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Moving Forward with Electronic Health Records

McGuinty Government Keeps Electronic Health Information

July 6, 2011

Ontario has passed a regulatory change that allows eHealth Ontario to create and maintain Electronic Health Records while keeping Ontarians’ electronic personal health information secure.

The change balances the importance of moving toward fast and efficient e-health records for all Ontarians, while ensuring privacy and confidentiality are at the forefront, by:

• Clarifying that eHealth Ontario has the authority to create and maintain Electronic Health Records, subject to eHealth Ontario’s compliance with detailed and specific privacy requirements;
• Defining that authority to include the ability to integrate personal health information, conduct data quality assurance tests, and conduct analyses to provide alerts and reminders to health information custodians in respect of their patients; and by,
• Defining “Electronic Health Record” to mean a record of personal health information created or maintained in electronic form by eHealth Ontario to enable health information custodians to use electronic means to disclose personal health information to one another for the purpose of providing or assisting in the provision of health care to the individual whose personal health information is contained in the record.

The regulation amendment will also give health information custodians, including the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, confidence that they have the authority under PHIPA (Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004) to provide personal health information to eHealth Ontario that is necessary for the creation and maintenance of Electronic Health Records for Ontarians.

Investing in Electronic Health Records is part of the Open Ontario plan to modernize the health care system, leading to better patient care and efficient health care service delivery.

QUICK FACTS

• More than six million Ontarians currently have an Electronic Medical Record. By 2012, this number is expected to be 10 million Ontarians.
• Ontario has more doctors using Electronic Medical Records than any other province in Canada.
• An Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is a computerized medical record of a patient, created in an organization that delivers care such as a hospital.
• An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a record of personal health information created and maintained in electronic form by eHealth Ontario to enable health information custodians to use electronic means to disclose personal health information to one another for the purpose of providing or assisting in the provision of health care to the individual whose personal health information is contained in the record.
• The Emergency Neuro Image Transfer System (ENITS) is one example of e-health progress - an online system that allows doctors to conduct remote neuro-consultations anywhere in the province, saving time, money and lives.

LEARN MORE

Learn more about Ontario’s ehealth initiatives.

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Members of the media :

Neala Barton, 416-327-4388
Minister's Office

Andrew Morrison, 416-314-6197
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
ontario.ca/health-news