Refreshed Strategic Plan Focuses on Next Steps in Canada's Digital Health Journey

Identifies five important opportunities based on Canadians' priorities

TORONTO, June 26, 2013 /CNW/ - Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) today released Opportunities for Action: A Pan-Canadian Digital Health Strategic Plan. The plan, which details the health care priorities that digital health solutions can best support over the coming years, has identified key opportunities for action.

"This refreshed strategic plan was developed by Canadians, for Canadians," said Richard Alvarez, President and CEO of Infoway. "It represents how digital health is evolving in step with the health care system to meet the needs of Canadians, and sets out how Infoway and our jurisdictional partners can focus on improving the patient experience through digital health solutions."

The strategic plan was developed in consultation with more than 500 Canadians, clinicians, government and health care administrators, national associations and digital health vendors, who were asked to identify priorities that health IT could best support. Six broad themes emerged describing health care priorities over the next several years, and from these themes, five opportunities for action were developed:

• Bring care closer to home
• Provide easier access
• Support new models of care
• Improve patient safety
• Enable a high-performing health system

Much of Infoway's work over the past decade has concentrated on digital health investments in electronic health records and point-of-care systems for clinicians. These include solutions that securely house critical data including patient drug information, diagnostic images and lab test results, resulting in billions of dollars in health system efficiencies, improvements in access, and gains in quality of care.

"Now is the time to take the next steps in our journey, leveraging the investments that have been made in recent years, to ensure that digital health solutions continue to address the priorities of Canadians and improve the patient experience," Alvarez concluded.

About Canada Health Infoway
Canada Health Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. Infoway jointly invests with every province and territory to accelerate the development and adoption of information and communications technology projects in Canada. Fully respecting patient confidentiality, these secure systems will provide clinicians and patients with the information they need to better support safe care decisions and manage their own health. Accessing this vital information quickly will help foster a more modern and sustainable health care system for all Canadians.

SOURCE: Canada Health Infoway