September 20, 2005 Source: University of Waterloo:
http://newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca/news.php?id=4589 Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics launches seminar series on e-health strategies WATERLOO, Ont. -- The Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Research (WIHIR) announces today the 2005-2006 Smarter Health Seminar Series: "e-Health Strategies: Local to Global." The seminar series, held at the University of Waterloo, will examine the Canadian and Ontario e-health strategies in detail. Massive federal and provincial investments are being made in systems with the goals of realizing a pervasive Electronic Health Record (EHR) and better managing healthcare. Experts from agencies and projects involved in developing and implementing these strategies will articulate what they are about. "Across Canada new strategies aimed at delivering better healthcare are being developed," said Shirley Fenton, Managing Director of WIHIR. "Yet often little is known about these strategies and the question remains if these initiatives will transform our health system as promised." The first seminar of the series will focus on one of Ontario's top priorities, reducing wait times for key health services. Sarah Kramer, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Cancer Care Ontario, and Lead, Ontario Wait List Information Strategy, will speak on implementing Ontario's wait-time information system. Kramer's talk is entitled: "Standing on a Burning Platform: Implementing a Province Wide Wait-time Information System." The seminar will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. in Davis Centre, Room 1302, on the UW campus. "Addressing wait times for critical health services is a major concern for many Canadians," said UW Prof. Dominic Covvey, WIHIR's Founding Director. "This seminar will give us an understanding of the issues and challenges in developing a province level e-Health system which is intended to address a major healthcare problem." Upcoming seminars will look at London's shared digital imaging project, Canada Health Infoway's e-health strategy and its relevance to Ontario, Ontario's hospital performance reporting system, the Ontario laboratories information system project and new strategies for e-healthcare in the home. Steve Huesing, Editor of Healthcare Information Management and Communications Canada magazine, said: "These presentations will give us an opportunity to both understand and to critically evaluate progress in realizing the promise of information and communications technologies in the health system." This is the fifth year for the well-regarded series, which is aimed at professionals in industry, government and healthcare organizations involved with health. All are invited to attend these free seminars at UW, or to view the live presentations broadcast via the web. For more information and to register, visit link Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Research The Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Research (link) is a university-wide, trans-disciplinary institute delivering value to the health system through information, information management, and information and communication technologies research. Contact: Shirley Fenton, Managing Director, WIHIR, (519) 888-4074; hi at uwaterloo.ca John Morris, UW Media Relations, (519) 888-4435; jmorris at uwaterloo.ca Release no. 206 -- September 20, 2005
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