Both primary and specialty care physicians are seeing the benefits of the Community Information Integration/Central Patient Attachment Registry initiative. There are currently 143 family doctors and 65 specialists who are involved and the number is growing.
Dr. Steve Tilley, Cardiologist with the Healthy Heart Institute had these comments about his experience:
“Having the ability to make Consults available in Netcare has been invaluable. Prior to CII participation, when patients waiting on bypass surgery or aortic valve replacement landed in the emergency department, doctors had no way to see reports from community care providers. The Community Encounter Digest report has provided ER doctors with awareness of diagnosis and treatments plans already in place for this vulnerable population. Having information in one central repository is essential to continuity of care outcomes on a broader scale. It will no doubt save lives and cost.”
Dr. Tilley also receives referrals and says the effect on continuity is significant.
“Lots of patients don’t have family doctors, and access healthcare services at walk in clinics. When these patients are referred by a doctor providing episodic care, there may not be continuity for ongoing treatment. This is made worse when the records of care are not accessible in Alberta Netcare. Having information in one central repository is essential to continuity of care outcomes on a broader scale. It is heart breaking when problems are caused by lack of adequate information sharing. I’m delighted to see CII addressing the gap.”
Data from over 52,300 unique patients has been shared and uploaded into Alberta Netcare and that number is growing. Learn more about CII/CPAR.
