J A N U A RY
2014
Member update
T O P R O V I D E L E A D E R S H I P A N D R E P R E S E N TAT I O N F O R P H Y S I C I A N S , A N D T O P R O M O T E H I G H S TA N D A R D S O F H E A LT H A N D H E A LT H C A R E FOR ALL ISLANDERS M S P E I M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T
“Collaborate on determining a governance structure to reflect a ‘physician-driven’ project”
Provincial Integrated EMR Gets Green Light We 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
Hank Visser Family Physician Crapuad PEI
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 Lead MSPEI Team EMR
Last Call. 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.
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 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.
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
An EMR for the province was identified at the Summit as a vital component to
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
What the public needs to know Submitted to The Guardian newspaper, published on January 25, 2014
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:
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 For complex procedures, hospitals Medical Advisory Committee, that do higher volumes produce constituted largely by physicians, on average better outcomes for have made a recommendation patients than that is based on evidence those that do MSPEI supports collected and tested which low volume. that evidence they believe to be in the This extends should inform our best interests of Islanders. b e y o n d decisions, rather We should respect it. s u r g i c a l than opinion. We MSPEI supports that procedures. H o s p i t a l s should work to evidence should inform that treat a ensure we know our decisions, rather than low number the difference. opinion. We should work of certain to ensure we know the procedures related to medical and difference. emergency conditions compared to higher volume centers have I believe it is the time to on average longer lengths of start engaging the public in a stay, more complications and constructive conversation about poorer outcomes. Emergency issues like the relationship departments that see low between volume and outcome volumes of critical conditions and how it impacts our system cannot replicate the quality of design, educating the public on care you would receive at higher evidence based care, and building volume emergency departments. our capacity to present facts not As residents of a province with impressions. a small population, we need to understand that in many medical Determining which services to services, bigger is indeed better. support resides in finding a proper balance between needs, capacity, Therefore, we must accurately cost and quality. As a surgeon, I and objectively measure want to provide the widest range what the volume is given our of services for the convenience population and whether this of my patients. As a professional, volume is sufficient to support I am committed to ensuring the service based on evidenced that I don’t compromise quality based professional standards. outcomes. Working together we The statements in recent need to find that balance. commentaries make it appear that there is significant difference David Bannon, MD of opinion on this subject with President, Medical Society of PEI respect to vascular services.
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MSPEI TEAM Lea Bryden Executive Director lea@mspei.org 902-368-7303 ext 207
Kathy Maher Director of Communications kathy@mspei.org 902-368-7303 ext 205
Marlene Guignion Chief Financial Officer marlene@mspei.org 902-368-7303 ext 204
Heather Mullen Professional Development Officer & Medical Student Liaison heather@mspei.org 902-368-7303 ext 206
2 Mytle Street, Stratford, PE C1B 2W2 www. mspei.org @MSPEI_Docs @MSPEI_Pres