2021 at a Glance: PrescribeIT

2021 was a year to build, reflect and prepare for the realities of a post-pandemic health system. For the PrescribeIT® team, 2021 was a year of rewarding partnerships, ongoing engagements and improvements, and the expansion of our service to more Canadians than ever.

Asian man having virtual visit to discuss prescription

At the end of 2021, we were pleased to report…

  • 8,400+ prescribers enrolled (+54% year over year)
  • 5,900 pharmacies enrolled (+26% year over year)
  • 560+ communities, serving an estimated 6.5M Canadians

PrescribeIT® worked closely with the provinces and territories to expand the service. We are very pleased that PrescribeIT® has memorandums of understanding in place with all 13 provinces and territories. This is a major milestone towards our goal implementing a national e-prescribing service that will benefit Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Alongside the jurisdictions, we also continued our close collaboration with vendor partners. PrescribeIT® has agreements with 17 electronic medical record (EMR) vendors, representing approximately 95 per cent of the primary care market in Canada; our agreements with eight pharmacy management system (PMS) vendors represent approximately 85 per cent of the retail pharmacy market.

In addition to building upon our relationships with the jurisdictions and vendor communities, we undertook several key research and engagement initiatives in 2021. To better understand the needs and desires of the patients we serve, we commissioned Environics Research to conduct a study into patient prescription experiences. The findings from this research will help inform our understanding of e-prescribing’s value and benefits for the general population and help refine our future outreach activities.

We’ve already completed one of these activities! The “For Citizens” page is an exciting new addition to the PrescribeIT® website. Exploring the benefits of e-prescribing for the general population, it describes how e-prescribing can help support virtual care experiences and shares Infoway research into Canadians’ attitudes towards e-prescribing.

We also welcomed Dr. Soreya Dhanji, a primary care physician based in Toronto, to our Ask a Peer program. She details her experience using PrescribeIT® in a new video. Clinicians, we encourage you to submit your e-prescribing questions to Dr. Dhanji and the rest of the Ask a Peer team!

Finishing the year on a high note, we convened the PrescribeIT® Policy and Priorities Table (the “Table”). Bringing together diverse stakeholder perspectives, the Table’s purpose was to start a conversation about the future of e-prescribing. Learn more in this summary report.

Much has happened in 2021, but plenty of new developments are underway for 2022. In particular, we are preparing for PrescribeIT’s launch in new jurisdictions. We are also exploring opportunities to introduce PrescribeIT® into hospitals.

As we reflect on the past year and the activities ahead, I invite you to read our full 2021 story. You can also learn more about PrescribeIT® by exploring our website.


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