. Health Care EBN Archives: Show me articles about Select a Category Wellness Report Administrative Update Group Benefits Bulletins Front Runner The Script e Benefit News RAMQ Technology group benefit plans - general plan administration drug care dental care life insurance health care disability management health and wellness programs Manulife Financial news Industry standards and guidelines general legislative changes fee schedules taxation rules Electronic health records   Using information technology to improve health Remember Roy Romanow and the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada? In 2002, the Commission released a report that made recommendations to preserve the publicly funded health care system. The report contained 47 recommendations, five of which focused on building the country's 'health information technology infrastructure' and creating personal electronic health records for each and every Canadian. Giant leaps and baby steps In the six years since the Romanow recommendations were made, information technology has continued to shape our world. In June 2008, the IT research company, Gartner, estimated that there are now one billion computers in use around the world. It predicts that number will climb to more than two billion by the year 2014. As computers crop up everywhere, the electronic health information system that the Romanow Report envisioned continues to take shape, although at a much slower pace. A system of personal electronic health records would improve the Canadian health care system and Canadians' health care experience, the Report predicted. "Good information systems are essential to a high quality health care system," the 2002 Romanow Report said. "They allow health care providers, managers and policymakers to share information and use the best available evidence to guide their decisions." What is an e-health record? A personal electronic health record will allow a patient's medical history (or relevant parts of their record) to be accessed by different health care providers in different locations (hospitals, doctors' offices, pharmacies) using a computer or similar electronic device, over a network that links each location. Electronic health records will be quickly and easily accessed and updated in the doctor's office. This will give the physician a more complete and accurate snapshot of a patient's medical history. The information would allow the doctor to make better informed, and possibly safer, decisions about the patient's diagnosis, care, and treatment. The information could also be used by the patients themselves. The Romanow Report says, "It can provide them with better access to their own health information as well as to relevant health knowledge, which in turn allows them to play a more active role in maintaining their health and making decisions about their medical care." Today, in the absence of an electronic record, health care providers don't always have access to a patient's full medical history, especially if the patient has visited a number of different doctors, hospitals, or clinics. In this case, the physician must rely on the patient's memory, or in some cases, the limited amount of information that the patient cares to disclose during his or her appointment. In addition, paper medical records can be inaccurate and difficult to share, limiting the information available for research and decision making. Not accepting new patients At a time when 4.1 million Canadians don't have a family doctor, and when almost half of these have tried without success to find one, the value of an electronic health record cannot be overstated. Currently, two-thirds of the Canadians without a doctor have turned to walk-in clinics when they needed to find medical care. Twelve per cent have gone to hospital emergency rooms, and the rest have accessed community health centres, outpatient clinics or called telephone help lines. In these situations, the health care provider likely does not have access to a patient's complete health history or medical record. Estimated time of arrival: 2010 In 2001, Canada Health Infoway was created as a federally funded organization comprised of Canada's federal, provincial, and territorial Deputy Ministers of Health. The goal of Canada Health Infoway is to create new health information systems that will help modernize the Canadian health care system and benefit all Canadians by the year 2010. By the same year, Infoway aims to have the medical records for half of all Canadians available to their health care providers in an electronic format. The Romanow Commission endorsed Health Canada Infoway as the body best positioned to lead the initiative and to address issues concerning the security and privacy of the system, ensuring that only authorized health care providers and organizations have access to the data. One of Infoway's fundamental requirements is that, regardless of the system or systems being used, the health information must be stored and handled in accordance with Canadian privacy laws. You can learn about Canada Health Infoway, stay informed about its progress, and see an example of an electronic health record at http://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/ Start your own personal health record Today, while there isn't yet a universal system in place to keep track of Canadians' personal health records, there are services available that allow patients to keep a record for themselves. These tools allow people to self-record and manage health records for themselves and their family members. In these cases, the responsibility lies with the patients to keep their records up-to-date, but the records are more reliable than memory (which many of us rely on) and are easily shared with other family members and health professionals when necessary. Personal electronic health record tools can be used to keep track of allergies, medications and doses, medical appointments, family history, tests and lab results. In the event of an emergency, family members might access the file, or the information can be printed and taken to doctor's appointments in order to provide a fuller picture of a plan member's current health. For example, groups with access to Manulife Financial's secure Internet site for plan members can use the online personal health record tool that's part of the Health and Wellness Companion feature (www.manulife.ca/groupbenefits). Another Canadian option is the Manitoba-based fee-for-service website called Healthrecordsonline (www.healthrecordsonline.com). Individual clinics, hospitals, regions, provinces, and other service providers are already using information technology to help doctors and patients record and track their medical histories, but the full benefits won't be realized until a cross-Canada electronic health record system becomes reality. A system that records every contact your plan members have with the health care system in a secure yet accessible manner, and uses that information to help improve the health of all Canadians, can only mean good things for the health care system and your group benefits plan. Sources: Building on Values: The Future of Health Care in Canada – Final Report, 2002, p. 75 – 81; Health Canada Infoway; Gartner, Inc.; Statistics Canada, The Daily, catalogue 11-001-X1E, June 18, 2008. Health and Wellness Companion is offered through Manulife Financial (The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company).