IBM and Alberta Sign $10 Million Contract to Deploy Electronic Health Records

MARKHAM, ON - 21 Jun 2006: A new electronic health records system to provide patient information to Alberta physicians and other healthcare workers and facilities will reduce medical errors and adverse drug reactions and improve the quality and speed of service.

Over the course of the two-year, $10 million contract with the Alberta government, IBM will help manage the roll-out of the system and recruit, enroll and train users such as physicians, pharmacists and other healthcare providers in health region facilities, offices and pharmacies across the province. IBM will also operate a toll-free user helpline.

When fully deployed, the system will give authorized health care professionals across the province a secure, single login to patient information. More than 17,000 are already registered.

The government of Alberta is working toward a goal of every resident having an electronic health record by 2008. The record will include information from a variety of sources on patient demographics, prescriptions, allergies and lab and diagnostic imaging results, and will enable faster access to data and more coordinated patient care.

A key component of the system is Alberta’s Pharmaceutical Information Network, developed by IBM, which provides authorized healthcare professionals with secure access to a patient’s prescription history. IBM recently enhanced its speed and scalability.

For more on IBM Healthcare, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/healthcare

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Leslie Plant

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IBM Canada

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