Project: Provider Registry

2004
Canada health infostructure partnerships program (CHIPP)

Synopsis

The Provider Registry System (PRS) is a standards-based repository of core provider data supplied by authorized source. This data will be available to authorized consumers for the purpose of transmitting electronically health information between participating organizations. As such, the PRS can be viewed as one of the fundamental building blocks of a pan-Canadian Electronic Health Record (EHR).

The Provider Registry System is a Western Health Information Collaborative (WHIC) initiative, a partnership between British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and led by the BC Ministries of Health Planning and Health Services.

The Provider Registry Project has successfully demonstrated that collaboration across regional and provincial domains can work and yield benefits. This project will serve as a model for one of the fundamental building blocks of a pan-Canadian electronic health record.

Outcomes

The Provider Registry System is seen as a contributing to an accurate and secure healthcare provider data repository, an element of the larger system that verifies who can access the highly personal and private information in the HER.

The Provider Registry System's other applications are equally important. The PRS has established national standards for provider information. In addition, it has addressed the high cost of multiple databanks by being a centralized registry: organizations no longer have to expend significant resources to obtain, convert and enter provider data into their systems; the registry building costs will only be incurred once.

The PRS also address the problem of inconsistency in provider data at separate sources For example: Some patients live near regional or jurisdictional boundaries, and may visit health facilities in more than one region. Currently, provider data is inconsistent within and between regions, and as a result, some health records are disjointed and incomplete. The PRS enables consistency and completeness of information.

As implementation progresses, each participating province will adopt the PRS model, drawing on - and standardizing - data from key health colleges.

Policy & Research Implications

None were noted.

Lessons Learned

• Such projects need discipline, formal processes, and appropriate tools for overall management of the project, as well as managing the design and requirements, review and approval of project team deliverables, and version control. Such projects should also provide library services standards and force adherence to file naming standards.
• There is a need for a formal communication plan, including information dissemination to both senior management and non-lead provincial teams.
• Transition from lead to non-lead groups requires significant effort and attention: sharing of resources and knowledge across jurisdictions is essential, as is providing a detailed demonstration. Projects might considering delaying a handover until the lead has actually "gone live" before formal hand over to non-lead jurisdictions.

The Future

Sponsored by Canada Health Infoway Inc. (Infoway) and supported by WHIC and the Western EHR Regional Collaborative (WERC) two new "phase 2" PRS initiatives are now getting underway.

The PRI - Enhanced Provider Registry, led by BC will deliver an enhanced version of the current PRS. The enhanced PRS will better meet the requirements of new jurisdictions by including additional functionality. It will also facilitate the "uptake" of the PRS by improving integration with a broader range of source systems. Accelerated implementation of PRS in other jurisdictions will be supported.

The PR2 - PRS System Integration Project, led by Saskatchewan, will provide a "reusable implementation toolkit" and best practices that can be used by different jurisdictions in the deployment of the PRS. This toolkit will consolidate the experiences and knowledge gained through implementation in the four western provinces. The toolkit will include technical expertise along with best practices related to the adoption of the registry from a business perspective, and will support accelerated implementation of PRS solutions in other jurisdictions.

Appendix A: Document or Products Generated

Document/Product name

Project Management Documentation - On CDROM

• Implementation Strategy Overview
• Master Project Plans
• Privacy Impact Assessment
• RFP Evaluation Toolkit
• Job Descriptions
• Resource Strategy
• Risk
• Verification and Validation Plans
• WHIC Privacy Impact Assessment
• WHIC Test Strategy
• Final Project and CHIPP Evaluation Report
• Published RFP

Design Documentation - On CDROM

• Business Design Documentation
• Flat File Specification
• XML Message Specification
• HL7 Message Design Documentation
• Interprovincial Communications Design Documentation
• Maintain Provider Bean
• Micro Design Documentation
• Non-functional Testing Documentation
• Product Release A & B Documentation
• Reports Documentation
• Requirements Document and Traceability Matrix
• Test Plan
• Final Implementation Strategies
• Provider Data Standards
• Performance Test Report
• Portability Test Report

Operations Documentation - On CDROM

• Physical Database Design
• PRS Operations Guide
• PRS Technical Reference Material

User Documentation - On CDROM

• PRS Application
• Business Implementation Guide
• PRS Code Sets
• Registry Administrator's Guide
• WHIC Problem, Change and Release Management Process
• Training Guide and Templates

For more information, please contact:

Chris Shrader at (250) 952-2906 or at chris.shrader@gems7.gov.bc.ca