TELUS Health, a major provider of electronic medical and health records, telehomecare, consumer health, pharmacy management, and benefits management services, recently announced its acquisition of PS SUITE EMR, Canada’s largest electronic medical record business operated by MD Practice Software LP – a member of the MD Physician Services Group and a subsidiary of the Canadian Medical Association.
Earlier, TELUS announced its intention to acquire PS SUITE EMR on February 26, 2013, and had only completed the acquisition process a few days prior.
By acquiring PC SUITE EMR, the largest electronic medical records provider in Canada, TELUS Health has further positioned itself to expand its reach among the first lines of care, delivering comprehensive EMR solutions to 9000 Canadian physicians across the country. It is expected that such a significant step will affect about 25 million patient interactions every year.
Currently, TELUS Health offers solutions to the major stakeholders in the health industry, which include pharmacies, hospitals, and extended healthcare providers such as chiropractors and physiotherapists.
To date, only 56 percent of doctors in Canada use electronic medical records, compared to that of more than 90 percent in the U.K. and Australia. Paul Lepage, president of TELUS Health, said that with this new agreement, the Canadian market is expected to grow as both patients and physicians start seeing the importance of EMRs.
According to him, by using EMR, the true productivity of a doctor will increase. S/he will be able to see a more number of patients during the day, and efficiently manage them each.
Further, he added, almost all provinces today offer a subsidy for physicians to make an expensive switch from papers to electronic records.
In Ontario, physicians are eligible for a grant of $28,000 over a span of three years for installing the EMR software, which has an estimated cost of $3000 annually and $5000 for installation. However, Lepage considers EMR to be only a part of the company’s strategy. TELUS Health is focusing on advanced technology to enhance doctor to patient communication, and helping patients manage their health online.
The firm has already launched its Remote Patient Monitoring system, which allows physicians to track the patient’s health from a distance.
By acquiring Canada’s leading EMR provider, Lepage stated that they are thrilled to announce the completion of the process, and will continue to expand their reach, offering EMR solutions to all specialists and physicians across the healthcare industry.
The significant move will double the number of physicians using EMR software owned by TELUS from 4,500 to 9,000.
TELUS Health is a reputable provider of electronic medical and health records, telehomecare, consumer health, pharmacy management, and benefits management services. It facilitates the power of physicians, health authorities, providers, consumers and patients to transform critical health information into better medical outcomes.
Edited by
Braden Becker
