The Infoway Approach
Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) is working in partnership with the country’s federal, provincial, and territorial governments to create and implement electronic health record (EHR) systems that will build a legacy of health care distinguished by improved access, quality, privacy and productivity.
There are four core facets to Infoway's approach:
1. Strategic investment
Infoway invests in EHR programs focused on the development of innovative technology to enable the delivery of more efficient, more effective health care for all Canadians no matter where they live in our vast country. Infoway worked collaboratively with the provinces and territories to produce the EHR Blueprint to provide a technical framework for viable projects. Jurisdictions identify projects that meet the standards outlined in the Blueprint and bring them to Infoway for funding consideration.
Projects are selected on the basis of established criteria. Once a project is selected, Infoway commits to providing up to 75 per cent of the eligible costs for planning and implementation, with the jurisdictional partner funding the balance as well as ongoing operational and maintenance costs.
2. Gated funding
To manage risk, Infoway uses a gated funding model. This means project funding is provided to our jurisdictional partners only when agreed-upon milestones are met. This approach ensures strong accountability from each member of the federal, provincial and territorial partnership for each specific EHR project.
3. Privacy
Privacy is fundamental to Infoway's approach. Infoway continues to work collaboratively with privacy commissioners, health ministries and many stakeholder groups to ensure that patient privacy and confidentially is addressed as technological solutions are developed and implemented. The privacy and security of electronic health systems is a key component of the EHR Blueprint, ensuring privacy considerations are not an afterthought, but considered at the onset of the design.
4. Leadership
Approved EHR projects are jointly managed by Infoway and its provincial/territorial partners. Infoway provides leadership by establishing the strategic direction for Canada’s EHR systems in collaboration with the jurisdictions.
Infoway's strategic pillars
Infoway's business model is helping Canada's provinces and territories accelerate the development of EHR systems for their citizens based on five strategic pillars:
- Participate in health care renewal. Infoway's involvement with national, jurisdictional and local initiatives gives us the opportunity to help strengthen health care in such areas as access to information, chronic disease management, patient self-care, wait time management, primary care, cancer care, mental health care, and Aboriginal health care.
- Collaborate with partners. Infoway works with public and private sector partners to continue progress and alignment in strengthening Canada’s health infostructure. This work is supported by the provinces’ and territories’ three-year jurisdictional electronic health record plans, joint investments and enhanced procurement initiatives
- Target the investments. Infoway continues to make significant progress in accelerating the implementation electronic health record systems across Canada. Building on this success, Infoway continues to accelerate investment in, and replication of, systems supporting health transformation and innovation. Infoway will also target new investments in electronic medical records and consumer health solutions to support adoption of these emerging technologies by Canadian health providers and consumers.
- Support solution deployment. To support successful implementation of electronic health record systems by its partners, Infoway continues to provide expertise concerning the health infostructure Blueprint, standards, privacy and security, replication and preferred pricing.
- Promote solution adoption and benefits realization Infoway continues to enable clinical leadership, advance best practices in the clinician adoption of solutions and support the measurement and realization of benefits.