mspei member update - jan 2013
DESCRIPTION
Medical Society of PEITRANSCRIPT
JANUARY 2014
“Collaborate on determining a governance structure
to reflect a ‘physician-driven’ project”
Provincial Integrated EMR Gets Green LightWe are one large step closer to my dream of seeing an integrated Electronic Medical Record (EMR) on PEI, with the connectivity in place to fulfill our vision of a “one patient one record” Electronic Health Record (EHR).
Dr. Dave Bannon, Heather Mullen and I gave our most passionate pitch to Treasury Board on December 18th, outlining our vision and the need for an EMR as an indispensible tool in the practise of modern medicine. We received official word on January 13th that funds will be allocated for an EMR solution, with matching funds from Canada Health Infoway to ensure high level of integration. Treasury Board insisted that we as Med Society play a key role in selecting the best EMR, thus ensuring high uptake by doctors in the rollout.
Using our EMR position statement from the Primary Health Care Summit and the
needs analysis work by our EMR Team, we will now push forward to select the very best EMR vendor, ensure integration with existing systems (CIS, DIS, Claims Processing, PACS), and physician to physician communication. Your Medical Society is well represented on the overseeing governance and working groups, safeguarding physician’s needs will be met.
In 1989 as I went paperless, I assured my staff that in a “few years,” surely all data would enter our office electronically and data entry would be passé. It’s 2014 and that dream is finally closer to reality, well behind every other industry that I can think of. Please cheer us on to champion this project and start to make plans to switch to electronic records.
Hendrik Visser, M.D.Team LeadMSPEI Team EMR
We need input from more members to guide our strategy in achieving the vision statement that was reached at the December 13th Primary Healthcare Summit. When we’ve received your input, it will inform our discussions about renewal of our master agreement and how we organize ourselves to ensure government’s commitment of 1 Islander, 1 Physician is met.
It is important that the Society reach a critical mass of survey respondents so we can populate working groups to deliver on the action items that were agreed to at the Summit.
An EMR for the province was identified at the Summit as a vital component to
improving access and optimal health outcomes. Referenced by the Deputy Minister, Michael Mayne, in his recently circulated correspondence to you, an EMR will become a reality. This successful outcome occurred as a direct result of a physician led MSPEI working group. This is what can happen when physicians with commitment and passion engage.
It is only with the support of the membership that continued success can be achieved. If you have not done so already, PLEASE take just a few minutes to complete the online survey http://mspei.org/summit
We the family physicians of PEI are
committed to ensuring every Islander has a family physician
with appropriate and timely access to care
through optimized collaborative primary
healthcare teams Endorsed by the participants at the December 13,
2013 Primary Healthcare Summit
Last Call.
Hank VisserFamily PhysicianCrapuad PEI
MemberupdateTO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP AND REPRESENTATION FOR PHYSICIANS,
AND TO PROMOTE HIGH STANDARDS OF HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE
FOR ALL ISLANDERSMSPEI MISSION STATEMENT
What the public needs to know
Another question about health care in PEI has been taken to the court of public opinion. This paper’s editorial board added to the discussion in a recent piece about vascular surgery on the Island. This was followed by two editorials which appeared like the prosecution and defense arguing their cases. How can the public judge which approach is in their best interest?
As MSPEI President, a surgeon and taxpayer, I want our system to continually ask the broader question of what services are appropriate to provide to a small population and what needs to be referred to off Island centers.
The Medical Society advocates for our physician members and their patients to ensure access to high quality health care. To deliver that care government has to sustain a system with the greatest value for patients with declining dollars. This means that as we decide to invest in a service we will have to reduce another to pay for it.
Your physician and health care leaders constantly wrestle with these issues as we engage in efforts to shape a sustainable and quality health system for Islanders.
Since we have a small population of approximately 140,000, cost is not the only important issue. Health system thinkers have to recognize that there is a critical relationship between
volume and the ability to provide a quality outcome. Decades of research about the relationship between volume and outcome have produced results that are scientifically credible and compelling:
For complex procedures, hospitals that do higher volumes produce on average better outcomes for patients than those that do low volume. This extends b e y o n d s u r g i c a l p r o c e d u r e s . H o s p i t a l s that treat a low number of certain procedures related to medical and emergency conditions compared to higher volume centers have on average longer lengths of stay, more complications and poorer outcomes. Emergency departments that see low volumes of critical conditions cannot replicate the quality of care you would receive at higher volume emergency departments. As residents of a province with a small population, we need to understand that in many medical services, bigger is indeed better.
Therefore, we must accurately and objectively measure what the volume is given our population and whether this volume is sufficient to support the service based on evidenced based professional standards. The statements in recent commentaries make it appear that there is significant difference of opinion on this subject with respect to vascular services.
The government through Health PEI has invested heavily to build a structure to ensure we make the best possible decisions based on the best possible evidence.
The Physician Resource Planning Committee and the Provincial Medical Advisory Committee, constituted largely by physicians, have made a recommendation
that is based on evidence collected and tested which they believe to be in the best interests of Islanders. We should respect it.
MSPEI supports that evidence should inform our decisions, rather than opinion. We should work to ensure we know the
difference.
I believe it is the time to start engaging the public in a constructive conversation about issues like the relationship between volume and outcome and how it impacts our system design, educating the public on evidence based care, and building our capacity to present facts not impressions.
Determining which services to support resides in finding a proper balance between needs, capacity, cost and quality. As a surgeon, I want to provide the widest range of services for the convenience of my patients. As a professional, I am committed to ensuring that I don’t compromise quality outcomes. Working together we need to find that balance.
David Bannon, MDPresident, Medical Society of PEI
Submitted to The Guardian newspaper, published
on January 25, 2014
MSPEI supports
that evidence
should inform our
decisions, rather
than opinion. We
should work to
ensure we know
the difference. ”
“
2 Mytle Street, Stratford, PE
C1B 2W2
www. mspei.org
@MSPEI_Docs
@MSPEI_Pres
Lea Bryden
Executive Director
902-368-7303 ext 207
Kathy Maher
Director of Communications
902-368-7303 ext 205
Marlene Guignion
Chief Financial Officer
902-368-7303 ext 204
Heather Mullen
Professional
Development Officer &
Medical Student Liaison
902-368-7303 ext 206
MSPEI TEAM