Vancouver, BC – February 21, 2007 – Wolf Medical Systems, a leading national provider of electronic medical records (EMR) software for physician offices and medical clinics across Canada, today announced its intention to respond to the BC RFP for the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Project, Computer Hardware and Software Information Technology Services Office Support.

When was the RFP issued?
The BC RFP for EMR was issued Monday February 19 2007.

Who was invited to respond?
EMR vendors with applicable experience were invited to submit proposals.

How many vendors will be approved for funding in BC?
Up to six EMR software programs will be eligible for use by BC physicians who apply to receive funding from the Physician Information Technology Office for British Columbia (“PITO”). However, there is no limit on the number of vendors that can submit proposals.

Will Wolf respond?
Wolf is certainly going to submit a response to the BC RFP for EMR.

What has been happening since funding was announced in the spring of 2006?
PITO was launched in June 2006, with the establishment of the PITO steering committee, which includes representatives from the British Columbia Medical Association ("BCMA") and the Ministry of Health ("Ministry"). The primary goal of PITO is to develop a program to advise, assist and support Physicians with the selection, implementation and change management activities related to the adoption of EMR systems as the principal method of record keeping for patient and clinical records.

Over the past several months, the Clinical Advisory Group to the PITO Steering Committee, consisting of more than 20 practicing physicians, along with representatives of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the BCMA have developed the criteria that will be used to select the EMR systems.

What are the characteristics of the EMRs that will be selected? 
The EMRs which will be selected will need to provide a comprehensive range of functions and make the EMRs easy to operate and maintain. The EMR will allow physicians to maintain the same information they do now in paper records, and will add templates to create and print items such as diagnostic orders, electronic prescribing, lab results and referral requests (with the capability to send electronically in the near future). To see the detailed list of requirements, please refer to the BC RFP document itself.

What is the goal of this provincial EMR funding project?
The goal of the EMR Project is to procure and prepare the suite of EMR-related products and services for implementation by Eligible Physicians in their offices and clinics throughout the province. Funding, roll-out support, and oversight will be through PITO. PITO will support Eligible Physicians in the adoption of EMR systems with a suite of solutions and services as described in the agreement between the Ministry and the BCMA.

Does this RFP cover hardware and connectivity?
Nothing is finalized yet.  According to a memo sent to members of the BCMA on Monday February 19 from the President of the BC Medical Association, Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid, “Decisions about hardware and connectivity have not yet been made.  PITO is working towards finalizing its decisions on these two issues over the next month or two.  While the RFP for EMR vendors is in process, PITO is negotiating with a commercial provider for provision of the secure physician network with the highest connection speed, tightest security and least downtime possible.”

What if I already have an EMR? Will I be able to apply for funding for an EMR solution which I acquired prior to the program start?
According to a memo sent to members of the BCMA on Monday February 19 from the President of the BC Medical Association, Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid, “a decision on whether physicians who already have functioning EMRs will receive some retroactive compensation has not been made. I will let you know once these issues have been resolved.”

What is the timing for this? When will physicians know which vendors have been selected?
According to Section 2.8 of the RFP, the activities involved in the RFP will progress according to the following schedule:

How will the vendors be selected?
According to a memo sent to members of the BCMA on Monday February 19 from the President of the BC Medical Association, Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid, “Vendors have six weeks to respond to the RFP. Bids will be reviewed by an evaluation team comprised of practicing physicians, contracted consultants and staff from the BCMA and MoH. There are two stages to the evaluation: a review of vendors' proposals; and testing of the software of selected vendors. Usability testing with practicing physicians will be done to ensure the software functions well in a clinical setting. The evaluation process will take about three months.”

Are there going to be pilot projects?
According to a memo sent to members of the BCMA on Monday February 19 from the President of the BC Medical Association, Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid, “Many of you are anxious to put an EMR system into your office.  A graduated implementation process is planned to roll out the PITO program as quickly and effectively as possible. This roll out will include carrying out pilot projects that will begin this summer.

A small group of physicians who reflect the range of practice types and locations will be included in the pilot projects.  How physicians will be selected to participate in the pilot projects has not been decided yet, but we will let you know as soon as possible.  The EMRs will be tested and any necessary adjustments will be made. We expect the pilot projects will take until around the end of 2007. Once they are finished a phased roll out to all physicians will begin in early 2008. 

Cost Reimbursement
According to a memo sent to members of the BCMA on Monday February 19 from the President of the BC Medical Association, Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid, “Our Agreement makes provision for 70% of the physicians' cost to put EMR software and related hardware and network into their offices to be reimbursed. The reimbursement starts when the EMR software is
successfully installed in your office. 

In the first year, you will be reimbursed a maximum of $9,856 (70% of maximum eligible cost of $14,080) for the EMR software, implementation and helpdesk support. 

• In the first year, you will also be reimbursed hardware and connectivity costs (70% of maximum eligible costs).  We will let you know when that amount has been determined.   

• In each of the following years up to March 2012, physicians will be reimbursed a maximum annual amount of $4,494 or 70% of the total maximum cost of $6,420 for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the EMR. 

• You will also be reimbursed for 70% of your connectivity costs (maximum amount to be determined). Funds have also been set aside to provide support for physicians as you  implement the EMR system, hardware, and network connectivity in your practice.

How long will EMR funding be available?

According to the RFP, “The initial term of each Master Standing Agreement (MSA) will end on March 31, 2012 to coincide with the expiry of the BCMA 2006 Agreement.  The Province reserves the right to  renew each MSA for up to two (2) additional renewal periods each of two (2) years duration.”

Where can I find more information?
The full RFP can be seen on the provincial government tendering site at
http://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca/open.dll/welcome. Click on SATP 219 to link to the documents. 

BCMA members are also encouraged to visit the BCMA site for updates on PITO. You can find them at http://www.bcma.org.

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