Regional
Shared Health Information Program Celebrates
Milestone
(11/22/2006)
The Regional Shared
Health Information Program (RSHIP) continues to make
health care history. The system is now serving a
geographic area (92% of Alberta) larger than any
other shared health information program of its kind
in Canada, and it is generating two million
Enterprise Medical Records.
An Enterprise
Medical Record is an important feature of the RSHIP
system, as it serves as a pivotal piece in the
establishment of the provincial electronic health
record. The Enterprise Medical Record is a record of
an individual's key health information gathered from
different health professionals over time and contains
patient identification information; lab test results;
diagnostic imaging reports and images; and lists of
allergies, diagnoses, and prescribed drugs.
To
help mark this monumental accomplishment, a ribbon-cutting
ceremony was held on September 25, 2006 at the Red Deer
Regional Hospital Centre Auditorium. Attendees
included Tom Seaman, RSHIP Board Chair and President
and Chief Executive Officer Palliser Health Region;
Mary Anne Jablonski, Member of the Legislative
Assembly, (MLA) Province of Alberta, Red Deer North;
Iris Evans, Minister of Health, Province of Alberta;
Victor Doerksen, Member of the Legislative Assembly,
(MLA) Province of Alberta, Red Deer South; Pat Ryan,
Executive Director, RSHIP; Bryan Judd, RSHIP Vice
Chair and Vice President and Chief Operating Officer,
Corporate Services, David Thompson Health Region.

The idea for RSHIP
began a few years ago when Alberta Health and
Wellness was encouraging regional health authorities
to find ways to collaborate. Electronic health
records had been mandated by Canada's first Ministers,
and a number of health regions needed to replace
outdated health information systems. "The ground-breaking
efforts of RSHIP are impressive to say the least,"
states Alan Goldstein, MEDITECH director of marketing
Canada. "This project will be used as a
blueprint for additional provinces."

Seven non-metro
health regions can now exchange up-to-date patient
information through RSHIP, helping to further develop
Alberta Netcare, the provincial electronic health
record.
For more information
on the history of RSHIP project, please see Phase One Goes Live in Alberta.
MEDITECH
Medical
Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com