eHealth, EHR's, EMR's, etc.: Where's the promise? Where are we? Who's accountable for the disparity between the promise and reality? The Canadian government this year announced another $400 million towards such technologies. What is the realistic expectation on their impact versus the publicity? Is too little emphasis being put on 'change management' to ensure adoption by the medical community? Vendors are arguing that medical associations are behind their targets for implementation. Associations in turn argue their members need connectivity as well as security and training. Others state there is a divide that goes beyond the realm of technology itself to increase efficiencies in the healthcare system. Others contend that in the end it will be the consumer who will be the strongest catalyst for change as increasing numbers of patients use PHR's and thus will be pushing the medical community to adopt EHR's.

Panelists:

• William (Bill) Albino, CEO, Smart Systems for Health Agency (SSHA),
• Roger Girard, Intergrated Vice President& Regional CIO, Niagara Health Systems
• Dr. Chris O'Connor, MD, Director of Medical Informatics, Trillium Health Centre
• Dr. Bill Pascal, CTO, Canadian Medical Association

Panelists:

• Nadeem Esmail, Director of Health System Performance Studies & Manager of Alberta Policy Research Centre, The Fraser Institute
• Dr. Paul Gamble, President & CEO, Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences
• Dr. Andreas Laupacis, Director, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital
• Dr. Alan Hudson, Lead, Access to Services/Wait Times, Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care
• Dr. Collin McMillan, President, Canadian Medical Association
• Hilary Short, President & CEO, Ontario Hospital Association

Business Continuity Planning: The Progress, the Issues and the Future : Increased natural, man-made or political events and disasters have pointed out the necessity for, and criticality of, business continuity planning ('BCP').  Statistics show that 80% of organizations without a well-structured recovery plan shut down within 12 months of a fire or flood and 43% of companies experiencing disasters never recover.  The benefits of having a BCP are well documented.  It enhances an organizations' image with employees, shareholders and customers by demonstrating a proactive attitude.  Additional benefits include improvement in overall organizational efficiency and identifying the relationship of assets and human and financial reosurces to critical services and deliverables.  The Peer-to-Peer Roundtable will synthesize a high level strategic view with operational realities that will allow you to better understand whether your organization is prepared for the risks that have been witnessed over the last few years and for new one's such as a potential pandemic poses to your business.

Panelists:

• The Honourable Perrin Beatty, President & CEO, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
• Derek Knights, Senior IT Security Governance Specialist, IT & Security Governance, Enterprise Information Security Enterprise Services, Sun Life Financial
• Thomas G. Frank, Director, Risk Management, Technology & Operations, BMO Financial Group
• Maysar Al-Samadi, Vice-President, Professional Standards, Investment Dealers Association
• Sharon Walker, Emergency Planning Manager, City of Vaughan
• Ann Wyganowski, President, Disaster Recovery Information Exchange, Toronto

Promise of an Integrated Delivery of Community Health Information towards Improved Patient Care: "The current lack of a common technology platform seriously compromises patient care," The Honourable Minister of Health & Long-Term Care, George Smitherman speaking on September 9th, 2004.  Smitherman went on to say "How many times does a patient or his or her caregiver repeat the same information to different providers, at different times?  We've all experienced this.  It's an enormous waste of time and talent, as information is recorded, processed and filed over and over again."  It would be with LHINs and a common technology platform he stated that this fragmentation and duplication of effort would be a thing of the past.  Smitherman promised that in that coming year, new integrating technologies would be put in place that would transform and improve healthcare delivery and allow millions of Ontarians to reap the rewards.  How far along are we to achieving this goal?  What is required so that this vision is realized?  What are some of the issues that are being encountered?  What is needed to resolve those issues?

Panelists:

• Hy Eliasoph, CEO, Central Local Health Integration Network ('LHIN')
• Matthew Norton, Team Lead-Supporting Evidence Based Decisions, Information Management, Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care, Ontario
• Art Smith, CEO, GS1 Canada
• Andrew Szende, CEO, electronic Child Health Network (eCHN)

Family Health Teams: Making Primary Care a Cornerstone in the Transformation of the Healthcare System.  The Government of Ontario is in the process of transforming its healthcare system.  A key priority of their agenda is to deliver the very best access to primary care through the establishment of Family Health Teams. What is the status to date?  What do the FHT's require in support of delivering on their mandate?  What are some of the issues they are encountering and what are they seeking to resolve those issues from others working in the healthcare industry?

Panelists:

• Dr. Sandy Buchman, President, The Ontario College of Family Physicians
• Dr. Paul Caulford, Chief of Family Medicine & Lead Physician, The Toronto Scarborough Hospital & Family Health Team
• Dr. David Gerber, Lead Physician, Meridia Medical Group Family Health Team
• Dr. Wendy Graham, Lead Physician, President & CEO,  Blue Sky Family Health Team and the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO)
• Dr. Jim MacLean, Health Results Team Lead for Primary Care, Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care
• Dr. Pauline Pariser, Lead Physician, Taddle Creek Family Health Team

LHINs Update: What has been the impact to date? The Executive Healthcare Roundtable will discuss how the implementation of the 14 LHINs are now functioning in the healthcare system of the province. How have other healthcare organizations responded? What is left to be done to have the LHINs fully implemented and what is the timeframe in doing so?

Panelists:

• Dr. James Armstrong, CEO, Ontario Association of Community Access Centres
• Trish Barbato, President & CEO, COTA Health
• Bruce Harber, President & CEO, York Central Hospital
• Barry J. Monaghan, CEO,  Local Health Integration Network, Toronto-Central
• Gary Switzer, CEO, Local Health Integration Network, Erie-St. Clair

Patterns of Practice Paradigms : Ontario is witnessing substantial changes in the Patterns of Practice to the delivery of care.  There is to be an increase of over 20,000 long term care beds versus acute care beds with the later being decreased by some 6,000 beds.  Organizational structures are being re-defined with the advent of the LHINs, Family Health Teams, etc.  Electronic information changes in patient management are being contemplated, designed and implemented.  What is the impact of these changes on those delivering healthcare services? How are these changes in patterns of practice affecting the delivery of services and their impact on hospitals, not-for-profit agencies, physicians, nurses, research organizations and community-based agencies?  Hear from leading members of the healthcare community in Ontario and be able to ask them questions in a single forum to their impact on you.

Panelists:

• Matthew Anderson, Vice President & CIO, University Health Network
• Mary Kardos Burton, Assistant Deputy Minister, Acute Services Division, Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care
• Michael Fenn, CEO, Mississauga-Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN)
• Hugh MacLeod, Associate Deputy Minister & Executive Lead, Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care
• Dr. Joshua Tepper, Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Human Resources Strategy Division, Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care
• Marian Walsh, President & CEO, Bridgepoint Health

Major Transformation of Healthcare : What are the major shifts and trends we can expect in healthcare in Ontario? Healthcare is changing in this province.  What are these changes and what can we expect for the future to take place in Ontario.  The discussion comprises leading healthcare figures representing political, hospital, research and the pharmacy industry.  What is the vision and what is being planned for the future?

Panelists:

• Dr. Robert S. Bell, President & CEO, University Health Network
• Allan Malek, Vice President, Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores
• Hillary Short, President & CEO, Ontario Hospital Association
• Elizabeth Witmer, MPP, Former Minister of Health & Long-Term Care, Minister of Labour, Minister of Education and Deputy Premier

Private vs. Public Healthcare: Does it have to be one or the other? Healthcare is an issue that crosses all classes and boundaries.  A number of polls conducted in various parts of the country show that the right to adequate care when we are sick is the number one concern of the vast majority of Canadians.  The discussion then becomes one on how do we achieve the best serviceability of care.  What is the model? Is private and public healthcare incompatible in a single model or can both exist while maintaining the concept of universality in the delivery of healthcare?

Panelists:

• George Smitherman, The Honourable, Minister of Health & Long-Term Care
• Gabe Heller, Managing Director, Copeman Healthcare Centre
• Dr. Greg Flynn, President, Ontario Medical Association
• Doris Grinspun, Executive Director, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario
• Dr. Gordan Guyatt, Medical Professor, McMaster University
• Marc Kealey, CEO, Ontario Pharmacists Association
• Armine Yalnizyan, Economist & Commentator

LHINs (Local Health Integration Networks) are now a reality: How should healthcare professionals, organizations and vendors be preparing and responding to this event? What does it mean for both the private & public healthcare community?  How does it fit in operationally in today’s healthcare system in Ontario?

Panelists:

• Bonnie J. Adamson, President & CEO, North York General Hospital
• Dr. Jim Armstrong, CEO, Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres
• Marilyn J. Emery, CEO, Central-East, LHIN
• Joe de Mora, President & CEO, Kingston General Hospital
• Dr. Rueben Devlin, President & CEO, Humber River Regional Hospital
• Bruce Harber, President & CEO, York Central Hospital
• Georgina Thompson, Chair, South-East LHIN

Ask the Vendors : It is your opportunity to engage the leading healthcare vendors directly in one room at one time on how they are addressing the healthcare community’s needs and requirements from research to management systems.  Learn what they are doing in various real-world examples to meet health & life sciences professionals’ needs today and for the future?  Are they addressing your issues?  What would you like them to know and do to meet your needs?

Panelists:

• Barrie Marfleet, Sales Director, Public Sector, Ajilon Consulting
• Hitesh Seth, Vice President Public Sector, CGI
• Sal Causi, Business Development Executive, Life Sciences, IBM
• Jordan Silverberg, Enterprise Sales Manager, Palm
• Fraser Edward, Marketing Manager Life Sciences, RIM
• Brad Dickson, Ontario Health Corporate Account Manager, Rogers Communications Inc.
• Heath Everett, Director of Sales Canada, Visto Corporation.

Energy CEO Roundtable : Public vs. Consumer Choice: What is the best way to ensure price & service reliability in today's and tomorrow's energy marketplace?  What is the choice? Is it between public versus private energy policy or is it the right for the consumer to choose whatever energy source they wish to purchase including alternative renewable energy choices?

Panelists:

• Jim Burpee, Senior Vice President Energy Markets, Ontario Power Generation
• Dave Butters, President, Association of Power Producers of Ontario (APPrO)
• Dave Goulding, President & CEO, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)
• Duncan Hawthorne, President & CEO, Bruce Power
• Dave O'Brien, President & CEO, Toronto Hydro
• Tom Parkinson, President & CEO, Hydro One Inc.
• Paul Shervill, Vice President Retail Services, Ontario Power Authority
• George Vegh, General Counsel, Ontario Energy Board

Choosing a Vendor : Picking a Partner for Stability, Business Strategy & Potential. What do healthcare providers from Hospitals, Care Givers to Public Agencies and Associations look for and want?

Panelists:

• Debbie Fischer, Senior Vice President, Operational Development & Strategic Projects, Mount Sinai Hospital
• Bill Pascal, Chief Technology Officer, Canadian Medical Association
• Tommy Cheung, Director, eHealth & Pharmacy Innovation, Ontario Pharmacists' Association
• Wayne Mills, Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Trillium Health Centre
• Cara Flemming, Director, Risk Management & Management Decision Support, University Health Network
• Andrew Brearton, Director, Information Services, St. Joseph's Health Centre
• Linda Weaver, Chief Technology Officer, Smart Systems for Health Agency
• Steve Noyes, Director, Information & Communication Technology, Mount Sinai Hospital
• Mike K. Rigo, National Industry Executive, Canada Health Infoway Inc.

Healthcare Reform : Why the hold-up? Well, how big a problem is out there? Canadians are not alone in the dilemma; all Western societies are facing similar problems of how to provide access to quality health services at a reasonable cost, and are looking to each other for solutions.  There have been a variety of reports from the Mazankowski Report published in January 2002  to the Romanov Report which recommend and share a commonality in a number of important strategies, including helping Canadians to stay healthy, improving the service ideal of customer first, redefining the meaning of comprehensive services, investing in medical technology and information systems, and diversifying revenue streams for healthcare.

Panelists:

• Tony Clement, The Right Honourable, Minister of Health
• Dr. Rueben Devlin, President & CEO, Humber River Regional Hospital
• Doris Grinspun, Executive Director, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario
• Wayne Mills, VP & CIO, Trillium Health Centre
• Tasha Kheiriddin, Provincial Director, Canadian Taxpayer Federation.

VoIP : Plans & Implementations in hospitals.While mobile VoIP technology is finding a home in hospitals where workers need to stay connected as they roam, rollouts still require painstaking work, users say.  VoIP technology versus a traditional switch system has presented itself as a lower overall cost, more options for upgrading and a more efficient operation overall.  Hospitals in the US have estimated that a VoIP deployment would cost 20 to 50 percent less than installing a traditional system not including the ongoing better 'Total Cost of Ownership' of the technology.   What are hospitals plans to installing a VoIP?  What issues and concerns have they had to contend with"?  What would hospitals like to see from the vendor community?

Panelists:

• Jamie Bowie, Director, Information Systems & Telecommunications, Credit Valley Hospital
• Andrew Brearton, Director Information Services, St. Joseph's Health Centre
• Thomas Goldthorpe, Director, Research Information Systems, University Health Network
• Dale Maw, Regional Director of Information Technology, Niagara Health Systems
• Wayne Mills, Vice President & CIO, Trillium Health Centre
• Steve Noyse, Director, Information & Communication Technology, Mount Sinai Hospital
• Rejean Loisel, Manager, Technical Services, Lakeridge Health Corporation
• Gaston Roy, Director of Information Technology,  Hôpital régional de Sudbury Regional Hospital
• Linda Weaver, Chief Technology Officer, Smart Systems for Health Agency

WiFi : Plans & Implementations: Hospitals in California are putting in WiFi to cut operation costs “up to 80 per cent,” and they are doing it with devices such as WiFi-controlled intravenous pumps. A nurse places a bracelet around the wrist of a newborn baby. It is emblazoned with the name of the baby's parents, as is traditional, but this one also contains an emerging hospital technology -- an imbedded radio frequency identification chip.  The RFID security precaution is designed to prevent the mix-up of children in the neonatal ward, as well as infant kidnapping. Hospitals today are using wireless networking technology for an array of applications, from pharmacies to operating rooms, to WiFi-enabled lab tests, taken by technicians at a patient's bedside and relayed to a central database in the hospital.

Panelists:

• Scott Briggs, Director, Information Technology, Markham Stouffville Hospital
• Andrew Brearton, Director Information Services, St. Joseph's Health Centre
• Peter Catford, Vice President, Information Management & CIO, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
• Gerry Dimnik, Director of Information Systems, North York General Hospital
• Dr. Diane Doran, Interim Dean of Nursing, University of Toronto
• Thomas Goldthorpe, Director, Research Information Systems, University Health Network

Disaster Planning in Healthcare : What are some of the operational issues in the implementation of disaster planning on hospital I.T.? What does hospital I.T. need to do to meet Disaster Planning requirements? What existing and planned methodologies and technologies are being used or considered to ensure data security and application availability?  How can you ensure data and application access whether disaster knocks in the form of a fire, flood, system crash and terrorist attack or hacker intrusion?  According to industry analysts, hospital computer networks are going down all the time. It is inevitable that at some point, patient care will be affected.  Public administrations are putting forward Disaster Planning documents.  How are hospital I.T. departments being expected to meet those requirements on a technology level?

Panelists:

• Jamie Bowie, Director of Information Technology, Credit Valley Hospital
• Andrew Brearton, Director Information Services, St. Joseph's Health Centre
• Phil Graham, Policy Consultant, Emergency Management Unit, Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care
• Sonia Jacobs, Senior Health Planner, Toronto District Health Council
• Wayne Mills, Vice President & CIO, Trillium Health Centre
• Gaston Roy, Director of Information Technology, Hospital regional de Sudbury Regional Hospital
• Diane Salois-Swallow, Chief Information Officer, York Central Hospital
• Linda Weaver, Chief Technology Officer, Smart Systems for Health Agency

Security, Privacy Systems and Policies: While today’s technology age from wireless to the Internet provides many opportunities to transform the delivery of healthcare, there are also increased risks associated with the flow of information and technology innovation. Because connectivity increases the risk of inappropriate access, disclosure or theft of information, hospitals must enact security standards to protect research data, patients' information and even partner/vendor information with policies that specify how this information is collected and used. Hospitals are required to understand the legal risks of PIPEDA and Bill 31 and therefore must exam how and what policies to establish, actions and relationships to protect their operations while at the same time ensuring the delivery of services are not compromised or impeded. Policy is to drive the technology security & privacy systems selected.  We will explore methods being deployed to ensure reasonable security measures are taken that may involve automated role based access, strong password protections, user training on system specific privacy responsibilities and functionalities, firewalls and intrusion detection systems, and comprehensive audit protocols and procedures. 

Panelists:

• Jodi L.H. Butts, Corporate Privacy Officer, Mount Sinai Hospital
• Andrew Brearton, Director Information Services, St. Joseph's Health Centre
• Peter Catford, Vice President, Information Management & CIO, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
• Jeff Curtis, Clinical Analyst & Coordinator, Sunnybrook & Women's Hospital
• Jacqui Phillips, Director of Information Management, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
• Thomas Goldthorpe, Director, Research Information Systems, University Health Network
• Dr. George Tolomiczenko, Research Director & Interim Public Affairs Director, St. Joseph's Health Centre
• Brendan Seaton, Chief Privacy & Security Officer, Smart Systems for Health Agency

Event Demographics

Since it’s inception in 2004, Direct Engagement ’s Peer-to-Peer  Roundtables have been attended and viewed by thousands. The participants have included executives and leading community members from the most recognizable private and public organizations in the world .

Visitor profiles to Roundtables (long run averages since 2004) are:Attendees attending by position 

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