A History of the Provincial EMR Program
EMRs have been part of the health landscape in Canada since the late 1990s. EMR solutions have significantly changed in this timeframe from simple practice management systems to feature rich applications integrated into the digital health ecosystem.
To harness the benefits of EMRs offer the New Brunswick Provincial EMR Program was established in 2012, with the New Brunswick Medical Society (NBMS) representing New Brunswick physicians in its delivery. Velante was formed as a subsidiary of NBMS to deliver the Program, with oversight from the New Brunswick Department of Health. In its initial form, the Provincial EMR Program supported a single-vendor model for all physicians. Through a formal procurement process, the vendor selected was Intrahealth and the EMR product was Profile.
Under Velante, the Provincial EMR Program rolled out several key integrations between Intrahealth Profile and the provincial EHR (EHR Clinical Viewer, Client Registry and Electronic Laboratory Results), and implemented the Family Medicine New Brunswick Program. The Provincial EMR Program initially achieved significant adoption across the province. However, an operational review of the program was conducted in 2018 due to plateauing adoption rates.
The
operational review consisted of extensive consultation with all stakeholders
and a jurisdictional scan. Physicians
emphasized the importance of having EMR choice to accommodate diverse practice
styles and access innovation within the EMR market. As a result, the decision
was made to open the New Brunswick EMR market effective January 1, 2021.
This transition represented a natural evolution of the program and mirrored the trend observed across the country. Similar open market models exist in other Canadian jurisdictions and have achieved upwards of 85% EMR adoption and significant clinical integration with multiple qualified EMR vendors.