Nova Scotia signs $365-million, 10-year contract for digital medical record system
More than eight years after announcing the program, the Nova Scotia government has a signed a $365-million, 10-year deal with a health technology company to digitize patients' medical records, Health Minister Michelle Thompson said Wednesday.
The "One Person One Record" system will start rolling out in two years at hospitals and other health centres across Nova Scotia -- which is among the last provinces still using paper medical records.
"For years, doctors and nurses and allied health-care professionals have been telling government that the current models for collecting, recording and sharing information are robbing them of valuable time they could be spending with their patients," Thompson told reporters.
When fully implemented, the system will replace or connect more than 80 existing medical record systems, allowing thousands of health-care workers access to real-time patient data.
Thompson, who worked as a registered nurse prior to the 2021 election, said she considers the digital system to be an "absolutely essential piece of infrastructure."
The existing systems, the minister said, are outdated, slow and don't allow information to be easily transferred between them. The province said that on average, health-care workers must access at least five systems to get a clear idea of a patient's health information.
"I've worked with previous systems that we're talking about, they are dated and difficult to manage."
Thompson said the digital record system is expected to reduce surgery wait times, cut down on duplicate medical testing and improve emergency care. It will also allow paramedics travelling to an emergency to view a patient's medical records.
Talks of digitizing medical records in Nova Scotia began about two decades ago. The project was first announced in 2014 when Liberal premier Stephen McNeil was in power, and a year later the government issued a tender for the development of the One Person One Record system. Following years of consultations and preparatory work -- at a cost of roughly $13 million -- the province signed the 10-year contract with Oracle Cerner for the project's design, build and maintenance.
The system will require a gradual rollout, Dr. Christy Bussey, medical executive director of Nova Scotia's central health zone, told reporters Wednesday. She said its implementation will prioritize digital support in hospitals.
"The importance of OPOR (One Person One Record) right now is that our systems in acute care are failing," Bussey said.
This means that doctors and nurse practitioners in family practices or in private walk-in clinics will have access to medical records through the system within 10 months -- but won't be able to input data into the program yet.
The province says it plans to begin rolling out the system in hospitals within two years, and have it available across the province's hospital network within 42 months. Bussey said that ideally every health-care practitioner across Nova Scotia will eventually be fully linked to this system.
Dr. Stephen Lownie, a neurosurgeon with Halifax's QEII Health Sciences Infirmary, said he's thrilled by the province's embrace of digital medical records, which he considers "the biggest thing since the introduction of MRI in 1989."
Lownie, who grew up in Nova Scotia, worked for many years in an Ontario hospital equipped with a similar digital medical record system also operated by Cerner -- the firm was acquired by Oracle in June 2022. Lownie said that when he returned to his home province to practise medicine, "it felt like going back in time."
"I had to use several different apps on the hospital network to look at X-rays, to look at (lab work). There were delays; I was held up in my work. It was stressful," he said following the announcement Wednesday.
"This is going to be great for the people of Nova Scotia," Lownie said.
Brian Sandager, a senior vice-president with Cerner, said Wednesday that Nova Scotia's digital health model will be based on a framework developed by Cerner's existing systems in other provinces. He said that including Nova Scotia, Cerner's systems are deployed in health networks in all provinces except Manitoba.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2023.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.