e-Health -- they're back!

A bridge somewhere in Whitby, Ontario

I love walking around my neighborhood since it seems to help clearing my head.
Things were going great one morning -- until I heard/spotted the construction crews.
Strolling by, I realize they're digging up concrete on a newly-refurbished bridge that's barely had time to cure.
My curiosity gets the better of me, and after asking a few questions and learning this was not related to any emergency, yet another question pops into my head, namely:
why can't utility service providers and infrastructure maintenance personnel get together for some long-term planning?
Why do they have to line-up in anticipation of ripping and replacing each other's efforts?

If you're expecting a segue by now, you'd be bang on because this is exactly what's happening in the world of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs); you see health providers are busy creating islands of information that are not interconnected; when the software bridging functionality becomes available (and it will, driven either by consumer demand or budgetary restrictions), these newly installed software systems will have to be replaced by versions that speak the interoperability language -- at a huge cost to us all.

So, who do I think is to blame for this? Who do I think can fix this?
Well, it's hardly the software providers' fault since it's in their interest to get their products out the door in a timely manner -- their business models do not allow them to wait around for the industry to agree on compatibility.
As I've been advocating, this has to be in the purview of the LHINs -- they have the option of setting compatibility standards for their areas of responsibility, forcing software providers to comply if they wish to continue doing business with their various health providers.
If the LHINs get this right, other Provinces will follow and soon Canada could be a world leader in terms of EMR standards.

However, until someone sees the light, we'll just have to get accustomed to the noise of jackhammers continually tearing up the concrete in our health care infrastructure, I guess!

Hope you're continuing to enjoy the Fall weather -- just remember where you left the rake prior to answering that all important phone call!


Ernest A. James

President & CEO
Regal Informatics Inc.