Federal audit shows progress being made on Electronic Health Records

A report released on November 4, 2009 by the Auditor General of Canda confirmed Canada Health Infoway has “accomplished much in the eight years since its creation.”  The Auditor General concluded that Infoway is making the best use of its funds for Electronic Health Record (EHR) projects, established appropriate governance mechanisms and management controls as well as a risk management strategy.

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Health care spending in Canada to exceed $180 billion this year

Health care spending in Canada is expected to reach $183.1 billion in 2009, an estimated increase of $9.5 billion, or 5.5%, since 2008, according to new figures released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). This represents a forecast increase of $241 per Canadian, bringing total health expenditure per capita to an estimated $5,452 this year. The figures are included in CIHI’s report, National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975 to 2009, Canada’s most comprehensive source of information tracking how dollars are spent on health care in this country. The combination of a slowdown in the economy and a continued increase in health care spending resulted in a jump in the proportion of health care expenditure from 10.8% of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008 to an estimated 11.9% in 2009.

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