Canada’s National e-Prescribing Service Launching Soon

Over the past several months, Canada Health Infoway (Infoway), an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government, has reached agreements with six provinces representing 61 per cent of the Canadian population including Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. PrescribeIT™ is ready to launch in various communities in Ontario in the coming weeks, joined by Alberta in the fall.

“Canadians can trust PrescribeIT™ to protect their personal health information from being sold or used for marketing or other commercial purposes,” noted Michael Green, President and CEO, Infoway. “Importantly, Canada’s doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and pharmacists can also be assured that PrescribeIT™ won’t inappropriately influence their prescribing or dispensing decisions.”

PrescribeIT™ is also working with 16 different community pharmacy companies, with local, regional and national reach, representing more than 2,600 stores in six provinces. Electronic medical record vendors and pharmacy management systems vendors have also been secured. Discussions with additional provinces and territories, pharmacies and technology providers are ongoing.

Over and above other electronic transmission services, PrescribeIT™ is changing the face of healthcare in Canada by:

• Ensuring true patient choice of pharmacy for electronic prescriptions;
• Safeguarding patient health data from commercial use;
• Maintaining an influence-free prescribing and dispensing environment;
• Continuing to be accountable to Canadians through their federal, provincial and territorial governments; and
• Unifying patient health information.

About PrescribeIT™

Canada Health Infoway is working with Health Canada, the provinces and territories, industry stakeholders to develop, operate and maintain the national e-prescribing service known as PrescribeIT™. PrescribeIT™ will serve all Canadians, pharmacies and prescribers and provide safer and more effective medication management by enabling prescribers to transmit a prescription electronically between a prescriber’s electronic medical record (EMR) to the pharmacy management system (PMS) of a patient’s pharmacy of choice.

About Canada Health Infoway

Infoway helps to improve the health of Canadians by working with partners to accelerate the development, adoption and effective use of digital health across Canada. Through our investments, we help deliver better quality and access to care and more efficient delivery of health services for patients and clinicians. Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government.

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