Good morning. Thank you for the invitation to present to the committee. This is a first for me personally, and it's a privilege to be here today.
I am the chief information officer leading Manitoba eHealth, the provincial organization tasked with implementing a variety of information and communication technologies, which we call ICT, in health care. Such technologies are transforming how we work and how we live in every province and territory and in every sector, and health care is no different. I would like to take some time today to talk to you about their potential, some challenges on their implementation, and our experience in Manitoba.
Technology, like electronic records and telehealth—which is also known as telemedicine in some provinces and which is a specialized medical video conferencing service—has the potential to dramatically transform health care. We're already seeing the real impact of some of these changes. Health care is becoming increasingly advanced, with more and more research leading to new treatments, new information about old treatments, and more information to ensure treatments are used more effectively. E-health technology can support our health professionals in having the most up-to-date information as they deliver care to their patients, while improving patient flow and reducing wait times.
Health care is also becoming a challenge to sustain financially, especially with the current uncertainty in the global economy. E-health technology is playing a key role in helping provinces find efficiencies and reduce the rate at which health care spending is increasing, by better coordinating care, by reducing medical errors, and by eliminating unnecessary duplicate testing.
We all know that health care in Canada is complex. There are a variety of different organizations funding and delivering health care through different processes, standards, and policies. Implementing consistent technologies such as these in this environment is extremely challenging, as it often requires organizations to update their practices and harmonize other aspects of their operations. While this is a good thing and essential for quality, it remains that there is a natural resistance to change, and it is an important challenge to ensure that this does not cause disruption to patient care along the way. These factors mean that procuring, designing, adapting, and implementing e-health technology in a busy health care environment is expensive. It takes leadership at both the provincial and federal levels of government to ensure that e-health investments continue so that we can reach the full potential of this technology.
Here are a few words on the experience in Manitoba. Earlier this year the Manitoba government unveiled a plan to protect universal health care, called “Focused on What Matters Most”. The plan has three pillars—healthier Manitobans, better health services, and better value—to help meet the expectations of families across the province, keep up with advancements in medicine, and sustain this cherished public program in the face of global economic uncertainty. E-health technology and electronic records play a central role in the government's plan to achieve all of this.
I would like to advise you that Manitoba is a leader in e-health and in telehealth. Given our geography challenges with rural, remote, and isolated communities, this is not optional—we have to be good at it. This was not always the case. Not long ago, Manitoba was at or near the bottom of the list of Canadian jurisdictions in terms of health ICT spending. So how did we change this? The answer starts in 2006, when the Manitoba government created Manitoba eHealth and increased its commitment in funding to this important aspect of health care.
Manitoba eHealth is the single delivery vehicle for all e-health projects within Manitoba, whether these are within regional health authorities or within Manitoba Health. Manitoba eHealth is also housed within the province's largest regional health authority, which ensures proper oversight, minimizes overhead and administrative costs, and keeps us aligned with the needs of caregivers, health professionals, and government, and it keeps us accountable.
Manitoba eHealth spearheads a number of projects in hospitals, family doctor clinics, labs, diagnostic imaging facilities, and so on. Today there are 62 active ICT projects under way. Since Manitoba eHealth was established in 2006, over $270 million has been invested in health ICT projects across our province. I'd like to share some examples of these projects and their profound impact in Manitoba.
Today all of our diagnostic imaging services in hospitals and other public facilities are fully digital, with a province-wide network that spans 58 sites. In fact, on the very day the system went live in Churchill, a fly-in northern port community on Hudson Bay, I received a phone call from an excited CEO who reported to me that an unexpectedly quick turnaround on a chest X-ray had averted the evacuation by air of a patient in the emergency room. This was only possible because of this digital diagnostic imaging network, which allowed a specialist in Winnipeg to quickly review and provide feedback to the health staff in Churchill. Before this technology had been implemented, it would have meant sending a hard copy to Winnipeg, with a minimum of a two-day turnaround.
Telehealth is also having a tremendous impact on rural health care. With 125 sites today, families in rural Manitoba can visit their local health centre and connect with specialists in larger urban centres over sophisticated networks. This saves families time and money, as they no longer have to travel to larger centres for appointments. We estimate that every year, over one million kilometres of patient travel were eliminated, saving families $2.6 million per year in their own out-of-pocket expenses. Telehealth also saves the health system money by allowing staff to avoid over another $1 million per year in travel costs.
Electronic medical records are now dramatically improving patient care. Aside from computerizing patient records, EMRs allow doctors to better monitor their patients' care and allow them to view recent prescriptions, lab results, and other information. Just a few years ago, in Manitoba, only about 15% of family doctors had an electronic medical record; today, almost 70% of all doctors have an EMR in place or on order. This is a rapid change that has the potential to deliver better coordinated patient care and to improve the quality of services that we deliver.
In our flagship hospital, St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, we implemented an electronic patient record and were able to measure the avoidance of 8,600 medication errors during just their first year of operation, with a 45% reduction in reported medication incidents. But this would not be possible if we were by ourselves—the support of the federal government and Canada Health Infoway have been critical.
I cannot stress this enough: Canada Health Infoway and the financial support through the federal government have been absolutely critical to our progress. In 2006, as today, Infoway remains an important enabler for Manitoba, with $67 million of investments made or committed to our province in 24 different projects. Through Infoway, we are assured that our program is consistent with and will eventually be interoperable with those of other jurisdictions. We owe nothing less to all Canadians, and Manitoba is doing its part in this regard.
For example, several years ago, Canada Health Infoway set a bold target that 50% of the population would be served by an electronic record by 2010. Manitoba has delivered on its commitment and has met the Canada Health Infoway goal. In fact, in 2010, Manitoba went live with eChart Manitoba, which is our version of the EHR, a service that has delivered 100% of all Manitobans towards this goal. EChart is now deployed in 78 locations across all of Manitoba, and utilization of this important resource is accelerating. EChart Manitoba provides health care providers everywhere, in the city as well as in the north and in first nations communities, with a record on drugs dispensed, some lab and imaging results, and immunization records.
Infoway, and the federal government's support, have been essential to moving electronic records forward across Canada and helping us achieve the potential we know they all hold. While this work doesn't always get big headlines in the news, it is making a significant difference for patients in Manitoba and across our nation. It is making care more accessible, better coordinated, and safer, and it will continue to play a key role in transforming health care into a more sustainable system over the long term as well.
Before I conclude, I want to note that the requirements of e-health are much more than the current Infoway mandate provided by the Government of Canada. It also includes automation within hospitals, home care, community health, mental health, long-term care facilities, other diagnostic areas, and so on. We have accomplished a lot, but there is much more to do. We ask for your support to help us continue this important work and get the job done. We need the continued help and support of Canada Health Infoway and the federal government. We need your help and support.
Thank you. I am pleased to answer any of your questions.
Je suis heureux de repondre à vos questions en français.