ITAC Health represents ITAC members’ interests in the healthcare sector.

Nothing defines Canada like our treasured healthcare system. It is a tremendous source of national pride. Yet it is expensive. A 2008 study from CIHI predicts Canada’s healthcare spending will outpace inflation in 2009, reaching $171.9 billion, or $5,170 per person. This represents a $10.3-billion increase over estimated expenditures for 2008, or a growth of 6.4 per cent. It will put health expenditures at 10.7 per cent of the gross domestic product, a rate that has been steadily rising from 10 per cent in 2002.

However today, Canadian healthcare organizations spend less than 2% of their operating budget on ICT each year. Through the implementation of provincial and other EHR initiatives such as those funded by Canada Health Infoway, this is expected to grow by 0.5% in the coming year. However it still falls well short of the benchmark 4% that many developed nations are at, or are moving towards.

In the words of Mazankowski "We must move healthcare from a 19th century cottage industry to a 21st century service industry." ITAC Health believes that the Canadian Healthcare Information and Communications Technology industry can and should - even, must - play a responsible, responsive, cooperative and leading role in this transition.

A brief history…

The concept of ITAC Health, formerly known as CHITTA, was developed in late 2001 by a dedicated group of CEOs and senior executives of leading Canadian companies providing products and services to the Canadian healthcare community. Their firms represented a broad spectrum of ICT services to an equally broad spectrum of Canada′s healthcare delivery system and its supporting infrastructure. Health Canada was also represented in this founding group.

In 2005 CHITTA and ITAC merged in order to create a unified Healthcare ICT industry association and in that a stronger single voice for the members they served. On November 19, 2008 in Toronto, at the 4th Annual Canadian Health Informatics Awards Gala, ITAC Health was officially launched as the final step in the merger process.

ITAC Health Today

ITAC Health’s primary role is to advocate for appropriate levels of ICT spending in healthcare. Through influencing strategies supported by solid evidence of the benefits of ICT, we demonstrate the value and hence support the case for increased investment.

Supporting this core agenda, we help build the human capacity in the industry in order to meet the demands of healthcare organizations as they adopt more and more ICTs.

Our standing committees also work on activities such as:

• The development of national standards for healthcare ICT products
• Consultations with and presentations by government and health authority decision makers
• International trade missions
• Networking events
• Trade shows

Isn’t it time you joined?

ITAC Health, Canada’s only Health ICT Vendor Association, provides it’s members with access to leaders of industry, information and collaboration opportunities, through an integrated voice to the industry.

ITAC Health provides their members the ability foster opportunities for collaboration and networking through face-to-face social and business environment with leaders of the industry and prospective clients and partners. As an integrated voice, members help influence the Canadian healthcare ICT market through active participation in our standing committees and various ad hoc working groups. ITAC Health provides information to its members on the market trends and issues they need to be addressed, including potential exporting opportunities. Members develop a sense of direction of where the industry is going— what challenges are being addressed — what challenges have been surmounted — and, where their influence, products and services can assist others. Not only are members made aware of the provincial, federal and global issues and agendas — they are provided a position to be heard.

ITAC Health's Official Journal

Healthcare Information Management & Communications Canada

The journal is the source for insights from established thought leaders on the latest trends, opportunities and future challenges in eHealth. As the official Journal of both ITAC Health and COACH, it is read by over 5000 subscribers. Members receive a 25% discount on subscription rates and a 15% discount on published rates for advertising. Contributing articles to the journal is an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of your company and its clients. In addition, the Journal offers a free online press release service for the On-Line News portion of their web site.

Get the latest insights from established and emerging thought leaders on industry trends, events, and future challenges. Access current and past editions here.

Interested in raising your profile and sharing your knowledge and experiences with other health informatics professionals? Check out the author guidelines and due dates here

ITAC Health 2009 - 2010 Board Members

Message from The Chair

Michael Green
Chair, ITAC Health Board
Information Technology Association of Canada

Firstly, we all owe a debt of gratitude to those who have held leadership roles during recent years and have worked to advance the work of ITAC Health. Today, we face economically turbulent times, yet, thanks to the grounding of ITAC Health's mission, I see the coming decade as one of great opportunity.

ITAC Health, previously know as the Canadian Healthcare Information Technology Trade Association (CHITTA), represents the health information and communications technology (ICT) industry to agencies and governments at all jurisdictional levels, as well as major purchasers of products and services. More than 120 member companies belong to ITAC Health, and all are actively engaged in the health sector across Canada. We share a mutual focus on one of ITAC Health's primary objectives: to promote the health IT industry to political decision-makers and investors. We have seen an investment in information capital that is modernizing our healthcare system. Through Infoway and provincial initiatives, governments have reversed a decades-long underinvestment in technology in healthcare - one of the most information-intense industries. Most of the country is now filmless, sophistication of physician and hospital systems is steadily increasing, and the large imaging and information repository systems are poised to fulfill the promise of true standards-based integration across silos in the near future.

It is vital that we continue to support national leadership and coordination provided by Infoway. The Canadian marketplace is a relatively small one. This offers real opportunity for success, so long as we work together to promote our industry and for improvements in healthcare delivery and standards. Each corporate and individual executive member of ITAC Health will benefit, along with Canadians in general, by our cooperation and leadership. Our community is strongest when we leverage each other's talents and seek out broad strategic partnerships.

I believe that our interoperability and standards committee's work with Infoway is a critical focus. Improved consensus across the industry will assist adoption of our technology offerings. Similarly, the physician office systems committee, currently very much involved in the standards issues associated with the integration of the physician office electronic medical record (EMR) system, plays a key role in meeting ITAC Health's objectives.

While we have made solid progress in terms of e-health investments in Canada, there is much work yet to be done. ITAC Health will continue to advocate for additional capital investment and strengthened e-health program development. I feel privileged to contribute to the goals of ITAC in the role of Chairman and look forward to working with fellow members for increased and continued success for our industry.

MG

For more information about ITAC Health, please contact Brendan Seaton, ITAC Health President at bseaton@itac.ca or Elaine Huesing, Executive Director at ehuesing@itac.ca.

Presentations from Past Events

Ontario's eHealth Strategy Update Breakfast
Download the presentations

CanadianEMR PodCast
October 26, 2009 - Why all the Fuss about ISO Certification for EMRs?
Listen to the Podcast

Alberta eHealth Update, Edmonton, AB - October 20, 2009
Alberta Health & Wellness - Mark Brisson Presentation
Alberta Health Services - Bill Trafford Presentation

Manitoba eHealth Update, Winnipeg, MB - October 28, 2009
Manitoba eHealth - Roger Girard Presentation
Canada Health Infoway - Shelly Lipon Presentation

Archived Information

Message from Canada Health Infoway – Auditor's Report on EHRS
Released – Available in both French and English
…Read the Auditor's report online

National Study Reveals Metrics on HI and HIM Labour and Skills Shortages
November 2, 2009 News Release
En francias Telechargez - Novembre 2, 2009

Health Informatics and Health Information Management Human Resources Report
Five national organizations that play key roles in supporting the implementation of EHIS technologies in Canada have partnered in this important research to develop an evidence-based foundation from which a human resource strategy can be built. These partners include: Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA), COACH : Canada's Health Informatics Association, Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), ITAC Health: the Health Division of the Information Technology Association of Canada, and Canada Health Infoway.
For a complete copy of the report: English | Francias

2008 Canadian Health Informatics Awards Gala
Every year ITAC Health co–hosts the Annual Canadian Health Informatics Awards Gala in Toronto with COACH, Canada’s health Informatics Association. ITAC Health members are encouraged to nominate their customers for the COACH Awards and to position themselves to be nominated in one or more of the following ITAC Health Award categories; Company of the Year, Project Team of the Year (combined Award for both the Client and the company), Healthcare Transformation and the Corporate Citizenship Awards. Plans are under way for the next Gala to be held in 2009, for more information about past Gala events, please visit the CHIA Gala website at www.healthinformaticsawards.ca

ITAC Health Committees

Advocacy Committee

Co-Chairs Michael Green (Agfa Healthcare) and Wayne Gudbranson (Branham Group)

ITAC Contact Brendan Seaton, President, ITAC Health, bseaton@itac.ca or (905) 602-8345 ext. 242

Mandate

To promote investment in health ICT and the capabilities and interests of the Canadian health ICT industry to government, key decision makers and opinion leaders.

Objectives

• Meet one-on-one with Ministers of Health (Federal and Provincial) to promote investment in health ICT.
• Support the Minister of Health by meeting with other Ministers, government officials, decision-makers and opinion leaders to promote the eHealth agenda.
• Open up channels for dialogue between senior public servants, decision-makers in the broader health sector (e.g. regional CEO's and CIO's), opinion leaders (e.g. medical and hospital associations), and the health ICT industry.

Development Committee

Co-Chairs Pam Ferenbach (Oracle Corporation) and David Mosher (HP Canada)

ITAC Contact Elaine Huesing, Executive Director, ITAC Health, ehuesing@itac.ca or (780) 489-4574

Mandate

To raise the profile of ITAC Health and its members' and enhance the opportunity for members to increase their share of profitable business worldwide.

Objectives

• Provide ITAC Health with contacts, suggestions and ideas to increase activity for membership involvement in Atlantic Canada and Quebec
• Provide guidance, advice and ideas for ITAC Health to promote social events – opportunities for networking and engaging with stakeholders.
• Provide ITAC Health with ideas and strategies to increase the frequency of educational events for the members across Canada
• Provide ideas, strategies and suggestions for a program to Promote Member' accomplishments through communications – Trade journals for example.
• Provide input on continued evaluation of trade and export opportunities for our members

Interoperability & Standards Committee (ISC)

Co-Chairs Mike Clarke (GE Healthcare) and Michael Nusbaum (Michael Nusbaum & Associates)

ITAC Contact
Brendan Seaton, President, ITAC Health, bseaton@itac.ca or (905) 602-8345 ext. 242
Elaine Huesing, Executive Director, ITAC Health, ehuesing@itac.ca or (780) 489-4574

Mandate

To promote the adoption of internationally accepted standards for technology, nomenclature, data, and interoperability in healthcare.

Objectives

• To present a unified industry voice and consultation vehicle for government, associations and policy makers and standard setting bodies.
• To assist the vendor community to become more knowledgeable about standards and interoperability issues and solutions and to share this knowledge and expertise.
• Develop skills and knowledge exchange amongst the members and the wider informatics community.
• To formulate positions on issues that may arise with respect to standards and, undertake work to establish how best to address and resolve these issues.
• To promote and facilitate the establishment of national functionality standards, conformance testing and certification processes, including privacy and security issues, so as to facilitate a "level playing field" for all vendors predicated on quality assurance for the marketplace.
• To ensure the development of secure electronic sharing of patient information (with appropriate patient and physician consent) between vendor systems through the use of Canadian and international interoperability standards.
• To help members adopt internationally accepted standards to allow Canadian companies to sell abroad.

Membership Committee

Co-Chairs Gary Folker (xwave) and Francois Gratton (TELUS Health Solutions)

ITAC Contact Elaine Huesing, Executive Director, ITAC Health, ehuesing@itac.ca or (780) 489-4574

Mandate

To ensure that the Association provides value to members, identifies opportunities and eliminates barriers in recruiting new members.

Objectives

• Promote membership to established companies that are in the industry that are not ITAC members
• Promote membership to companies that are just entering the industry.
• Promote effective communications to the membership and to non member stakeholders.
• Establish a value proposition to attract companies to join ITAC Health, as well as providing a clear message as to what the Association can and will do for them.

Physician Office System (POS) Committee

Co-Chairs Sam Chebib (Nightingale Informatix Corporation) and Eric Gombrich (EMIS)

ITAC Contact
Brendan Seaton, President, ITAC Health, bseaton@itac.ca or (905) 602-8345 ext. 242
Elaine Huesing, Executive Director, ITAC Health, ehuesing@itac.ca or (780) 489-4574

Mandate

To facilitate the creation of sustainable national and Jurisdictional business models that will increase physician uptake of physician office systems, and lobby for their implementation. The secondary mandate of the Committee is to provide a unified audience and voice representing the membership to health care stakeholders.

Objectives

• To work with stakeholders to develop sustainable national and provincial business models that will facilitate adoption of physician office systems and to lobby for the implementation and perpetuation of those business models.
• To reduce variability in Jurisdictional requirements for functionality and interoperability (both technical and semantic) between physician office systems and other information systems, including the associated conformance testing of those requirements.
• To become the de facto standard point of contact for stakeholders wishing to solicit information from, or convey information to, POS vendors;
• To help members stay informed on market trends, issues, and opportunities by providing bi-directional information exchange between POS members as well as other healthcare stakeholders regarding provincial, national, and international physician office system initiatives.