e-Health -- still hoping for progress

Winter wonderland, Whitby, ON

Trying to walk around the block in my community following a snowstorm on February 7th, 2013, I toyed with the idea of calling the mayor's office to assess whether there were any plans to escalate/outsource the cleanup-process to outside "forces".
I was somewhat calmed by the realization however that this (and any future storms) were potentially Winter's last gasp(s), and better days are ahead.

Speaking of potential last gasps brings me to the state of our politics here in Ontario; our newly-minted Premier Wynne has decided to take on the gargantuan task of holding her party together, despite demands from the NDP for back rubs, or the fact that the Tories are salivating for an election.

So, where does all this leave the average Ontario resident, healthcare-wise?
Well, some days I feel like the Mars Rover -- out there all alone, with everyone fussing about how important I am!
The media's constantly bombarding us with articles explaining how our health budget is being cut by the billions and nurses are being let go from the various healthcare institutions as if they've got the plague or some other communicable disease.
However, this is all being done in the name of great patient-care! Huh?

Fortunately, there is and always will be, hope; you see, we have the power to minimize our use of these institutions to the point where we can just sit back and observe the fighting; there's a proviso, however:
 we must have control over our health information, since we cannot properly manage that which we have no data for.

Seems like a Government-funded/patient-controlled EMR system is nowhere on the horizon despite all the rhetoric, so, notwithstanding the fact I'm not a healthcare professional, I feel competent enough to suggest you grow your own in the meantime by:

• recording some baseline data about your health in a spreadsheet (bp, weight, lab results etc. -- your last physical may be a good resource)
• adding to this data on a regular basis
• charting the above -- a picture is worth...
• regularly validating the data with your healthcare provider -- she'll probably love you for this -- an educated patient and all that...
• making your mental/physical health your top priority in terms of diet, exercise, sleep, social activities etc. -- no one loves you like you do

Therefore when this healthcare situation blows up (and it will, since the size of these cuts are unsustainable), there'll be no need to panic -- you'll already be aware of your family's status and be able to ride out the storm.

Until next time, just remember to take numerous breaks whilst clearing the snow!

Ernest A. James

President and CEO
Regal Informatics Inc.