Blog: Infoway Connects

Posted by Michael Green on February 4, 2020 

Follow @MGreenonHealth

Canadians want better access to health care and services and they are keen to go online, from their mobile phones or other devices, to view lab test results and other personal health information. They also want to use e-services that make health care more convenient, such as e-booking of appointments and virtual visits with their doctors. Canadians who have this kind of access feel more in control of their health and better able to manage their conditions.

Posted by Katie Bryski and Ellie Yu on January 27, 2020

How involved are you in making decisions and taking action to improve your health and wellness? How confident do you feel navigating the health system?

Posted by Tanya Achilles on January 20, 2020

Follow @achilles_tanya

Both here in Canada and south of the border people are grappling with the cascading effects that opioids are having on individuals, health systems, social services and more. Families and governments alike are seeking accountability for the crisis in which we’re living and ways to move forward to address this crisis.

Posted by Dr. Jason Wasserman on January 8, 2020

Follow @DrJWasserman  Follow @MyPathReport

Have you ever received a pathology report from your doctor and wondered what everything meant? Did you go home and Google the medical terms? Were you frustrated that you couldn’t find what you were looking for, or that everything seemed to be intended for Americans? Now there’s an easier, safer, more reliable way to learn about your diagnosis, and the information is written by Canadians for Canadians.

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Krista Balenko

Telehomecare is enabling more Canadians to receive care at home, transforming the patient experience and helping to improve their quality of life by avoiding hospital stays and trips to the emergency department. It has also saved a significant amount of money for health systems across the country.

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Dr. Rashaad Bhyat

The past several decades have seen tremendous advances in medical care. As a society, we often celebrate these results and applaud how innovation has improved our health and our lives overall. But what is often overlooked are the unintended — and often unnoticed — consequences of these advancements.

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Seema Nayani 

This blog post builds upon a conversation with pharmacist Abhay Patel during our PrescribeIT^® panel webinar on March 28, 2019.

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Ellie Yu

In our previous post, we discussed the expansion of Crisis Text Line powered by Kids Help Phone and the demographics of its users. Crisis Text Line powered by Kids Help Phone is available across Canada. In just one year, there have been more than 140,000 texting conversations with young people across the country and more than 10 active rescues and lives saved every day.

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Rashaad Bhyat and Katie Bryski

When it comes to health, little things can catch us by surprise.

During a recent chat, my colleague Katie related, “I was hiking last summer when I cut myself on dirty metal. Just a random accident, my hand hit a railing wrong.”

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Ellie Yu

Over the past few years, Infoway has been investing in the expansion of Kids Help Phone services to young people in Canada. Kids Help Phone is the only 24/7, national support service in Canada that offers professional counselling, information and referrals, and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people in both English and French. A young person who needs mental health support can reach Kids Help Phone by phone, text, mobile app or through a website, whenever they want, however they want.

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Krista Balenko

Canadians with mental health issues are struggling to navigate the health system and often don’t know where to begin, resulting in trips to hospital emergency departments or, sadly, doing nothing at all. There is also still a stigma associated with having a mental illness that makes it difficult for them to reach out for help.

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Mario Voltolina

Do you regularly fill out quizzes or subscribe to apps that track and collect details about your health or wellness habits? If so, you’ve likely clicked “agree” without actually reading what you are agreeing to — and you are not alone.

Posted on September 24 by Dr. Steven Reynolds

I’ve been a practising physician for 10 years and, as a clinician, I’ve always understood the importance of giving patients access to their health information. A recent experience helped me see things from the patient’s point of view, making me even more convinced that we have to break down the barriers that block access.

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Bobby Gheorghiu & Chad Leaver

In our previous post we highlighted a leading insight from the 2018 Canadian Physician Survey where 92 per cent of family physicians who use six to nine EMR functionalities stated that they ‘provide more efficient health care with electronic records.’ It has been a general assumption that physicians will integrate advanced EMR functionalities to support patient care as their years of experience using an EMR increases. Beyond just improving practice efficiencies, evidence has also highlighted clinician, patient and system value of using multiple EMR functionalities to support patient care, suggesting that advancing meaningful EMR use is a key catalyst to realizing value-based outcomes.

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Bobby Gheorghiu & Chad Leaver

Physicians are extremely busy. That’s why it’s important to identify solutions that can increase efficiency. One such solution is meaningful use of electronic medical records (EMR) — physicians that use more advanced functionalities in their EMR report greater efficiencies.

Posted on August 28 by Michael Green

Follow @MGreenonHealth

In conjunction with our Annual General Meeting with our Members, Canada’s Deputy Ministers of Health in July, Infoway launched our Annual Report. The title of this year’s report, A New Day in Health Care is Coming, reflects the rally cry of ACCESS 2022, a social movement intended to capture hearts and minds of the full range of people who can work together to change the health system. We are proud of the progress that we’ve collectively achieved to date and we are committed to continuing our efforts to implement digital innovation that will empower Canadians to better manage their health, provide clinicians with the solutions they need to better serve their patients and enlist industry and others to help build a modern 21^st century health system.  

Posted on August 6 by Dr. Martin Vogel

As a practicing physician it is imperative that my day-to-day effort is focused on providing the best patient care possible. Unfortunately, much of my time is spent on administrative duties.  The bulk of the paperwork on my desk each day is communication  with specialist physicians, pharmacists and other health care providers. Many of my patients are surprised to hear that in almost all cases it is only possible for me to communicate on patient matters with health care providers via fax or phone.

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Dr. Rashaad Bhyat

This blog post builds upon a conversation with Dr. Neil Naik during our PrescribeIT® panel webinar on March 28, 2019.

Eighty-five per cent of family physicians now use electronic medical records (EMRs). This has laid the groundwork for a further modernization of how Canadians interact with their primary care provider, including how medications are prescribed and managed.

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Dr. Neil Naik, Family Physician, Waterloo ON.

In our comprehensive health system, patients work with a myriad of health care professionals to meet their specific needs. Physicians, pharmacists, hospitals and personal support workers, to name a few, all contribute to a patient’s holistic care. Communicating with each other can be difficult — especially as many care providers continue to rely on outdated and unsecure methods of communication — mainly, the fax machine.