e-Health -- let my people go!

For me, nothing drives home the message that cooler weather's on the way better than the various pumpkin displays at the local stores, or streets lined with yard waste collection bags.
Nature's about to begin it's annual rejuvenation thing and as you know, this is no easy process, by any means.
Various life forms intuitively cope by eating an inordinate amount of food, then hibernating in Winter to save energy.
The whole thing then culminates with a burst of energy and revitalization in Spring.

The above kinda dovetails nicely with an idea that's been floating around in my head regarding the path eHealth Ontario (eHO) should follow -- let me set the scene:

• I recently attended a CHWP information session regarding their version of a PHR, amongst other things
• I also read regular updates on the cGTA project (see page 20 of the CELHIN document)
• eHO is apparently in the same line of development work

All of the above pertain to implementation plans for a long-time wish of mine, namely, connecting healthcare providers to facilitate the free-flow of patient information, and also allowing us to view our own records on-line.

My understanding of the CHWP and cGTA projects is that they're being run (at least from an application standpoint) by private companies.
What I would really like to see is the proverbial 3-horse race, i.e., one that includes eHO, free of Provincial Government encumbrances.

I know of a number of highly skilled employees who would just love to strut their stuff without one hand being tied.

So in that regard, my recommendation for the Provincial powers that be is this: cut 'em loose!
Let eHO use its extensive knowledge/expertise of/in the industry to compete privately with CHWP and cGTA to build the best backbone infrastructure possible for a Province-wide EMR system.
Sure, there may be some falling of leaves followed by dark days of winter-like conditions within the organization, but Spring will come and I can almost guarantee it'll be a net win for all involved and ultimately for our healthcare system.

I hope you've begun your routine to keep healthy over the coming months -- the weather pundits are predicting a tough winter; now, where did I toss that travel brochure...


Ernest A. James

President and CEO
Regal Informatics Inc.