Electronic health-record system launched

Manitoba's new electronic health-record system has been launched and the government is promising it will lead to better, more accurate care.

The system, known as eChart, allows doctors to immediately access a patient's medical history, including drug prescriptions and lab test results, at the click of a button.

"This is the culmination of a great deal of work, including the development of a number of systems to feed patient information into eChart, and it is very exciting to see it all come together," Health Minister Theresa Oswald stated in a news release.

"As more sites become linked to eChart, it will be possible for a person's key health information to travel with them to different health providers across the province."

Oswald said the system will be in use at 30 hospitals and clinics across the province by July, and will expand to other facilities and private practices in the future.

Patients will be allowed to dictate what kind of personal information is shared in the system and obtain a record of who has accessed their information.

"It's critical that health-care providers have the information they need but just as critical that people's personal information is protected," Oswald said.

The system is part of a $150-million electronic upgrade to the medical record system first announced in 2007, but Oswald said the price tag may rise.

More information is available on theeChart website.