Evidence of meeting #33 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Dr. Vaughan, could you provide to the committee a detailed breakdown of all Canada Health Infoway tender contracts since 2016, including a description of the services rendered?
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Thank you.
You keep using the analogy of a highway. The highway has been built. The highway cost $300 million, but there's no traffic on the highway.
For you, personally, as a taxpayer, if your province spent $300 million on a highway that nobody wants to use, maybe because of where it goes, would you call that a successful use of $300 million?
Board Chair, Canada Health Infoway
The analogy can be overextended, but that $300 million is an enablement over 10 years. That money's been spent over 10 years, not—
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
The analogy serves well with this extension.
You seem like a nice person, but this idea is offensive to me: Doctors won't use this wonderful tool that we built unless we mandate or incentivize them, force or bribe them.
I'm a doctor. You're a doctor. We like to use technology to help our patients. If you make something and they don't want to use it, could it be that the thing is bad?
Board Chair, Canada Health Infoway
I would refer to the international experience. All of the OECD countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have gone through this same juncture—the adoption requirement of mandating or providing incentives. It's the same thing with electronic medical records, EMRs.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
They had $400 million or thereabouts, and they used it for incentives. We gave our $400 million to Canada Health Infoway. Now, they have 95% of their prescribers using e-prescription, and we have less than 5%.
The difference, perhaps, is that we have Canada Health Infoway, and they don't. That's why we haven't succeeded.
Board Chair, Canada Health Infoway
All of those countries have a digital health agency. All of them spent a similar amount of money at this juncture.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
They succeeded, though, and we did not.
Mr. El-Demerdash, is Telus Health providing this sort of service in any other countries?
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Thank you.
Dr. Vaughan, were there any recusals for conflict of interest at board meetings during your tenure?
Board Chair, Canada Health Infoway
I have to think about that. During my tenure—
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Would you please table it with the committee?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Please speak one person at a time.
I stopped the watch. I will let Dr. Vaughan finish.
Board Chair, Canada Health Infoway
During my tenure, I don't believe so. No, that's not true. I think there was one conversation with one member from Ontario who recused herself.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
If somebody recuses themselves for a conflict of interest, in that episode, do they stay in the room for the discussion and merely not vote, or do they leave the room?
Board Chair, Canada Health Infoway
As I recall, the individual left the room.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Mr. El-Demerdash, if Telus Health were to offer this service in another jurisdiction, how much would they charge?
President, Telus Health
That would depend on the requirements that would be set forth to us by the province or the jurisdiction, and what the program would entail.
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
Dr. Vaughan, according to Canada Health Infoway documents, $167 million was spent on operation and overhead costs for PrescribeIT, of which $108 million was for personnel costs. Why did an outsourced technical platform require $108 million in personnel costs?
Strategic Advisor, Canada Health Infoway
The money that we allocated to program operations included oversight for the work we did, risk management, insurance, legal costs, engagement, marketing for awareness—
Conservative
Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
Could the clerk confirm with you that she's kept track of everything they've offered to table and that these things will be tabled within two weeks?
Liberal