Interoperability Maturity Assessment

A recent national analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that while Canada has achieved widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), interoperability between systems remains inconsistent and underdeveloped across jurisdictions. Ontario was identified as one of the larger provinces facing ongoing challenges related to connected care and province-wide patient access to health information. The authors noted that disconnected systems contribute to fragmented care, clinician burden, and avoidable costs across the health system.

"Ultimately, our findings highlight the challenges preventing Canada’s health systems from fully realizing the benefits of EHRs and reducing the harm associated with disconnected data, a problem that has been estimated to cost taxpayers more than $9.4 billion annually."