access to information and ability to diagnose by clinicians.

Government is allocating $600,000 to the Client and Referral Management System (CRMS) for 2002-2003. Of this amount, $400,000 is for the Client Payment Enhancement System and $200,000 is being spent on further enhancements to the CRMS. The Department of Health and Community Services and the regional and integrated boards are partnering with the Department of Human Resources and Employment to develop the Client Payment Enhancement System, a single client payment system for all regional and integrated boards. This new system will build upon the existing Client and Referral Management System (CRMS) and help manage direct payments to clients, as well as third parties, and facilitate improvements in the boards� payment processes.

"We are committed to improving the services provided through our health and community services boards by building on our current information technology capabilities," said Minister Bettney.

Through the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information, the government has begun the work of building a provincial health information network. To date, $3.5 million has been invested to develop the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI)/Client Registry program. The maintenance of the system will be supported through the registry integrity unit in Carbonear.

"The UPI program is the backbone of a health information network," stated the minister. "Our next step is to continue developing further components of the system to realize the full benefits of a Health Information Network." In 2000, the federal government provided $500 million to establish the Canada Health Infoway with a mandate to accelerate the development of electronic health records. The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information will continue to collaborate with federal and private sector partners to find innovative ways to achieve this vision.

"Our health and community service system can benefit from the advances we see today in information technology," said Minister Bettney. "We have to be prepared to take advantage of how technology can improve service delivery."

Media contact: Carmel Turpin, Communications, (709) 729-1377.

2002 03 21                            3:10 p.m.


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