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NLIS 2 February 22, 2006 (Health and Community Services) Newfoundland and Labrador to have province-wide Picture Archiving and Communications System Health and Community Services Minister Ottenheimer today announced that a contribution of $10.5 million by Canada Health Infoway Inc. (Infoway), combined with government�s investment of $4 million in Budget 2005, will support the development of a provide-wide Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) by 2007, making Newfoundland and Labrador the first province in the country to have a province-wide system. The Infoway funding was confirmed at a news conference in Corner Brook today by Mike Sheridan, COO of Infoway. PACS is a computer system that allows diagnostic images - including X-rays, MRI, ultrasounds and CT scans - to be digitally captured, viewed, stored and transmitted electronically from one site to another. It replaces conventional X-ray film and greatly improves access to patient information by enabling referring clinicians to review patient images on computers anywhere in the province. "Government is committed to investing in electronic information systems for storing and managing patient records, which will result in a seamless flow of patient care information across delivery systems," said Minister Ottenheimer. "PACS will benefit patients, health care providers and managers through improved access to diagnostic imaging services in rural areas, reduced wait time for patients in physicians� offices, improved access to specialist consultations due to improved image portability, prevention of some patient transfers by being able to take and read images in one location and have them reviewed by a physician in another, and improved test-to-results time." A combined investment of $14.5 million by government and Infoway will result in the implementation of the PACS project in the Western and Labrador-Grenfell regions of the province, allowing these regions to link into existing sites in Central and Eastern regions. Once completed, the integrated PACS will provide consistent and virtually seamless, province-wide access to a patient�s complete diagnostic record by their health care provider. By 2007, there will be 27 PACS sites in the province. "Newfoundland and Labrador has already made significant progress in the area of electronic health records and today�s $10.5 million investment by Infoway will make this province one of the first completely filmless provinces when it comes to diagnostic imaging," said Richard Alvarez, president and CEO of Infoway. "This project will be an example to other provinces and is the first step toward our goal of making diagnostic images available for 50 per cent of all Canadians by 2009." The PACS project, an initiative of the Department of Health and Community Services, in collaboration with Infoway and managed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information, will allow for primary reporting, on-call coverage, and immediate remote consultation allowing both the clinician and the referring radiologist to review the same images at the same time. It also means fewer exams are repeated when patients are sent to secondary and/or tertiary sites for consultation. All diagnostic images will be stored in a central repository managed by Eastern Health. All necessary provincial privacy and security requirements will be adhered to in the management and use of personal information as it pertains to this central repository. While acknowledging the importance of both the province�s contribution and Infoway�s investment, Centre for Health Information CEO, Steve O�Reilly, emphasized that "the greatest investment in this project has been made by dedicated health professionals who have readily come together, collaborating with one another to build a single shared provincial PACS network." About the Centre for Health Information About Canada Health Infoway Media contact:
Backgrounder Eastern Region Central Region Western Region Labrador Grenfell Region Additional Sites where PACS will be implemented by 2007 Western Region Labrador Grenfell Region 2006 02 22 10:35 a.m. |
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