Why attend e-Health 2014?
John Abbott, Conference Chair
Why attend e-Health 2014? If you work in health IT, want to sell some technology solution or influence the architecture of some of Canada’s e-health systems, Vancouver is the place to be this June 1-4th. But for me, as conference chair, I have another reason.
I believe that the future success of Canada’s health system depends on an infusion of both visionary and experiential leadership. Canadians expect and deserve the best of care, and this only becomes possible if the full potential of technology is applied to the business of health. We have invested heavily in all other areas of our health system but Canada is not achieving the results we anticipated a decade ago – and this is a stark reality that is dawning on government and health system leaders alike, as well as the public. The one enabling tool we have in our arsenal to propel productivity and improve health outcomes so that Canada becomes a leading country in health system performance is e-health. Among its many solutions, e-health enables integration across services and disciplines, allows remote care, facilitates patient engagement and contributes substantially to health system management. The question is: who is finally going to unleash this potential, and when?
This brings me back to the issue of leadership. Without leadership on the value proposition for e-health and its many solutions, the potential of e-health and all it can bring to our health system will not be realized. According to a recent Health Council of Canada report (September 2013), leadership has been noted as one of five key enablers that when exercised will allow Canada to achieve improved performance of its health system. The first step on the leadership continuum is to establish a shared goal for the country on the importance of e-health to our health system and the necessary investments that are required. Until we have this leadership built on the experiences of Canada Health Infoway, the private sector and others, we will continue with the status quo – and, has been acknowledged by many, the status quo should not be on!
So, I am hoping to hear from our speakers as well as our conference participants on this theme at Canada’s only national e-Health conference. If not here, then where? For these 3 days, whether in plenary or concurrent sessions, or on the convention centre floor, we can salute our successes but, more importantly for me, we can demonstrate collective leadership on this most pressing area of Canada’s health system and begin to unleash the flow of e-health innovations literally at our fingertips.
JGA