White Paper: Investing in health IT: a stimulus for a healthier Canada.

Information technology (IT) is widely acknowledged to be a critical component of improving healthcare in Canada. Across the country a great deal of work has already been accomplished in this area, and Canadians have repeatedly proven themselves to be global leaders in the health IT field: from pioneering initiatives, such as the Ontario Telemedicine Network and Prince Edward Island’s Drug Information System (DIS) to the national-level investment agency Canada Health Infoway, which has, among other goals, set as an “infostructure” priority the availability of a baseline electronic health record (EHR) for all Canadians by 2012 (Canada Health Infoway 2008). One of the fundamental principles of health IT – in Canada and much of the industrialized world – is the creation of a totally connected, patient-centred healthcare system. In this article, I put forward a vision of what such an ecosystem might comprise, and I explain how technology can bring it about by encouraging better outcomes and innovation, linking patient data and empowering individuals to be stewards of their own health. I then outline ways in which the public and private sectors can work together to create an efficient, data-driven system – one that benefits patients, healthcare providers and the overall Canadian economy. I conclude by illuminating some of Microsoft’s investments in health IT.