Pilot Project Connects Patients, Doctors

Some Nova Scotians will soon connect with their family doctor and manage their health care records online.

About 3,000 patients in the Capital District Health Authority will be able to access their medical information, test results and book check-ups using RelayHealth, a secure, online personal health-record service.

"I'm proud that Nova Scotia is leading the way with this technology," said David Wilson, Minister of Health and Wellness. "Patients will have immediate access to their health records, and giving patients another way to connect with their caregivers will help provide better care sooner."

The project will help strengthen primary health care, bring patients and providers closer together, and make patients more engaged in their care.

"It is exciting to be part of a community of doctors in Nova Scotia who are piloting the use of electronic communication with patients," said Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan, a family physician in Capital District Health. "This project is the first step of a giant leap forward in giving people access to their health related information and presenting new ways to access services provided by their family doctor."

In partnership with McKesson Canada, the province will pilot the project over the next two years.

McKesson Canada says RelayHealth will show how technology brings patients and health-care providers closer together, which gets patients more involved.

"We have been delivering this solution for more than 13 years internationally, with more than 20 million patients and 36,000 physicians benefitting from the service," said Dale Weil, senior vice-president of integrated health care solutions, strategy and business development at McKesson Canada. "RelayHealth is a web-based technology that has been proven around the world."

The province and McKesson Canada are in the final stages of setting up demonstration sites. The project will be online for selected physicians and patients in early 2013.