Media Release
Communiqué

 

For immediate release
July 22, 2009

 

Proposed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
review cancelled

On July 22, 2009, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, David Caplan, announced that he had accepted eHealth Ontario’s request to forego the proposed PwC review, in favour of the audit by the Auditor General of Ontario. 

“I acknowledge the concern of the eHealth Board of Directors and the Auditor General regarding potential duplication and therefore accept your request to forego the external request in favour of the review by the Auditor General,” said Minister Caplan in a letter to board chair Rita Burak.

Here’s a chronology of events:

• In early June, the board of eHealth Ontario began to plan a review of the agency by PwC. Minister Caplan had asked the board to “undertake a third-party review to ensure that best management practices are being followed.” 

• While discussions with PwC were ongoing, the Auditor General was completing an audit of Ontario’s electronic health records initiative, including eHealth Ontario. The Minister asked the Auditor General to expedite his report to make it available as soon as possible. 

• As the board was establishing terms of reference with PwC, the agency and ministry liaised with staff of the Auditor General’s office to ensure that the audit and proposed PwC review were not overlapping. 

• The Auditor General, in a letter to the board, advised that “the scope of our work includes most of the key areas that are being contemplated for PwC to review”. 

• Given the potential for duplication and the estimated cost of close to $200,000 for the PwC review, the board asked the Minister to adjust his request for an external review in favour of the Auditor General’s work.

“I want to assure you that the board is not waiting for the results of the Auditor General’s review before instituting changes in the operation of eHealth Ontario,” said Rita Burak, in a letter to the Minister.  “While these discussions have been going on, the board and management have been aggressive in making changes to the procurement and approvals process of eHealth Ontario.”

Links:

Letter to board chair Rita Burak from the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, July 17, 2009

Letter to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care from Rita Burak, July 7, 2009

Letter to Rita Burak from Jim McCarter, Auditor General, June 29, 2009

 

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eHealth Ontario is a new organization that plays the leading role in harnessing technology and innovation to improve patient care, safety, and access in support of the Ontario government’s health strategy. eHealth Ontario published the first ehealth strategy for Ontario in March 2009, which is focused on providing a comprehensive, patient-focused, secure and private electronic system. eHealth Ontario will drive the transformation of Ontario’s health care system, building
toward an electronic health record for all Ontarians by 2015.

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For further information please contact:

Heather Brown,
Communications Advisor,
eHealth Ontario
416-586-4238
heather.brown@ehealthontario.on.ca