The British Columbia PITO (Physician Information Technology Office) web site has just launched providing information about the PITO program, EMR funding, Connectivity and Physician engagement.

Electronic Medical Records - EMRs are one of seven essential elements of British Columbia’s long term vision for the integration of information and communications into the health care system as outlined in the province’s e-Health Strategic Framework of November 2005. The other six components are: the Interoperable Electronic Health Record (iEHR), the Provincial Laboratory Information Solution Project (PLIS), the eDrug Project (PharmaNet II), the Provincial Diagnostic Imaging Project (Connecting DI), the Public Health Information Project (PHIP), and Telehealth.

PITO is distinguished from the other e-Health initiatives in its focus on implementation of technology in physicians’ offices – a vital link in e-Health since that’s where most patient information is captured and most patient care is delivered. PITO is governed by a Steering Committee of three practicing physicians appointed by the BCMA and three representatives appointed by the provincial government, and acts on a consensus basis. It reports to the e-Health Steering Committee, which in turn reports to the BC Health Leadership Council, comprised of CEOs from BC health authorities and senior executives from the MOH. PITO in BC is preceded in Alberta and Ontario by the Physician Office System Project (POSP) and OntarioMD. Lessons learned by these two organizations have been shared and incorporated into the PITO program and processes. PITO is also working in collaboration with the BC Practice Support Program (PSP).

Click here to visit the PITO web site

Alan Brookstone
Canadian EMR Blog