Backgrounder: Canada Health Infoway — ACCESS Atlantic

July 10, 2018

The Government of Canada is committed to supporting provinces and territories in their work to modernize health service delivery, strengthen access, increase efficiencies and improve outcomes for patients across Canada. In 2017, the Government announced $300 million over five years for Canada Health Infoway to expand e-prescribing and virtual care, support the continued adoption and use of electronic medical records, help patients access their own health records, and to better link electronic health record systems.

Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, announced that Infoway will invest up to $70 million in federal funds to implement ACCESS Atlantic, an initiative to create a digital health ecosystem that will improve access to health services and transform the way health care is delivered in Atlantic Canada.

Background

The importance of the health sector in strengthening economic growth has been a priority for the Atlantic Growth Strategy. As governments continue to modernize their health systems, national and regional collaboration on priorities like digital services can build economies of scale, foster economic growth and improve care through more integrated and connected health care delivery systems.

ACCESS Atlantic is a collaboration between New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Infoway, an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by Health Canada. For this initiative, Infoway will invest up to $70 million to deploy and scale technological solutions in health care delivery in Atlantic Canada by leveraging the talent and innovation that currently exists throughout the region.

ACCESS Atlantic will support patient-centred care by modernizing the infrastructure used to manage information and empowering patients with access to their own health information. It will also implement electronic prescribing services, where prescriptions are sent directly from a doctor’s office to the patient’s pharmacy. This e-prescribing service, known as PrescribeIT^TM, reduces errors when filling prescriptions and promotes safety by reducing fraud and preventing abuse.