PrescribeIT® was established to support safer, more efficient e-prescribing across Canada and has been operating since 2018 in collaboration with federal, provincial, and territorial partners. Over time, strong technical readiness was achieved, including broad onboarding of pharmacies and electronic medical record vendors.
However, national adoption of e-prescribing through a centrally operated service has not reached the scale required to support long-term sustainability, particularly in the absence of broader system levers. As a result, and following extensive collaboration with governments and health system partners to explore all viable sustainability options, an open-standards approach has been established as the future pathway for e-prescribing in Canada.
As part of this transition, the PrescribeIT® operated service will conclude on May 29, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST. The transition is being managed carefully to ensure the service remains stable and reliable for users throughout the transition period, and PrescribeIT® will continue to operate as planned while transition activities are carried out.
The national e-prescribing standard will be made publicly available prior to the service conclusion to enable jurisdictions and vendors to continue advancing e-prescribing in ways that align with local priorities, readiness, and implementation approaches.
Work will continue with governments, vendors, clinicians, and pharmacies to support an orderly conclusion of the PrescribeIT® service, and the continued advancement of digital prescribing as part of Canada’s broader digital health ecosystem. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.