Second PITO Application Period Now Closed
September 25, 2008
The second PITO application period (for enrolment between October 2008 and March 2009) has now closed. Applicants will be notified of their status on October 1st.
There was significant new interest in the Community of Practice program from across the province with 10 COP applications, including groups from all health authority areas (totalling almost 400 physicians). There were also over 200 new individual physicians applying for the regular lottery process.
The next application period is expected to open in February for the April to September intake period.
The online application form will be taken off line temporarily and will be available again in a few weeks for those who had EMRs prior to June 28, 2006 to continue signing up for the "Early Adopter" program.
Funding in each year is limited by the funds available through the 2006 Agreement (Physician Master Agreement). If applications exceed the funds available in any given enrollment period, the applications are selected as follows:
- Individual Practices (or small groups): 50% of spaces in each period are designated for regular applications from individual physician practices or small groups of practices. If applications exceed the funds available, those to receive support and funding will be selected through a blinded lottery process. Note, however, the PITO Policies state that physicians who have applied and not been selected in two successive "lotteries" will have first priority in the third lottery (e.g. April 1, 2009 for those who applied for the first lottery in February/March 2008).
- Communities of Practice (large groups): 50% of spaces in each period are designated for communities of practice, larger groups of physicians wishing to select and implement a common EMR to support their collective needs. Prioritization within that 50% will be based on the groups goals, the size of the group, and level of commitment. See the Communities of Practice page for more details. If not all groups applying as Communities of Practice can be funded in a given period, those not selected will be included in the regular lottery for individual practices.
- Early Adopters & Pre-Purchase (see definitions): Those already signed up for PITO through the Early Adopter Program or Pre-Purchase will be scheduled for upgrade to / implementation of a PITO-Qualified EMR according to the same processes as above; however, note that the PITO Policies state that physicians who have applied and not been selected in two successive "lotteries" will have first priority in the third lottery (e.g. April 1, 2009 for those who applied for the first lottery in February/March 2008). If this applies to you, you can start to work with your PITO Local Relationship Manager to ensure that you are ready to start quickly in April.
If applications exceed funding for any given enrollment period, those not chosen will be included in the application period for the subsequent enrollment and included in the prioritization process for that period - they do not need to reapply.
If you have any questions about how to apply, please contact the PITO office at: