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Quebec will soon begin the digital overhaul of the province’s health records, starting in Montreal and the Mauricie region.
Premier Christine Fréchette made the announcement in a video posted to social media Monday morning, warning that the launch, set for May 9, may be “complex.”
“Yes, there may be bugs. But, let me tell you, reliving a second SAAQclic is out of the question,” she said in the video, referring to the botched digital transition by Quebec’s automobile insurance board.
In that context, she said she’s asked for transparency and frequent follow-ups from Santé Québec so the public can stay informed as the rollout moves along.
Fréchette said the new program will improve patient care and reduce paperwork for staffers. The Dossier Santé Numérique (DSN) project aims to consolidate patients’ health information, such as notes from professionals, test results, medication, and care plans, under one file on a single platform.
The province’s plan has led to concerns around the safety of patient data and issues of digital sovereignty, given the company slated to implement the system, Epic Systems, is American.
Speaking with Radio-Canada, Health Minister Sonia Bélanger said she’s comfortable moving forward with the project because she received certain guarantees around staff preparation, training and information safety.
“Epic does not have a monopoly over the data,” she said. “So if the U.S. government asks to get access to information regarding [patients], they’ll have to go through the Quebec government. That’s a guarantee we’ve received.”
The data will be stored in servers in Montreal and in Toronto as a backup, she said. The system Quebec is trying to implement has already been deployed in Ontario and Alberta for several years, added Bélanger.
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Fréchette said she understands there is some concern, but points out that the system needs to modernize and move away from using paper faxes, for example.
Health authorities in both regions have had to reduce services ahead of the project’s launch. In Montreal, non-urgent services were reduced by 25 per cent last week and will be reduced by another 25 per cent starting Monday for a week.
“There will be no risk to people who are in situations of emergency,” said Bélanger.
“What’s for sure is that all the establishments in Quebec’s health and social services network will have to go digital within a timeframe of two to three years, so we’re working on that with Santé Québec.”