Can digital technology save Canadian health care?

On Thursday, February 15, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. EST, join us for a discussion amongst PPF members, on the state of digital health data in Canada and the proposed solutions to free the flow of life-saving data. We’ll be joined by David O’Toole, President and CEO, Canadian Institute for Health Information, David MacNaughton, President and CEO of Palantir, and Dr. Sabrina Wong, Faculty, Centre for Health Services and Policy Research Professor, UBC School of Nursing. The discussion will be moderated by Terri Lohnes, Founder, Tekama Advisory.

PPF’s latest report, titled Unlocking Health Care: How to free the flow of life-saving health data in Canada calls for a “giant leap forward” that includes interoperability between health care systems and a renewed emphasis on the use of data to promote wellness. “Electronic records are the cornerstone of any credible human-centred health system. Yet, incredibly, they are neither standard nor standardized across Canada,” the report says. Without good data, “referrals become cumbersome, diagnoses slow and unsafe treatments all too common.”

In a world where the fax machine is used on a regular basis, it’s time for an urgent modernization of the health care system. The recommendations are clear and work around data and digital healthcare in Canada is decades-long, the question is how we move forward to implementing practical solutions that empower Canadians with their health data and save lives.