“Pan-Canadian health information standards are a critical building block to establishing an interoperable electronic health record system to benefit all Canadians,” said Dennis Giokas, Chief Technology Officer, Canada Health Infoway (Infoway). “The Standards Collaborative Guide & Standards Catalogue is an information reference tool for understanding the fundamentals of standards and their function in day-to-day health care interactions.”

The Standards Collaborative Guide & Standards Catalogue is a key reference source that provides a listing of the pan-Canadian health information standards, their status and business functions. The guide also highlights the benefits for the EHR, including integrating health informatics systems in large health service delivery settings and in health regions. It also defines the standards approval process and outlines Infoway Standards Collaborative services.

Access a copy of Infoway’s Standards Collaborative Guide & Standards Catalogue by visiting the Resource Centre at www.infoway-inforoute.ca. For more information, or for a hard copy of the publication, contact the Infoway Standards Collaborative InfoDesk toll-free at 1-877-595-3417 or email standards@infoway-inforoute.ca.

Launched in 2006, the Infoway Standards Collaborative is a Canada-wide coordination function created to support and sustain health information standards in Canada. As one of Infoway’s target investment areas, more than 20 standards projects have been completed or are underway, with a total investment in standards development to date of $33 million. In addition, Infoway has dedicated another $20 million to date for the support and maintenance of the standards for Canada. The investment includes support for standards life cycle-based services to vendors, service delivery organizations and jurisdictions, and for liaising with International Standards Development Organizations.

Canada Health Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. Infoway jointly invests with every province and territory to accelerate the development and adoption of electronic health record projects in Canada. Fully respecting patient confidentiality, these secure systems will provide clinicians and patients with the information they need to better support safe care decisions and manage their own health. Accessing this vital information quickly will help foster a more modern and sustainable health care system for all Canadians.