Improving patients’ safety and access to their health information

June 6, 2024 | Ottawa, Ontario | Health Canada

Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, introduced Bill C-72 the Connected Care for Canadians Act. This Act is about enabling Canadians to securely access their own health data, which will empower patient’s decision-making and improve the care they receive from health providers in Canada. This Act outlines Canada’s plan to enable a modern, connected care system, in which health information can be securely accessed by patients and shared between providers, when needed.

Enabling timely and secure access to personal health information is critical to saving lives and improving health care for Canadians. Every Canadian – and their health care providers – should be able to access their health information simply, securely, and digitally. Yet today, less than 40% of Canadians report accessing some of their health information electronically and only 35% of physicians share patient information outside their practice.

Delayed access to personal health information causes harm to patients – it can result in unnecessary or duplicative tests, longer wait times and hospital stays, and medication errors. When health providers and patients have access to health information, there are decreased re-admission rates, increased accuracy of diagnosis, increased quality of care, and fewer deaths. Connectivity will ease the burden on patients, families, and caregivers who must often recall and repeat their medical history. It also reduces stress on health care providers who are having to make decisions without access to all of the patient’s information.

Canadians should feel safe knowing that their medical records are secure and protected, for their own use, and for the use of their health care providers. The legislation would require all IT companies providing digital health services in Canada to adopt common standards and allow for protected and secure information exchange across various systems.

Federal, provincial, and territorial governments are working together through the implementation of a Pan-Canadian Interoperability Roadmap that sets the path forward to connected care through common interoperability and data standards. The legislation aims to accelerate adoption of these standards and enable secure information sharing across platforms, but would only apply in provinces and territories that do not have similar legislation in place.

The Government of Canada remains committed to collaborating with its provincial and territorial partners in the development of the regulation to ensure the protection and secure sharing of Canadians’ own health data and to improve patient outcomes, while ensuring existing strict privacy legislation is respected.