Action Team to Develop Provincewide Information System
An action team has been established to guide government's plan to invest $75 million in the development of a fully integrated health information management system, Health Minister Jim Smith announced in the legislature today.
"This announcement reflects our commitment to move forward on plans identified as a priority in the Health Investment Fund," said Dr. Smith. "A system that will better manage and share patient information is essential to improving the quality of health care and the efficient delivery of that care for all Nova Scotians."
The action team comprises health care professionals who will guide government's investment in this area over three years. Consultation with the medical society, nurses, long-term care representatives and academic institutions are part of the terms of reference developed for the team.
Terms of reference include providing recommendations and an implementation schedule for an integrated provincewide patient information system by September 1999. The team will also recommend a process to phase in the expansion of the information system to the entire health care system by the end of the year.
"We will continue to consult with our health care partners at every stage of this process," said Dr. Smith. "Their input is critical to the successful building of a patient information management system that will link hospitals, patients and health care providers from one end of the province to the other."
Representation on the action team includes Bob Smith, CEO of the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, and John Malcolm, CEO of the Cape Breton Healthcare Complex, who will act as co-chairs. Dr. David MacLean, former chair of the 1994 Blueprint Committee, will provide academic representation on the team. Dr. MacLean is head of the department of community health and epidemiology at the Dalhousie University's faculty of medicine. Nursing representation will be provided by Barbara Oke-Kennedy, site manager for the Dartmouth General Hospital. The team will also include Department of Health and physician representation.
The development of a provincewide health information system is a prerequisite to a fully integrated health system. It would provide patients, families and care providers with access to information on test results, waiting times, service costs and clinical outcomes.
"The scale of information system integration that is being envisioned by Nova Scotia is innovative," said team member Dr. MacLean. "No other province is moving forward to the degree that we are to create a seamless system that would track and monitor patient information, avoid duplication and improve the system-wide collection of data and analysis."