New federal legislation will make sharing electronic health records easier
Canada’s electronic health records are disconnected, creating barriers to timely access to the information you need to provide safe and effective care efficiently. It can result in duplicate tests, longer hospital stays and unnecessary administrative burden, keeping you from spending more time with your patients.
In June 2024, the federal government introduced Bill C-72, Connected Care for Canadians Act designed to connect care by enabling better flow of secured electronic health information between caregivers, health systems and patients.
We sat down with Robert Fox, CEO of OntarioMD, to learn more about what the Connected Care for Canadians Act will mean for doctors, and what you can expect.
A: I always like to think about what the problem is we're trying to solve. The answer is there are a number of barriers related to access and use of health information that have been a frustration for care providers and patients for many years. We need to remove some of the barriers to data access. We need to create meaningful standards that support collection, use and sharing of that data.
This new legislation has been introduced to promote access to data by requiring interoperability. The goal is to make it easier for doctors to access the data they need to provide care. Interoperability enables doctors’ access to patient records from a variety of sources, including all other health-care providers, as well as support organizations, diagnostic imaging reports and other digital health tools. It will enable more effective decision-making for physicians.
A: We hope patients will benefit from a seamless transition between care providers and different care settings — for example, acute care, primary care and long-term care. The information should be much more readily accessible to all these care providers.
Patients can be more engaged, which means they’ll be more empowered in their own care.
A: The first thing to consider is how do we create these interoperable health information systems? EHRs or EMRs will need to be upgraded. There will need to be coding changes. There will need to be redesign, architectures changed to meet these interoperability standards, to make sure these systems can communicate better between one another.
The second consideration is enhanced security measures. With increased data sharing, we need more robust and sophisticated cybersecurity measures to protect patient information.
OntarioMD is thinking through issues like training and support on using the new technology for doctors, as well as how will they collect data, where will it reside and how can doctors use it. We’ll be looking at ways to support doctors to make sure these new workflows and technologies can be incorporated with as little risk as possible into their practices.
A: There's a lot that has to take place. The government needs to work with a lot of representatives, legal advisors, policymakers, all the provincial and territorial representatives, Ontario Health, and the standards bodies at the federal and provincial level, including, Canada Health Infoway, and CIHI (Canadian Institute for Health Information). OntarioMD is an important part of that conversation because of its work in certification of EMRs and practice facilitation.
We need a cohesive and practical framework to make interoperability a reality. So we need clear and effective standards, a validation certification system for vendors, a complaints evaluation process and to really understand the clinical and operational workflow impact on care providers.
OntarioMD is already working with key stakeholders, technology vendors, clinicians and patient reps to make sure that the standards Canada is creating can be met, and that as new standards roll out, that we adopt those as quickly as possible.
A: It's really going to depend on how soon the legislation gets passed, and then how long it takes to create standards and regulations. Interoperability is a massive lift and making electronic health records more accessible won’t be without challenges. There are many items to unpack when you consider what it means for physicians. In the long run, the administrative burden will be significantly reduced and efficiencies will be created. OntarioMD will be there to support doctors in the transition and so I’m really excited about what the future will look like for patients and clinicians.
Fewer than 40 per cent of Canadians can access their health information digitally and only 35 per cent of physicians share patient information electronically outside their own practice — Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) data
If you’ve been hearing the word interoperability more than usual in health-care circles lately and want to know what it’s all about, here are five key takeaways:
Interoperability – or connected care – means different computer systems are talking to one another so that health information can flow easily and securely in almost real-time throughout the patient’s journey across the health system.
Disconnected health information in Canada has resulted in data that is not standardized and shared across digital health systems, meaning:
For connected care to work:
Standards and guidance are being developed for all of this.