The PITO Competition

British Columbian and other Canadian physicians will be aware of PITO.

Elliott Meditech submitted a written proposal (SATP - 219) for the PITO competition along with 28 other competitors. While PITO stated that it would short-list up to 11 competitors it judged that only 10 proposals qualified, i.e., met at least 50% of the core clinical requirements. However, even by any conservative scoring Elliott Meditech's proposal far exceeded the 50% minimum.

Elliott Meditech flatly questions the PITO adjudication results.

The BC Ministry of Health announced the list of six PITO-approved EMR vendors in early July 2007.

Hard on the heels of this announcement came allegations of scandal within the Ministry of Health involving the awarding of a medical software contract. News of the alleged financial impropriety was widely reported by CTV, The Globe & Mail, the Vancouver Sun (Audit targets two B.C. officials), and the Victoria Times Colonist (Two top B.C. bureaucrats on leave amid probe of alleged financial impropriety).

The BC Assistant Deputy Health Minister Ron Danderfer had been placed on mandatory leave during the investigation of an alleged $10,000 payment to his wife Joan Danderfer¹ by Dr. Jonathan Burns, operator of WebMed Technology Inc. WebMed had earlier been awarded a contract by Ron Danderfer's Ministry to provide electronic health services.

As reported in The Vancouver Sun (Two B.C. officials under audit quit), in the face of a government audit Mr. Danderfer left his job October 15, 2007 and Mrs. Danderfer retired October 17, 2007. The Globe and Mail (B.C. Health Ministry contract comes under scrutiny) reports "The Canadian Press has learned Mr. Danderfer was the co-chairman of the PITO steering committee and Dr. Burns was an alternate on that committee".

This matter was raised in the House in October 2007. The Minister of Health, George Abbott, advised that the matter was under review by the BC Comptroller General.

Despite these concerns, in mid December 2007 it was announced that the successful PITO proponents had signed contracts with the BC government. In early January 2008 pilot projects with all six successful proponents were said to be well underway. It has since been communicated to Elliott Meditech executives that uptake on PITO approved vendors products has been alarmingly slow and not meeting industry expectations. Indeed at a meeting of the Society of Specialist Physician & Surgeons of BC at the BCMA on January 30, 2007, in answer to a question from the floor, Mr.Jeremy Smith, executive directory of the PITO project, confirmed that new business to successful PITO vendors has so far been very slow.

Elliott Meditech executives and other EMR industry watchdogs speculate that doubts about the PITO selection process and skeptism about government involvement in eHealth in general are major concerns for potential physician customers.

Ongoing doubt over the PITO process seems to be building grass-roots support. Elliott Meditech executives are sensitive to these concerns and believe that The Patient Clinic and The Doctor Clinic, by continuing to bring choices to the Canadian EMR marketplace, is an important part of protecting the fundamental rights of physicians and patients.

¹ Assistant Deputy Minister in the BC Ministry of Children and Families.