Electronic Lab and Image Results Reporting
Private laboratories and over 40 public laboratories across B.C. are currently able to deliver electronic lab results and pathology reports directly to the physicians’ electronic medical records.
All the PITO-qualified vendors install and support interfaces that enable standardized electronic delivery of test results.
Benefits:
- Efficiency: electronic reporting increases the volume of tests reported to physicians’ EMRs;
- Time-saving: electronic results are automatically attached to the patient’s health record; without an electronic lab interface, faxed results have to be either entered manually or scanned into the EMR;
- Accuracy: the information is recorded digitally at the source thus preventing human error;
- No costs involved for medical practices;
- Secured, encrypted system.
BC’s regional health authorities and private companies offer different IT solutions, as follows:
- Fraser Health Authority
- Interior Health Authority
- Northern Health Authority
- Provincial Health Services Authority
- Vancouver Coastal Health
- Vancouver Island Health Authority
- Excelleris Technologies
- Medinet
- Medical Practice Access to PharmaNet
Health service areas – Fraser North: Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows; Fraser South: White Rock, Surrey, Delta, Langley; Fraser East: Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Hope, Agassiz.
Visit website: http://www.fraserhealth.ca
Currently, common electronic clinical applications include:
- primarily laboratory
- pharmacy and radiology information systems
Lab results are currently available through Excelleris
Health service areas – Thompson Cariboo Shuswap, Okanagan, East Kootenay, Kootenay Boundary
Visit website: http://www.interiorhealth.ca
Custom interfaces have been developed directly between the Health Authority laboratory systems and individual physicians’ EMRs in IHA.
Interior Health does not charge physicians for interfaces.
Configuration is required by the vendor.
The following types of results are being delivered:
- Chemistry
- Haematology
- Microbiology
- Blood bank
- Pathology
- Health record reports
- Radiology (Diagnostic Imaging)
Health service areas – the Northeast: Chetwynd, Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe, Hudson’s Hope, Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, Tumbler Ridge; the Northern Interior: Burns Lake, Fort St. James, Fraser Lake, Granisle, Mackenzie, McBride, Prince George, Quesnel, Valemount, Vanderhoof; the Northwest: Atlin, Dease Lake, Houston, Hazelton; Masset, Kitimat, Port Clements, Prince Rupert, Smithers, Stewart, Terrace, the Village of Queen Charlotte.
Visit website: http://www.northernhealth.ca
The Clinical Information Exchange (CIX) service exchanges patient information between the NHA testing facilities and physicians’ offices. The service utilizes Northern Health’s Cerner Millennium clinical information system and physicians’ Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems to deliver results, consults and reports electronically.
For more information about the CIX benefits, the qualified EMRs and results available and the application form, please go to www.northernhealth.ca/cix
Specialized health care services
Visit website: http://www.phsa.ca
Currently, the PHSA operates a comprehensive suite of laboratory systems. Sunquest Laboratory provides the main information system for the clinical pathology and microbiology laboratories.
The PHSA shares diagnostic images to and from regional cancer centres and facilities at other health authorities.
Over the next few years, the PHSA will deliver the components of integrated diagnostic imaging, laboratory and pharmacy solutions across all patient care sites.
Lab results are currently available through Medinet
Health service areas – Vancouver, Richmond, the North Shore and Coast Garibaldi, Sea-to-Sky, Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola
Visit website: http://www.vch.ca
Since 2004, VCH's primary e-Health initiative is CareConnect Electronic Health Record.
It provides caregivers at VCH with access to patient information from different clinical environments and external sources of information, including private laboratory results via Excelleris and provincial medication profiles via PharmaNet.
The VCH’s Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) project, an electronic information management system, shares patient data with other radiology information systems and hospital information systems and is currently being implemented in Richmond, Lions Gate and Sea to Sky.
In the summer of 2009, the Ministry of Health Services approved funding to proceed with the PACS system in Powell River and on the Sunshine Coast.
PACS removes the need to print diagnostic images on film for viewing, allows for the immediate transmission of diagnostic scans over a secure network to physicians in multiple locations, and provides flexibility for radiologists and physicians to manipulate images.
Lab results are currently available through Excelleris
Health service areas – Vancouver Island, the islands of the Georgia Strait, the mainland communities between Powell River and Rivers Inlet.
Visit website: http://www.viha.ca
Common data available in the EMR VIHA patients include:
- laboratory and diagnostic imaging results
- medication profiles
- emergency department information
Images from VIHA's Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) project, provided through multiple vendor solutions, can be viewed in departments outside radiology.
Private software and services health information management company
Visit website: http://www.excelleris.com
Currently, Excelleris’ applications are used by over 5,500 BC physicians and provide healthcare professionals with immediate access to patient information.
Excelleris delivers results in standardized (HL7) data format for BC Biomedical, Life Labs, Valley Medical Labs, and hospital labs.
All the PITO-qualified EMRs are interfaced with Excelleris.
Excelleris provides a secure web browser access to Pharmanet through the MPAP program.
Public laboratories connected to Excelleris:
- Chemainus Health Care Centre
- Chilliwack General
- Cormorant Island Health Centre
- Cowichan District Hospital
- Delta Hospital
- District General Hospital
- Fraser Canyon
- G.R. Baker
- Gold River health Centre
- Lady Minto
- Ladysmith Community Health Centre
- Langley Memorial
- Mission Memorial
- Mount St. Joseph's
- MSA
- Nanaimo General Hospital
- Peach Arch
- Port Alice Health Centre
- Port Hardy Hopital
- Port McNeil District Hospital
- Richmond Hospital
- Royal Jubilee
- Saanich Peninsula
- St. Mary's Hospital
- St. Paul's Hospital
- Surrey Memorial
- Tofino General Hospital
- UBC Hospital
- Vancouver General
- Victoria General
- West Coast General Hospital
Private company that provides a variety of electronic health services
Visit website: http://www.medinet.ca
Medinet is a private company that delivers text-based reports for BC Cancer Agency, BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital, BC Centre for Disease Control and hospital labs. Other electronic health services include secure access to Pharmanet.
Electronic result delivery is free to all medical practices, hospitals, health units and laboratories. Costs are covered by sending laboratories as a service to their clients.
Not all the PITO-qualified EMRs are interfaced with Medinet.
Medinet provides a secure web browser access to Pharmanet through the MPAP program.
Public laboratories connected to Medinet:
- BC Cancer Agency - Tumor Marker Lab
- BC Centre for Disease Control
- BC Children's & Women's Hospital
- Burnaby General Hospital
- Eagle Ridge Hospital
- Lion's Gate Hospital
- Mount St. Joseph's
- Richmond Hospital
- Ridge Meadows Hospital
- Royal Columbian Hospital
- St. Paul's Hospital
- UBC Hospital
- Vancouver General
New eHealth initiative that allows authorized medical practitioners to request and receive up-to-date records of medications prescribed to a patient.
Visit website: http://www.health.gov.bc.ca
Each physician needs to register for MPAP individually.
For information on how to access this service, visit the Data Access Services page