Pharmacy Network to be implemented in the province

In keeping with its commitment to the establishment of an electronic health record system for the province, Health and Community Services Minister Tom Osborne today announced that the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information (NLCHI) will begin implementation of a Provincial Pharmacy Network. The minister was joined by William (Bill) Fanning, chair of the Board of Management of the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information; Richard Alvarez, president and chief executive officer of Canada Health Infoway; and Fran�ois C�t� of Emergis Inc.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Network is a provincial drug information system that will offer province-wide, on-line, real-time medication profiles, as well as comprehensive drug information and an interactive database to assist pharmacists and physicians in identifying potential adverse drug interactions and events.

"Government is fully committed to the establishment of an electronic health record system for the province and the Pharmacy Network is the next critical phase in this project," said Minister Osborne. "Once implemented, the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Network will result in improved medication dispensing, improved tools for counseling on the use of medication, reduction of medication errors and a decrease in hospitalization due to adverse drug events. Ultimately, the Pharmacy Network will result in enhanced quality of care and improved patient safety for the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador."

NLCHI issued a Request for Proposals in 2005 for the acquisition of products and services required for the development of the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Network. Emergis was the successful proponent and will work with NLCHI to implement a provide-wide pharmacy network. The cost of the project over four years is $25 million; Canada Health Infoway, Inc. has committed $17 million in funding, and the Department of Health and Community Services will provide $8 million in funding.

Emergis (TSX: EME) has been contracted by NLCHI to build the Pharmacy Network solution and support change management initiatives. "We will bring to the Pharmacy Network the knowledge and experience we have gained from over 20 years experience in processing drug-related data and our strong relationship with community pharmacies in the province," said Fran�ois C�t�, president and chief executive officer of Emergis. Emergis� partners in this project are Systems Xcellence Inc.(TSX: SXC), Courtyard Group Ltd. and zedIT Solutions Inc. of St. John�s.

"This initiative shows how health information technology can make our healthcare system better, safer and more efficient," said Mr. Alvarez. "Newfoundland and Labrador is making solid progress on the road to developing electronic health records for the benefit of patients and providers," he added. Infoway�s goal is to make electronic health records available for 50 per cent of the Canadian population by the end of 2009.

NLCHI has been tasked with implementing one of the largest and most complex information technology projects ever undertaken in the province. A significant planning and due diligence process has taken place over the past few years to verify that the Pharmacy Network will enhance the quality of care and improve patient safety in this province. This has included consultations with over 800 stakeholders to assess the health benefits of the Pharmacy Network and to determine the features of the provincial drug information system that are of the greatest interest to healthcare providers and patients.

Stakeholders involved in the consultation process included the Regional Integrated Health Authorities, the Pharmacists Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores, the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board and the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association.

"Both healthcare providers and consumer health groups have advised NLCHI on its design for protecting the privacy of each person�s personal information," said Mr. Fanning. "There are significant technological features to ensure only authorized healthcare providers have access to the Pharmacy Network, and more importantly, patients will have the option to request that their medication information be masked so no one, except in emergency situations, will be able to access their information unless authorized."

The majority of activities associated with the Pharmacy Network project will occur in the first three years of the project. Phase I of the project will include the integration of the province�s approximately 180 retail pharmacies and provide a viewer into the emergency departments of hospitals; Phase II will include integration with hospital pharmacy systems; and Phase III will provide electronic prescribing capabilities to physicians and other prescribers.

About the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information (NLCHI)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information was established by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to provide quality information to health professionals, the public, and health system decision-makers. Through collaboration with the health system, NLCHI supports the development of standards and maintains key health databases, prepares and distributes health reports, and supports and carries out applied health research and evaluations. NLCHI�s mandate also includes the development of a confidential and secure Health Information Network that will serve as the foundation for the provincial Electronic Health Record.

About Canada Health Infoway (Infoway)
Infoway is an independent not-for-profit organization that invests with public sector partners across Canada to implement and reuse compatible health information systems which support a safer, more efficient healthcare system. These systems provide healthcare professionals with rapid access to complete and accurate patient information, enabling better decisions about treatment and diagnosis. The result is a sustainable, healthcare system offering improved quality, accessibility and productivity.

About Emergis
Emergis, based in Quebec, is an IT leader in Canada that focuses on the health and financial services sectors. It develops and manages solutions that automate transactions and the exchange of information to increase the process efficiency and quality of service of its customers. Emergis has expertise in electronic health-related claims processing, health record systems, pharmacy management solutions, cash management and loan document processing and registration. In Canada, it delivers its solutions to the main insurance companies, top financial institutions, government agencies, large corporations, real estate lawyers and notaries, and approximately 40 per cent of all pharmacies. It also processes and enables transactions for the world�s leading payment associations.

Media contact:

• Tansy Mundon, Department of Health and Community Services, (709) 729-1377, 685-1741 or tansymundon@gov.nl.ca
• Lucy McDonald, NLCHI, (709) 757-2424, 687-7021 or lucym@nlchi.nl.ca
• Cindy Hoffman, Canada Health Infoway, 514-397-7335 or 1-866-868-0550,
• (514) 606-7335 (cellular), or choffman@infoway-inforoute.ca
• Ann-Marie Gagn�, Emergis, (450) 928-6361, cell (514) 998-5679
• John Gutpell. Investor Relations, Emergis, (450) 928-6856

What is the Pharmacy Network? This is a computerized provincial drug information system that will create individual prescription profiles for everyone who receives medications in the province, enabling health care providers to make better-informed and timely decisions about each patient�s care. The Pharmacy Network will be a Generation 3 drug information system, which means it has the functionality for physicians to electronically prescribe (e-prescribe) and will use CeRx (the Canadian Electronic Prescription Standard) a new national standard in messaging for drug information systems. The Pharmacy Network is a component of the provincial electronic health record system.

What is the Electronic Health Record? A record of a patient or client that is available electronically to authorized health care providers anywhere and anytime to support high-quality care. The record can be shared across all points of care for the individual from birth to death. It contains selected information that can be shared among health care providers and usually contains information from more than one health information system. The vision of the Electronic Health Record in Newfoundland and Labrador will see the integration of information from the Unique Personal Identifier/Client Registry, the Diagnostic Imaging/Picture Archiving and Communications System, the Pharmacy Network, a laboratory information system, a Chronic Disease Management system and other Telehealth initiatives, and an Electronic Medical Record in physicians� offices.

What are the Benefits of the Pharmacy Network? Experience from other provinces, where Generation 2 drug information systems are already in use, indicates a pharmacy network reduces medication errors, improves medication safety and prevents fraud. It will also reduce the demand for physician visits, hospital admissions and other health services that result from adverse drug reactions.

The e-prescribing function of the Pharmacy Network will be a powerful tool for preventing medication errors due to misinterpretation of handwritten orders. Medication prescribers will become more efficient as relevant information such as drug information, drug costs and clinical practice guidelines is available on-line.

What is the proposed model for the Pharmacy Network? The Pharmacy Network will be built in stages and eventually link physicians, pharmacists, hospitals, and other authorized health care providers together through a Virtual Private Network. The Pharmacy Network will provide tools and processes to support prescribing, dispensing, compliance monitoring, research and policy development.

What are the privacy issues associated with the Pharmacy Network? The major privacy issue associated with the Pharmacy Network for individuals is related to people accessing their medication profiles without authority. To prevent this, the Pharmacy Network incorporates a very high standard of technical security that will restrict access, and will allow audit of those who do access a record. The design also includes the ability for an individual to mask or hide prescriptions from people, but not from the electronic functions of the network. A preliminary Privacy Impact Assessment of the project is available on NLCHI�s web site.

NLCHI, through working groups of users, will establish clear rules that govern the sharing of personal health information on "a need to know" basis. These rules will include direction on consent, primary use of personal health information, and secondary uses of data for administrative and research purposes.

2006 06 08                          10:10 a.m.