Canadian public health officials announced recently that the Canadian government will soon place an order for 50.4 million doses of the influenza A (H1N1) vaccine.
The officials, Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s Minister of Health, and David Butler-Jones, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, said they expect the vaccine will be available in time for the winter influenza season.
“The government of Canada will ensure sufficient H1N1 vaccine is available to immunize every Canadian who needs and wants protection from the H1N1 virus,” Aglukkaq said in a press release. “We are pleased to have worked together with provinces and territories in implementing a coordinated, pan-Canadian response to all elements of the H1N1 outbreak, including decisions around vaccines.”
“We are confident the 50.4 million vaccine doses we plan to purchase will be sufficient to meet the needs of every Canadian likely to need and want protection,” said Butler-Jones.
Aglukkaq and Butler-Jones also said that although the delivery of immunization typically falls under the jurisdiction of Canadian provincial and territorial governments, the federal Canadian government is making an exception in this case and plans to cover 60% of the costs.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
17 percent of Canadians subject to medical, medication, or laboratory errors. Commonwealth Study
17 percent of Canadians subject to medical, medication, or laboratory errors. Commonwealth Study
20 percent of Americans and Australians report that they were subject to medical, medication, or laboratory errors.
Evidence of patient safety risks and their impact on patients continues to emerge, both in hospitals and community settings.
HEALTHCARE LAGGING IN CREATING EFFECTIVE SAFETY LEARNING SYSTEMS. Seven Country Study
G. Ross Baker, co-author of The (2004) Canadian Adverse Events Study. Can. Med. Assoc. J., May 2004) calls for "deeper capacity" to deal with ongoing changes in healthcare.
In his editorial to the fourth special issue of the journal Healthcare Quarterly dedicated to patient safety, he quotes a colleague's words: "safety is a dynamic and emerging state that is continually renegotiated as things change. And in healthcare everything changes all the time ... so [we need] to develop a deeper capacity to deal with these issues so we can understand the complexity that we are working in."
May 2009 marked the fifth anniversary of the publication of the Canadian Adverse Events Study. He now writes:
• Evidence of risks and their impact on patients continues to emerge, both in hospitals (where the evidence is considerable) and community settings (where it is not).
• New technologies that improve diagnostic capabilities or offer therapeutic benefits often carry risks.
• Even if these risks are carefully calibrated, this knowledge is not always widely shared.
• Methods and tools alone may be insufficient to create an environment supporting safer care.
• Hand hygiene is "widely recognized as a critical practice for reducing healthcare-associated infections, many audits find only modest levels of acceptable practice."
Many experts, he writes, believe that healthcare has lagged in creating the types of effective safety learning systems seen in other high-risk industries.
Full issue available here:
http://www.longwoods.com/home.php?cat=604.
Self reported errors discussed here:
http://www.longwoods.com/product.php?productid=20967&cat=604&page=1
To contact the Editor please write G. Ross Baker (ross.baker@utoronto.ca).
PDF formats available here
Download article PDF here: http://www.longwoods.com/view.php?aid=20967&cat=604
Download Full Issue PDF here: http://www.longwoods.com/view.php?aid=604&cat=604
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Suicide Intervention Study: A first of its kind involving older adults at risk
July 21, 2009
Lawson Research Publishes Suicide Intervention Study A first of its kind involving older adults at risk
LONDON, Ontario - Growing older is a rite of passage. Those who are fortunate enough to reach their golden years can come to possess experience and wisdom that is often shared with friends and family for generations to come. It is a time for reflection, satisfaction and a plethora of hobbies - or is it? Startling statistics reveal that older adults have the highest rates of suicide of any age group in the U.S., with depression being one of the leading risk factors for suicide.
With many older adults having to deal with significant life transitions such as declining health, loss of a spouse and limited social interaction, it is not surprising that there is a great need for psychological interventions for those struggling with these challenges.
This issue is especially worrisome, given that the Baby Boom cohort has a higher rate of suicide than previous generations. Dr. Marnin Heisel, a clinical psychologist at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at The University of Western Ontario, has dedicated his research career to suicide prevention among older adults. Heisel’s recent study, published in a special issue of “Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,” focuses on adapting a psychotherapeutic intervention for older adults at risk for suicide.
The study is the first of its kind to test a 16-week course of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) with older adults at risk for suicide.
Previous research suggests that depressed older adults are amenable to psychological interventions and that many prefer counseling to medications. IPT is a time-limited, interpersonally-oriented psychotherapy that focuses on addressing difficulties in effectively communicating one’s emotional needs to others, and on building interpersonal skills. The intervention is based on the theory that interpersonal factors, such as conflicts, losses, grief and interpersonal deficits, may contribute to psychological problems.
Heisel and his colleagues with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center were curious to adapt this therapy for older adults at-risk for suicide and test this therapy with participants who were referred from inpatient and outpatient geriatric medicine and mental health services. Study participants were 60 years of age or older, and had thoughts of suicide (suicide ideation), a wish to die (death ideation), or had engaged in recent self-injurious behaviour. The research team adapted IPT to enhance the treatment for these older adults, targeting core interpersonal features of suicidal thoughts and behaviour and incorporating lessons learned from previous reports of suicide during psychotherapy. The purpose of the study was to assess the feasibility, tolerability, and safety of IPT adapted for older adults at-risk for suicide, and to initially assess its effectiveness in reducing thoughts of suicide, wishes to die, and depressive symptom severity.
Preliminary findings of this study support the feasibility of recruiting and retaining older adults at-risk for suicide into psychotherapy research and suggest that adapted IPT is tolerable and safe. There was a substantial reduction in participant suicide ideation, death ideation, and depressive symptoms over the course of therapy. Participants expressed high levels of treatment satisfaction and reported that the intervention helped improve their interpersonal functioning.
In addition to his clinical research, Dr. Heisel has also been engaged in knowledge translation activities, helping to translate research findings into clinical practice. Together with an interdisciplinary group of colleagues with the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health, Heisel co-led the creation of a late-life suicide prevention toolkit, which currently includes clinical guidelines for assessing seniors’ suicide risk and intervening with those at-risk for suicide, a quick-reference card, a training DVD, a facilitator’s guide for educators, and an informational guide for family members. These efforts have received primary funding support from the Public Health Agency of Canada since 2005; additional funds have been recently provided by the Betty Havens Award for Knowledge Translation in Aging, a CIHR knowledge translation award of which Heisel is a co-recipient. The toolkits have been distributed to health care providers, university educators and front-line care providers at hospitals and long-term care homes across the country. “Studies of older adults who have died by suicide suggest that as many as 75 per cent had seen their primary health care provider in the month prior to their death,” says Heisel. “This tells us that older adults who are at-risk for suicide do reach out for help - although they may not be very clear about the fact that they are thinking about suicide.” This toolkit has received a warm reception from clinicians and educators; future work will assess its effectiveness in increasing providers’ knowledge about late-life suicide and in influencing their attitudes towards working with at-risk older adults.
Heisel and colleagues are planning a randomized controlled clinical trial to further evaluate the use of adapted Interpersonal Psychotherapy as an effective treatment option for older adults at-risk for suicide.
“I hope that through our research initiatives, we can help combat the negative impact of depression and despair among older adults and help enhance the emotional health and well-being of this important and valued age group,” concludes Heisel.
-------------------------------------------
About Lawson Health Research Institute
As the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre and St.
Joseph's Health Care, London, and working in partnership with The University of Western Ontario, Lawson Health Research Institute is committed to furthering scientific knowledge to advance health care around the world.
TWITTER
Follow us: lawsonresearch
For more information, please contact:
Melissa Beilhartz, Communications Consultant Lawson Health Research Institute 519-646-6100 ext. 65516 Melissa.beilhartz@lawsonresearch.com
www.lawsonresearch.com
Lawson Research Publishes Suicide Intervention Study A first of its kind involving older adults at risk
LONDON, Ontario - Growing older is a rite of passage. Those who are fortunate enough to reach their golden years can come to possess experience and wisdom that is often shared with friends and family for generations to come. It is a time for reflection, satisfaction and a plethora of hobbies - or is it? Startling statistics reveal that older adults have the highest rates of suicide of any age group in the U.S., with depression being one of the leading risk factors for suicide.
With many older adults having to deal with significant life transitions such as declining health, loss of a spouse and limited social interaction, it is not surprising that there is a great need for psychological interventions for those struggling with these challenges.
This issue is especially worrisome, given that the Baby Boom cohort has a higher rate of suicide than previous generations. Dr. Marnin Heisel, a clinical psychologist at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at The University of Western Ontario, has dedicated his research career to suicide prevention among older adults. Heisel’s recent study, published in a special issue of “Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,” focuses on adapting a psychotherapeutic intervention for older adults at risk for suicide.
The study is the first of its kind to test a 16-week course of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) with older adults at risk for suicide.
Previous research suggests that depressed older adults are amenable to psychological interventions and that many prefer counseling to medications. IPT is a time-limited, interpersonally-oriented psychotherapy that focuses on addressing difficulties in effectively communicating one’s emotional needs to others, and on building interpersonal skills. The intervention is based on the theory that interpersonal factors, such as conflicts, losses, grief and interpersonal deficits, may contribute to psychological problems.
Heisel and his colleagues with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center were curious to adapt this therapy for older adults at-risk for suicide and test this therapy with participants who were referred from inpatient and outpatient geriatric medicine and mental health services. Study participants were 60 years of age or older, and had thoughts of suicide (suicide ideation), a wish to die (death ideation), or had engaged in recent self-injurious behaviour. The research team adapted IPT to enhance the treatment for these older adults, targeting core interpersonal features of suicidal thoughts and behaviour and incorporating lessons learned from previous reports of suicide during psychotherapy. The purpose of the study was to assess the feasibility, tolerability, and safety of IPT adapted for older adults at-risk for suicide, and to initially assess its effectiveness in reducing thoughts of suicide, wishes to die, and depressive symptom severity.
Preliminary findings of this study support the feasibility of recruiting and retaining older adults at-risk for suicide into psychotherapy research and suggest that adapted IPT is tolerable and safe. There was a substantial reduction in participant suicide ideation, death ideation, and depressive symptoms over the course of therapy. Participants expressed high levels of treatment satisfaction and reported that the intervention helped improve their interpersonal functioning.
In addition to his clinical research, Dr. Heisel has also been engaged in knowledge translation activities, helping to translate research findings into clinical practice. Together with an interdisciplinary group of colleagues with the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health, Heisel co-led the creation of a late-life suicide prevention toolkit, which currently includes clinical guidelines for assessing seniors’ suicide risk and intervening with those at-risk for suicide, a quick-reference card, a training DVD, a facilitator’s guide for educators, and an informational guide for family members. These efforts have received primary funding support from the Public Health Agency of Canada since 2005; additional funds have been recently provided by the Betty Havens Award for Knowledge Translation in Aging, a CIHR knowledge translation award of which Heisel is a co-recipient. The toolkits have been distributed to health care providers, university educators and front-line care providers at hospitals and long-term care homes across the country. “Studies of older adults who have died by suicide suggest that as many as 75 per cent had seen their primary health care provider in the month prior to their death,” says Heisel. “This tells us that older adults who are at-risk for suicide do reach out for help - although they may not be very clear about the fact that they are thinking about suicide.” This toolkit has received a warm reception from clinicians and educators; future work will assess its effectiveness in increasing providers’ knowledge about late-life suicide and in influencing their attitudes towards working with at-risk older adults.
Heisel and colleagues are planning a randomized controlled clinical trial to further evaluate the use of adapted Interpersonal Psychotherapy as an effective treatment option for older adults at-risk for suicide.
“I hope that through our research initiatives, we can help combat the negative impact of depression and despair among older adults and help enhance the emotional health and well-being of this important and valued age group,” concludes Heisel.
-------------------------------------------
About Lawson Health Research Institute
As the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre and St.
Joseph's Health Care, London, and working in partnership with The University of Western Ontario, Lawson Health Research Institute is committed to furthering scientific knowledge to advance health care around the world.
Follow us: lawsonresearch
For more information, please contact:
Melissa Beilhartz, Communications Consultant Lawson Health Research Institute 519-646-6100 ext. 65516 Melissa.beilhartz@lawsonresearch.com
www.lawsonresearch.com
Monday, July 20, 2009
BRITISH COLUMBIANS GET OPTION TO MANAGE HEALTH RECORDS
July 20, 2009
VICTORIA – As of July 17, British Columbians can begin to apply disclosure directives to manage their Electronic Health Record (EHR) in advance of the system going live later this year and throughout 2010.
An EHR is a secure and private record of patient’s health history and care within the health system.
Currently, health professionals face challenges in getting patient information from records held in different places and different electronic and paper formats. The EHR will unify patient information and give authorized health professionals electronic access to secure patient health records when and where they deliver care.
A disclosure directive allows a patient to decide which of their records can be accessed by a health professional who does not have the keyword provided by a patient. If a patient can provide their keyword to the health professionals caring for them, then their records can be temporarily accessed. However, if a patient does not remember their keyword, or a health professional involved with their care does not have it, disclosure directives may result in delays – except in case of an emergency.
eHealth will enable faster, safer and better health care by reducing delays, errors and test duplication and also improve the privacy and security of personal health records. The new regulation coming into effect is part of the legislative framework that governs the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information in electronic health records and comes from the e-Health (Personal Health Information Access and Protection of Privacy) Act, which was introduced in spring 2008.
British Columbians who wish to make a disclosure directive on their EHR can visit www.health.gov.bc.ca/ehealth/dd.html or call Health Insurance B.C. in the Lower Mainland: 604-683-7151 or elsewhere in B.C. at 1-800-663-7100.
VICTORIA – As of July 17, British Columbians can begin to apply disclosure directives to manage their Electronic Health Record (EHR) in advance of the system going live later this year and throughout 2010.
An EHR is a secure and private record of patient’s health history and care within the health system.
Currently, health professionals face challenges in getting patient information from records held in different places and different electronic and paper formats. The EHR will unify patient information and give authorized health professionals electronic access to secure patient health records when and where they deliver care.
A disclosure directive allows a patient to decide which of their records can be accessed by a health professional who does not have the keyword provided by a patient. If a patient can provide their keyword to the health professionals caring for them, then their records can be temporarily accessed. However, if a patient does not remember their keyword, or a health professional involved with their care does not have it, disclosure directives may result in delays – except in case of an emergency.
eHealth will enable faster, safer and better health care by reducing delays, errors and test duplication and also improve the privacy and security of personal health records. The new regulation coming into effect is part of the legislative framework that governs the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information in electronic health records and comes from the e-Health (Personal Health Information Access and Protection of Privacy) Act, which was introduced in spring 2008.
British Columbians who wish to make a disclosure directive on their EHR can visit www.health.gov.bc.ca/ehealth/dd.html or call Health Insurance B.C. in the Lower Mainland: 604-683-7151 or elsewhere in B.C. at 1-800-663-7100.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Request for qualifications (RFQ) released to develop a chronic disease management system
Request for qualifications (RFQ) released to
develop a chronic disease management system
eHealth Ontario and Infrastructure Ontario released a request for qualifications (RFQ) today to identify qualified companies to develop a chronic disease management system that will be used initially to establish a Diabetes Registry for Ontarians and an eHealth Portal framework.
Building Our Diabetes Program Acumen
- Today nearly 900,000 people in Ontario are living with diabetes
- Effectively managing diabetes will improve the quality of life for Ontarians with this disease,
reduce their mortality and morbidity rates, and decrease the cost of this disease to the health care system - Ontario’s eHealth Strategy aims to prevent – each year – 88 people from going blind;
322 heart attacks; 473 lower limbs from being amputated; 448 deaths; and prevent $300 million in hospital costs
Filmless Diagnostic Imaging
For the first time in Ontario’s history, all 148 hospitals are now able to produce and share filmless diagnostic images including x-rays, CT scans and MRIs within their facilities using picture archiving and communications technology.
About Diagnostic Imaging
- Diagnostic imaging includes pictures of the body captured by x-ray,
ultrasound, MRI and CT used to diagnose medical issues - The digital imaging network is an integral part of Ontario’s eHealth Strategy
- By the fall of 2011, 100 per cent of the images taken in the delivery
of hospital-based heath care to Ontarians will be digitally stored and shareable among health care providers
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e-mail: info@ehealthontario.on.ca
Monday, July 13, 2009
300 subscribers wanted for beta test of personal electronic health record in Montreal
MUHC forms strategic relationship with Medical.MD so that Quebecers are first to be empowered with health and wellness tools
Montreal, July 8, 2009—The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) announced today its strategic relationship with Quebec-wholly-owned Medical.MD to provide Quebecers with MedforYou, a personal electronic health record, launching simultaneously a call for 300 subscribers to evaluate the beta site. MedforYou will be available to the rest of Canada and people around the world in the near future.
“Giving Quebecers a Web-based logbook in which to track their health and a host of features that can inform and influence their lifestyle choices is a new way for the McGill University Health Centre to make a difference in people’s lives, stated the Hon. Arthur T. Porter, MUHC Director General and CEO. “Health education is naturally part of our dedication to “The Best Care for Life” and I am thrilled that MedforYou will extend the continuum of patient care we provide to Quebecers of all ages, from Montreal and Abitibi-Témiscamingue to Nunavik and other McGill RUIS regions.”
Since June 2008, the McGill University Health Centre has been working with the creative information-technology experts at Medical.MD on a state-of-the-art personal electronic health record. MedforYou 1.0 is the initial product. It will provide real-time, interactive support to subscribers who wish to monitor their health and/or that of their family, as well as make lifestyle choices, including nutrition and exercise, likely to have a positive effect on their well-being.
“Medical.MD is honoured to be associated with the MUHC in this vital health initiative,” highlighted Pierre Ducros, Chairman of the Advisory Board at Medical.MD. “The MUHC’s leadership and commitment to purposeful innovation fit perfectly with the acclaimed savoir-faire and goals of the MedforYou team.”
MedforYou’s designer is Medical.MD’s Chief Technology Officer, Philippe Panzini, whose international reputation for excellence covers a number of sectors including the film industry which recognized his software development talent with an Academy Award.
Unlike the electronic health records being developed by the Government of Quebec for the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ network or hospital medical records, MedforYou functions like an interactive Web site with a billboard-like welcome screen and easy-to-navigate menus, vocabulary prompts and features that should allow any individual, Web-savvy or not, to manage his or her personal electronic health record. Initial promotion begins with the beta test involving the first 300 subscribers to register at https://www.medforyou.com.
The MedforYou features to be reviewed include:
-Allergies dashboard
-Medications dashboard
-Conditions dashboard
-Immunizations dashboard
-Procedures dashboard
-Social habits history
-Family medical history
-Personal journal
-User demographics (partial)
-Visits and appointments
-Data validation
-Terminology engine
-Internationalization
-Providers dashboard
-Factor user authentication
“MedforYou is an essential complement to the electronic patient record being implemented in our hospitals today,” noted transplant surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Barkun, Director of General Surgery and Chief Clinical Officer of the Informatics Transition at the MUHC. “It will empower healthy Quebecers and patients with health and wellness tools. I believe people will find the scheduling function really helpful and having such a means to organize their basic personal health information will undoubtedly improve communication with healthcare professionals.”
Feedback on the beta site will be gathered between July and September 2009. During this time, additional features will be completed. MedforYou 1.0 will be available to the public as of October 2009 with enhancements planned for next year. Medical.MD has initiated discussions with TELUS Health Solutions to onboard MedforYou to its new consumer health platform: TELUS Health Space, Powered by Microsoft HealthVault.
About the MUHC The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. Its partner hospitals are the Montreal Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital. The goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the health care field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge. www.muhc.ca
About Medical.MD Medical.MD has developed the Personal Electronic Health Record (PEHR) under the name MedforYou. The company sees advances in computer science and wireless technology as the foundation for the introduction of a higher quality of health documentation that is both more useful and reliably secure. Building expertise in leading edge software will transform the promise of personal internet electronic health records into reality. Our goals are to enable users to more easily maintain their health, support users in correctly following their treatment, improve communications between patients and physicians, and facilitate the understanding of symptoms, illness, treatment and recovery.
About TELUS Health Solutions TELUS Health Solutions, backed by Emergis, represents a unique set of technology, expertise and resources to help transform how information is used in the healthcare industry. TELUS Health Solutions has years of expertise in successfully implementing healthcare applications and information communication technology processes through industry leading solutions and consulting services to customers in Canada and around the world. It is backed by more than 1,500 TELUS Health Solutions team members including healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit telushealth.com.
AS AN ASIDE: These are exciting times for Oacis – especially in Montreal! McGill/CHUM and TELUS Health have jointly won a Concours des OCTAS award for the Oacis Project for creativity, vitality and exceptional contribution to the growth of the industry. The award recognizes the implementation of a multilingual electronic medical record at McGill/CHUM: a first in North America.
Montreal, July 8, 2009—The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) announced today its strategic relationship with Quebec-wholly-owned Medical.MD to provide Quebecers with MedforYou, a personal electronic health record, launching simultaneously a call for 300 subscribers to evaluate the beta site. MedforYou will be available to the rest of Canada and people around the world in the near future.
“Giving Quebecers a Web-based logbook in which to track their health and a host of features that can inform and influence their lifestyle choices is a new way for the McGill University Health Centre to make a difference in people’s lives, stated the Hon. Arthur T. Porter, MUHC Director General and CEO. “Health education is naturally part of our dedication to “The Best Care for Life” and I am thrilled that MedforYou will extend the continuum of patient care we provide to Quebecers of all ages, from Montreal and Abitibi-Témiscamingue to Nunavik and other McGill RUIS regions.”
Since June 2008, the McGill University Health Centre has been working with the creative information-technology experts at Medical.MD on a state-of-the-art personal electronic health record. MedforYou 1.0 is the initial product. It will provide real-time, interactive support to subscribers who wish to monitor their health and/or that of their family, as well as make lifestyle choices, including nutrition and exercise, likely to have a positive effect on their well-being.
“Medical.MD is honoured to be associated with the MUHC in this vital health initiative,” highlighted Pierre Ducros, Chairman of the Advisory Board at Medical.MD. “The MUHC’s leadership and commitment to purposeful innovation fit perfectly with the acclaimed savoir-faire and goals of the MedforYou team.”
MedforYou’s designer is Medical.MD’s Chief Technology Officer, Philippe Panzini, whose international reputation for excellence covers a number of sectors including the film industry which recognized his software development talent with an Academy Award.
Unlike the electronic health records being developed by the Government of Quebec for the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ network or hospital medical records, MedforYou functions like an interactive Web site with a billboard-like welcome screen and easy-to-navigate menus, vocabulary prompts and features that should allow any individual, Web-savvy or not, to manage his or her personal electronic health record. Initial promotion begins with the beta test involving the first 300 subscribers to register at https://www.medforyou.com.
The MedforYou features to be reviewed include:
-Allergies dashboard
-Medications dashboard
-Conditions dashboard
-Immunizations dashboard
-Procedures dashboard
-Social habits history
-Family medical history
-Personal journal
-User demographics (partial)
-Visits and appointments
-Data validation
-Terminology engine
-Internationalization
-Providers dashboard
-Factor user authentication
“MedforYou is an essential complement to the electronic patient record being implemented in our hospitals today,” noted transplant surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Barkun, Director of General Surgery and Chief Clinical Officer of the Informatics Transition at the MUHC. “It will empower healthy Quebecers and patients with health and wellness tools. I believe people will find the scheduling function really helpful and having such a means to organize their basic personal health information will undoubtedly improve communication with healthcare professionals.”
Feedback on the beta site will be gathered between July and September 2009. During this time, additional features will be completed. MedforYou 1.0 will be available to the public as of October 2009 with enhancements planned for next year. Medical.MD has initiated discussions with TELUS Health Solutions to onboard MedforYou to its new consumer health platform: TELUS Health Space, Powered by Microsoft HealthVault.
About the MUHC The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. Its partner hospitals are the Montreal Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital. The goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the health care field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge. www.muhc.ca
About Medical.MD Medical.MD has developed the Personal Electronic Health Record (PEHR) under the name MedforYou. The company sees advances in computer science and wireless technology as the foundation for the introduction of a higher quality of health documentation that is both more useful and reliably secure. Building expertise in leading edge software will transform the promise of personal internet electronic health records into reality. Our goals are to enable users to more easily maintain their health, support users in correctly following their treatment, improve communications between patients and physicians, and facilitate the understanding of symptoms, illness, treatment and recovery.
About TELUS Health Solutions TELUS Health Solutions, backed by Emergis, represents a unique set of technology, expertise and resources to help transform how information is used in the healthcare industry. TELUS Health Solutions has years of expertise in successfully implementing healthcare applications and information communication technology processes through industry leading solutions and consulting services to customers in Canada and around the world. It is backed by more than 1,500 TELUS Health Solutions team members including healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit telushealth.com.
AS AN ASIDE: These are exciting times for Oacis – especially in Montreal! McGill/CHUM and TELUS Health have jointly won a Concours des OCTAS award for the Oacis Project for creativity, vitality and exceptional contribution to the growth of the industry. The award recognizes the implementation of a multilingual electronic medical record at McGill/CHUM: a first in North America.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Draximage of Montreal to supply medical isotope Iodine-131 (I-131) to treat thyroid cancer in Canada.
OTTAWA - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced today the approval of a new source of the medical isotope Iodine-131 (I-131) to treat thyroid cancer in Canada.
Health Canada has authorized Draximage of Montreal to supply I-131 from South Africa’s Safari reactor to Canadian health care facilities. This decision comes after the Department determined that I-131 produced by the SAFARI reactor is safe and effective for use by Canadian health care providers. Production of I-131 in Canada was interrupted by the unplanned shutdown of the Chalk River National Research Universal reactor (NRU) in May 2009.
"This is good news for thyroid cancer patients in Canada and their health care providers," said Minister Aglukkaq. "Our Government continues to find solutions to help address the current isotope shortage."
The Minister added that today’s approval means that Draximage will continue to supply all of Canada’s requirements for the I-131 isotopes. The company has advised that the transition to this new supply source will be seamless and immediate.
Since the shutdown of the Chalk River reactor, health care providers had been using Health Canada’s Special Access Programme to access I-131 for patients. Today’s approval of I-131 by Health Canada means that the isotope can be directly supplied to health care providers. Rapid approvals for alternate supplies of isotopes were a part of the regulatory tool kit put in place after the 2007 Chalk River shutdown.
Today’s announcement is just one more element of the ongoing work the Government of Canada is doing to minimize the impact of the medical isotope shortage on Canadians.
Other measures undertaken by Health Canada include:
-- Approving Australia as a new source for Technetium-99m for use by Canadian health care providers;
-- Appointing Dr. Alexander (Sandy) McEwan as Special Advisor on Medical Isotopes for the duration of the isotope shortage. He is providing on-the-ground updates on the situation and how it is affecting patients, advise how Health Canada can best support provinces, territories and the medical community on the use of alternatives and mitigation strategies, and support the Minister in communicating the impact of the current shortage;
-- Collaborating with the provinces and territories and medical experts to produce guidelines to assist health care professionals in a shortage situation. These include measures to make better use of available isotopes, prioritizing patients who most need testing, and shifting to viable alternatives where safe and effective to do so. These guidelines are based on work undertaken by the province of Ontario and draw on the medical expertise of the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes, as well as other health care providers;
-- Working closely with the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes, which is playing a key role in contingency planning and managing the shortage;
-- Facilitating communications between isotope suppliers, the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes and the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes both to track supply trends and to enable advance planning;
-- Reviewing regulatory requests for approvals of alternate isotopes on an urgent basis to provide health care providers with options as quickly as possible. This is part of Health Canada's ongoing work on the medical isotope shortage to ensure that Canadians continue to have access to the highest standards of care; and
-- Investing $6 million for research into alternatives to Technetium-99m.
Other areas of focus include discussions led by the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, with reactor operators abroad to ramp up production and her appointment of an Expert Review Panel and launching a process to solicit ideas for the alternative production of the key medical isotopes, Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m, over the medium and long term.
Health Canada has authorized Draximage of Montreal to supply I-131 from South Africa’s Safari reactor to Canadian health care facilities. This decision comes after the Department determined that I-131 produced by the SAFARI reactor is safe and effective for use by Canadian health care providers. Production of I-131 in Canada was interrupted by the unplanned shutdown of the Chalk River National Research Universal reactor (NRU) in May 2009.
"This is good news for thyroid cancer patients in Canada and their health care providers," said Minister Aglukkaq. "Our Government continues to find solutions to help address the current isotope shortage."
The Minister added that today’s approval means that Draximage will continue to supply all of Canada’s requirements for the I-131 isotopes. The company has advised that the transition to this new supply source will be seamless and immediate.
Since the shutdown of the Chalk River reactor, health care providers had been using Health Canada’s Special Access Programme to access I-131 for patients. Today’s approval of I-131 by Health Canada means that the isotope can be directly supplied to health care providers. Rapid approvals for alternate supplies of isotopes were a part of the regulatory tool kit put in place after the 2007 Chalk River shutdown.
Today’s announcement is just one more element of the ongoing work the Government of Canada is doing to minimize the impact of the medical isotope shortage on Canadians.
Other measures undertaken by Health Canada include:
-- Approving Australia as a new source for Technetium-99m for use by Canadian health care providers;
-- Appointing Dr. Alexander (Sandy) McEwan as Special Advisor on Medical Isotopes for the duration of the isotope shortage. He is providing on-the-ground updates on the situation and how it is affecting patients, advise how Health Canada can best support provinces, territories and the medical community on the use of alternatives and mitigation strategies, and support the Minister in communicating the impact of the current shortage;
-- Collaborating with the provinces and territories and medical experts to produce guidelines to assist health care professionals in a shortage situation. These include measures to make better use of available isotopes, prioritizing patients who most need testing, and shifting to viable alternatives where safe and effective to do so. These guidelines are based on work undertaken by the province of Ontario and draw on the medical expertise of the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes, as well as other health care providers;
-- Working closely with the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes, which is playing a key role in contingency planning and managing the shortage;
-- Facilitating communications between isotope suppliers, the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes and the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes both to track supply trends and to enable advance planning;
-- Reviewing regulatory requests for approvals of alternate isotopes on an urgent basis to provide health care providers with options as quickly as possible. This is part of Health Canada's ongoing work on the medical isotope shortage to ensure that Canadians continue to have access to the highest standards of care; and
-- Investing $6 million for research into alternatives to Technetium-99m.
Other areas of focus include discussions led by the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, with reactor operators abroad to ramp up production and her appointment of an Expert Review Panel and launching a process to solicit ideas for the alternative production of the key medical isotopes, Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m, over the medium and long term.
LHIN Collaborative (LHINC) Appoints Executive Director
Mario Tino has more than twenty years of experience in
Mario will succeed Barry Monaghan who has been acting as our interim leader on a part-time basis. Mario’s start date will be July 13th 2009 and we are all looking forward to him assuming his new role.
Later, we will be thanking Barry more fully for his contributions in the early stages of getting LHINC started and overseeing the initial support activities that LHINC has undertaken. He has recruited an excellent team to initiate the organization and the steering committee is very appreciative of his support.
As we look toward the first council meeting of LHINC in late August it is with anticipation of launching the next wave of collaborative efforts to continually build and improve the health system in
Alberta Health starts with $1Billion shortfall | June 2009
ALBERTA HEALTH UPDATE | JUNE 30, 2009
CBC interview with Stephen Duckett, Alberta Health CEO. He’s starting with a $1billion deficit and is expecting savings from consolidation and specifically consolidated HR & Procurement functions & systems. ALC is cited as one unnecessary cost to be resolved: Click here: http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/media/audio/mp3/2009-06-30-duckett.mp3
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Alberta Health Services Board approves 2009/10 budget
June 30, 2009. Calgary... The Board of Alberta Health Services today approved a 2009/10 budget aimed at ensuring access, quality and sustainability of health care services for Albertans within the context of escalating health costs.
The budget approval involves an increase of expenses of 13.2 per cent from $9,579m ($9.6 billion) in 2008/2009 to $10,847m ($10.9 billion) in 2009/2010 (which includes $200 million of internally funded capital) and an increase of revenues of 6.5 per cent from $9,166m ($9.2 billion) in 2008/2009 to $9,762m ($9.8 billion) in 2009/2010.
Alberta Health Services budget strategy is to begin bringing its revenue and expenses into line commencing with $250 million of net integration savings included in the $10,847m ($10.9 billion) identified for the 2009/2010 fiscal year, leading to annualized savings of at least $650 million in the 2010/2011 fiscal year.
The President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Stephen Duckett, is required to report back to the Board’s Audit and Finance Committee on a regular basis concerning progress against the 2009/2010 budget. Additionally, Dr. Duckett is to present, where applicable, opportunities to improve effectiveness and efficiencies consistent with the Board’s goals of accessibility, quality and sustainability in order to achieve further savings in 2010/2011 and beyond.
Subject to identifying any additional savings opportunities, Alberta Health Services, if necessary, will access its borrowing capacity to fund the gap between its revenue and expenses in 2009/10 of $1,085m ($1.1 billion). Prior to borrowing, the President and Chief Executive Officer will bring forward a debt reduction plan.
Alberta spends more than the national average on health care. The President and Chief Executive Officer is also required to present a report to the Board by December 2009 outlining the major reasons for Alberta’s higher per capita health care costs as compared to the per capita health care costs for the rest of Canada and strategies to reduce the difference.
“The six per cent funding increase allocated to Alberta Health Services this spring signaled that we must find greater efficiencies in the health care system and change the way we deliver services,” said Dr. Duckett. “Our current spending rate is nearly $30 million a day or $11 billion annually. We are committed to aligning our expenditures with global funding provided by government but in a way that does not adversely impact the delivery of front-line patient care and continues to ensure quality care and equitable access.”
A significant portion of the six per cent global funding increase provided by government is committed to labour agreements and inflation increases. An additional funding increase of 1.7 per cent or $122 million was allocated to AHS specifically for taking over responsibility for ground emergency medical services (for a total operating funding increase of 7.7 per cent).
“The challenges facing Alberta Health Services are clear,” said Alberta Health Services Board Chair, Ken Hughes. “We need to do a better job in collecting accurate and timely information to assess our system, all with a focus on improving patient care.”
Since the provincial government’s April 2009 budget announcement, AHS has maintained strict adherence to the Board approved interim expenditure plan limiting spending in the first three months fiscal year 2009/10 to the last three months of fiscal year 2008/09.
“For the past three months we have built a better understanding of the budget and our financial situation and have been developing savings and integration strategies with the goal of reducing the anticipated operating budget without negatively impacting the delivery of patient care,” said Dr. Duckett. “It’s premature to speculate on the specific nature of what types of changes need to occur, however, over the next few months I will be announcing a number of initiatives that will assist us in working toward meeting our financial targets.”
Examples of savings strategies include streamlining management, harnessing the benefits of integration, implementing province-wide procurement and supply management, as well as utilizing available resources efficiently to provide Albertan's with the health services they need in the most appropriate setting.
As the largest health care provider in Canada and largest single employer in Alberta, in its first year Alberta Health Services has managed the integration of its predecessor organizations (nine Regional Health Authorities, AADAC, Alberta Cancer Board and Alberta Mental Health Board) and established a strategic direction and organizational structure to set a strong foundation for the future.
Today the Board also approved the release of the financial statements and schedules of salaries and benefits for the predecessor organizations. Details are available on the ‘latest news’ link on the AHS website homepage at www.albertahealthservices.ca
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than 3.5 million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a quality, patient-focused health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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