| We Americans have chosen to leave 47 million of our citizens . . . . . .WITHOUT HEALTH COVERAGE. |  | Spotlight Universal Healthcare Message to Americans from Canadian Doctors & Healthcare Experts Canadian Doctors for Medicare hosted a celebration of Medicare in Canada. The speakers included Roy Romanow, former Saskatchewan Premier and Commissioner on Health Care in Canada; Steven Lewis, a trusted health policy advisor to Premiers and Ministers; Linda Silas, the head of Canada's nurses unions and several physicians. They tell Americans that Canadian universal healthcare works and encourage Americans to implement a single payer universal healthcare systems. So here it is: Universal Health Care Message to Americans From Canadian Doctors & Health Care Experts. |
Friday, September 4, 2009
We Americans have chosen to leave 47 million of our citizens . . . . . .WITHOUT HEALTH COVERAGE.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Final Issue of Nursing BC
A sign of the times
This issue marks the end of Nursing BC. I have had the privilege of editing this publication for 24 of the 41 years it has been in existence, first as RNABC News and then as Nursing BC.
Throughout those years, I have also had the privilege of talking to hundreds of nurses from all parts of the province and beyond – some who wanted to submit articles to the magazine, others who had an issue about something we published, and many who wanted to connect with a nurse who was featured in one of our stories. Overall, it’s been a great ride.
The reasons for ceasing publication of Nursing BC are not motivated by economics, as some believe. Rather, they have more to do with communicating more effectively with you about the regulatory issues that affect your practice as a nurse in B.C. If you have been a long-time reader of Nursing BC, you likely noticed that the content of the publication has changed significantly in recent years. There have been fewer articles about nurses and their practice and more emphasis on Standards of Practice, registration requirements, legislative changes that impact nursing practice and other regulatory matters. This has been necessitated in order to meet the requirements of the provincial legislation that created CRNBC as a regulatory college. Unlike the former RNABC, CRNBC is not an association.
In June, most of you received our first e-mail newsletter. Some of you thought it was informative and useful; others said they would never read it and preferred to read the printed version of Nursing BC. Those of you for whom CRNBC does not have an e-mail address may not have seen this newsletter unless you opened it from the CRNBC website.
The e-mail newsletter is now one of CRNBC’s official methods of notifying you of important regulatory information. It will be e-mailed to you 6-8 times a year. If you do not have an e-mail address or choose not to provide one to CRNBC, you can still find the information on the CRNBC website. CRNBC is currently redesigning its website to make it more user friendly and useful to you. We will let you know when the redesigned website is ready.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the nurses who submitted letters and articles to Nursing BC over the years (sorry we weren’t able to publish all the articles) as well as to CRNBC staff members who vetted and wrote articles for the magazine. Finally, thanks to all the nurses and employers who let us tell their stories.
Bruce Wells
Editor
READ CRNBC’S NEW E-NEWSLETTER ONLINE
Have you read our new e-mail newsletter? If not, you can find it on our website at www.crnbc.ca It’s one of our official methods of notifying you about important regulatory information that impacts your nursing practice.
Do we have your current e-mail address?
To receive the e-newsletter, we need your current e-mail address. You can update your e-mail address by going to the Contact Us section of the CRNBC website www.crnbc.ca and clicking Change Your Address.
If you do not have an e-mail address, please refer to the CRNBC website regularly for registration information and other information that may impact your nursing practice.
This issue marks the end of Nursing BC. I have had the privilege of editing this publication for 24 of the 41 years it has been in existence, first as RNABC News and then as Nursing BC.
Throughout those years, I have also had the privilege of talking to hundreds of nurses from all parts of the province and beyond – some who wanted to submit articles to the magazine, others who had an issue about something we published, and many who wanted to connect with a nurse who was featured in one of our stories. Overall, it’s been a great ride.
The reasons for ceasing publication of Nursing BC are not motivated by economics, as some believe. Rather, they have more to do with communicating more effectively with you about the regulatory issues that affect your practice as a nurse in B.C. If you have been a long-time reader of Nursing BC, you likely noticed that the content of the publication has changed significantly in recent years. There have been fewer articles about nurses and their practice and more emphasis on Standards of Practice, registration requirements, legislative changes that impact nursing practice and other regulatory matters. This has been necessitated in order to meet the requirements of the provincial legislation that created CRNBC as a regulatory college. Unlike the former RNABC, CRNBC is not an association.
In June, most of you received our first e-mail newsletter. Some of you thought it was informative and useful; others said they would never read it and preferred to read the printed version of Nursing BC. Those of you for whom CRNBC does not have an e-mail address may not have seen this newsletter unless you opened it from the CRNBC website.
The e-mail newsletter is now one of CRNBC’s official methods of notifying you of important regulatory information. It will be e-mailed to you 6-8 times a year. If you do not have an e-mail address or choose not to provide one to CRNBC, you can still find the information on the CRNBC website. CRNBC is currently redesigning its website to make it more user friendly and useful to you. We will let you know when the redesigned website is ready.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the nurses who submitted letters and articles to Nursing BC over the years (sorry we weren’t able to publish all the articles) as well as to CRNBC staff members who vetted and wrote articles for the magazine. Finally, thanks to all the nurses and employers who let us tell their stories.
Bruce Wells
Editor
READ CRNBC’S NEW E-NEWSLETTER ONLINE
Have you read our new e-mail newsletter? If not, you can find it on our website at www.crnbc.ca It’s one of our official methods of notifying you about important regulatory information that impacts your nursing practice.
Do we have your current e-mail address?
To receive the e-newsletter, we need your current e-mail address. You can update your e-mail address by going to the Contact Us section of the CRNBC website www.crnbc.ca and clicking Change Your Address.
If you do not have an e-mail address, please refer to the CRNBC website regularly for registration information and other information that may impact your nursing practice.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Universal Healthcare Message to Americans from Canadian Doctors & Healthcare Experts
Spotlight
Universal Healthcare Message to Americans from Canadian Doctors & Healthcare Experts. go to: http://www.longwoods.com
Canadian Doctors for Medicare hosted a celebration of Medicare in Canada. The speakers included Roy Romanow, former Saskatchewan Premier and Commissioner on Health Care in Canada; Steven Lewis, a trusted health policy advisor to Premiers and Ministers; Linda Silas, the head of Canada's nurses unions and several physicians. They tell Americans that Canadian universal healthcare works and encourage Americans to implement a single payer universal healthcare systems.
Universal Healthcare Message to Americans from Canadian Doctors & Healthcare Experts. go to: http://www.longwoods.com
Canadian Doctors for Medicare hosted a celebration of Medicare in Canada. The speakers included Roy Romanow, former Saskatchewan Premier and Commissioner on Health Care in Canada; Steven Lewis, a trusted health policy advisor to Premiers and Ministers; Linda Silas, the head of Canada's nurses unions and several physicians. They tell Americans that Canadian universal healthcare works and encourage Americans to implement a single payer universal healthcare systems.
Monday, August 24, 2009
5 Myths About Health Care Around the World
From the Washington Post:
By T.R. Reid | Sunday, August 23, 2009
As Americans search for the cure to what ails our health-care system, we've overlooked an invaluable source of ideas and solutions: the rest of the world. All the other industrialized democracies have faced problems like ours, yet they've found ways to cover everybody -- and still spend far less than we do.
I've traveled the world from Oslo to Osaka to see how other developed democracies provide health care. Instead of dismissing these models as "socialist," we could adapt their solutions to fix our problems. To do that, we first have to dispel a few myths about health care abroad:
1. It's all socialized medicine out there.
Not so. ….
2. Overseas, care is rationed through limited choices or long lines.
Generally, no.
3. Foreign health-care systems are inefficient, bloated bureaucracies.
Much less so than here.
4. Cost controls stifle innovation.
False.
5. Health insurance has to be cruel.
Not really.
This fragmentation is another reason that we spend more than anybody else and still leave millions without coverage. All the other developed countries have settled on one model for health-care delivery and finance; we've blended them all into a costly, confusing bureaucratic mess.
Which, in turn, punctures the most persistent myth of all: that America has "the finest health care" in the world. We don't. In terms of results, almost all advanced countries have better national health statistics than the United States does. In terms of finance, we force 700,000 Americans into bankruptcy each year because of medical bills. In France, the number of medical bankruptcies is zero. Britain: zero. Japan: zero. Germany: zero.
Given our remarkable medical assets -- the best-educated doctors and nurses, the most advanced hospitals, world-class research -- the United States could be, and should be, the best in the world. To get there, though, we have to be willing to learn some lessons about health-care administration from the other industrialized democracies.
T.R. Reid, a former Washington Post reporter, is the author of "The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care," to be published Monday.
To read the whole column click below (or click the title).
By T.R. Reid | Sunday, August 23, 2009
As Americans search for the cure to what ails our health-care system, we've overlooked an invaluable source of ideas and solutions: the rest of the world. All the other industrialized democracies have faced problems like ours, yet they've found ways to cover everybody -- and still spend far less than we do.
I've traveled the world from Oslo to Osaka to see how other developed democracies provide health care. Instead of dismissing these models as "socialist," we could adapt their solutions to fix our problems. To do that, we first have to dispel a few myths about health care abroad:
1. It's all socialized medicine out there.
Not so. ….
2. Overseas, care is rationed through limited choices or long lines.
Generally, no.
3. Foreign health-care systems are inefficient, bloated bureaucracies.
Much less so than here.
4. Cost controls stifle innovation.
False.
5. Health insurance has to be cruel.
Not really.
This fragmentation is another reason that we spend more than anybody else and still leave millions without coverage. All the other developed countries have settled on one model for health-care delivery and finance; we've blended them all into a costly, confusing bureaucratic mess.
Which, in turn, punctures the most persistent myth of all: that America has "the finest health care" in the world. We don't. In terms of results, almost all advanced countries have better national health statistics than the United States does. In terms of finance, we force 700,000 Americans into bankruptcy each year because of medical bills. In France, the number of medical bankruptcies is zero. Britain: zero. Japan: zero. Germany: zero.
Given our remarkable medical assets -- the best-educated doctors and nurses, the most advanced hospitals, world-class research -- the United States could be, and should be, the best in the world. To get there, though, we have to be willing to learn some lessons about health-care administration from the other industrialized democracies.
T.R. Reid, a former Washington Post reporter, is the author of "The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care," to be published Monday.
To read the whole column click below (or click the title).
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Canadian government will soon place an order for 50.4 million doses of the influenza A (H1N1) vaccine.
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.
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.
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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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.
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