Print
EmailIn 2024, PrescribeIT® advanced its mission to transform e-prescribing across Canada, strengthening connections between healthcare providers, pharmacies, and jurisdictions to elevate patient care. Guided by a commitment to innovation, collaboration, and sustainability, PrescribeIT® is driving digital healthcare forward while laying the groundwork for lasting progress. This year’s accomplishments reflect a strong dedication to improving connections and streamlining care nationwide.
PrescribeIT by the Numbers
20,784 (+28.4%)
Prescribers enrolled
8,540 (+7.4%)
Pharmacies enrolled
4,747 (+10.8%)
Clinics enrolled
11 hospital sites
Hospitals deployed
28,453,184 (+60.8%)
Billable Transactions
123,640,166 (+58.5%)
Total Transactions
Expanding Hospital Networks
Hospitals have been instrumental in advancing PrescribeIT’s growth throughout the year, showcasing their desire to drive digital prescribing forward. In January, Humber River Hospital—a co-chair of the Meditech Collaborative, representing 16 Ontario-based hospital systems—committed to implementing PrescribeIT®. By May, Humber River Health achieved a major milestone by successfully launching the service in partnership with its Hospital Information System vendor, MEDITECH, marking a significant advancement for digital prescribing within hospital networks.
In February, the Group Health Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, a member of the Atlas Alliance Group of Hospitals, integrated PrescribeIT®. The seamless implementation empowered the hospital’s prescribers to adopt the service, resulting in more efficient workflows and enhanced patient care.
Further progress was made in August as Renfrew Victoria Hospital introduced PrescribeIT® in Ontario. By December, the Scarborough Health Network solidified this momentum by signing an agreement to integrate PrescribeIT® into the shared Hospital Information System of seven Central East Ontario hospitals servicing more than 1,000 doctors.
These achievements emphasize the important role of hospitals in scaling PrescribeIT® and shaping the future of digital healthcare across Canada.
“The practice of medicine has become increasingly fragmented, and the need for a more connected, collaborative approach to healthcare has never been more apparent. In my practice, using PrescribeIT®, an e-prescribing service, has significantly improved how I communicate with pharmacies. This eliminates the need for manual writing, logging, and faxing, and keeps all communication centralized.”
— Dr. Lino Lagrotteria, Family Physician
Strengthening Partnerships with EMR and PMS Vendors
Collaboration with electronic medical record (EMR) and pharmacy management system (PMS) vendors has been instrumental in extending PrescribeIT’s reach across clinics and pharmacies. Ava Industries demonstrated its commitment to this expansion by integrating PrescribeIT® into its EMR platform, enabling over 1,000 prescribers to access the service. Deployment of phase one functionality is set to commence in Alberta in early 2025.
In September, Microquest updated its platform to meet Alberta's mandatory indication of use requirements under the Tracked Prescription Program (TPP), further enhancing compliance and functionality. Similarly, in December, TELUS’ Collaborative Care Record EMR achieved a significant milestone with the introduction of clinical communication capabilities, bringing it substantially closer to full PrescribeIT® functionality.
October brought additional momentum as Logiciels Info-Data Inc. announced plans to integrate PrescribeIT® into its OFYS EMR system, underscoring the growing adoption of the service. Meanwhile, QHR Technologies achieved a significant milestone by selecting pilot sites for its Ontario launch, with a rollout scheduled for early 2025.
These integrations are driving measurable improvements in connected care, underscoring the transformative potential of PrescribeIT® in advancing digital healthcare nationwide.
“You don’t have to be tech-savvy to use PrescribeIT®! The user interface is intuitive, and it’s integrated seamlessly into my EMR without interrupting my workflow. Plus, the excellent training and support made the transition easy for both my team and me.”
— Dr. Soreya Dhanji, Family Physician
Supporting Indigenous Communities
This year, PrescribeIT® took meaningful steps to enhance access to e-prescribing in partnership with Indigenous communities. Alderville First Nations Health and Social Services in Roseneath, Ontario, and Pik River Health Sciences in Heron Bay became the first Indigenous communities in Ontario to implement PrescribeIT® through the Mustimuhw Information Solutions’ cEMR platform.
Jurisdictional Progress
PrescribeIT® reached significant milestones across multiple jurisdictions in 2024, advancing the adoption of e-prescribing nationwide. In March, Nunavut celebrated its first successful use of the service when an independent pharmacy received an electronic prescription from The Ottawa Hospital, marking a historic achievement for the territory. Meanwhile, Prince Edward Island completed its Phase 1 roll-out, enabling prescribers and pharmacies across the province to utilize PrescribeIT®, further enhancing connectivity and care delivery.
Newfoundland made substantial progress by accelerating its adoption efforts and transitioning into general deployment, solidifying PrescribeIT’s presence within its healthcare systems. PrescribeIT® is working with another jurisdiction to advance work on an initiative that will require the use of e-prescribing for controlled substances.
The momentum continued in Alberta as a clinical pharmacist at Lacombe Medical Clinic became the first Additional Prescribing Authorization (APA) designated pharmacist in Canada to send an e-prescription using PrescribeIT® through an EMR. This significant milestone marks an important step in optimizing e-prescribing for prescribers and their patients.
Quebec also made significant progress in 2024. The Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) officially launched a pilot project in May with Omnimed and Jean Coutu Group. At the end of November a site with McKesson was also launched.
Expanding Adoption in Community Pharmacies
PrescribeIT® continued to strengthen its presence within community pharmacies across Canada. Walmart successfully completed deployments in all active provinces, expanding its reach to 254 locations. Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws also advanced their adoption efforts, adding 55 new stores in Saskatchewan. Meanwhile, Sobeys extended PrescribeIT® to 32 locations in Manitoba and over 50 pharmacies in Newfoundland, further embedding the service into local healthcare ecosystems.
Momentum continues to build among banner and independent pharmacies, which experienced 13.2% growth in 2024. As an essential component of community pharmacy, independent pharmacies play a pivotal role in driving PrescribeIT's expansion and ongoing success.
For prescribers like Dr. Lynn McCallum, improved connection with pharmacies makes a clear difference.
“Now, pharmacists can reach out to me directly for routine prescription queries, allowing for quicker resolutions and improved patient satisfaction.”
Advancing a Sustainable Future for e-Prescribing
In 2024, a key focus for PrescribeIT® was to ensure the long-term sustainability of Canada’s national e-prescribing service. Infoway pursued three main strategies to achieve this goal.
First, collaboration with federal, provincial, and territorial jurisdictions aimed to explore a sustainable partnership model that supports ongoing investment in e-prescribing. Second, a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEOI) was launched to attract innovative partners who could help drive adoption while ensuring cost-efficiency. Finally, PrescribeIT® worked on aligning with the pan-Canadian interoperability roadmap to ensure seamless integration with Canada’s broader healthcare system.
Digital interoperability is the cornerstone of the future of healthcare. This year's discussions with Health Canada and provincial authorities have reinforced our commitment to ensuring that PrescribeIT® achieves lasting success.
Enhancing Service and Operations
PrescribeIT® is dedicated to enhancing its service and operations to deliver reliable, innovative, and user-centered solutions that support the evolving needs of healthcare providers, pharmacies, and jurisdictions nationwide. In 2024, PrescribeIT® reached a major milestone with the successful migration of its core service to Google Cloud. The transition improved system availability, redundancy, and scalability to meet the growing needs of users.
The year also saw the rollout of key new features designed to enhance functionality and support regulatory requirements. PrescribeIT® introduced support for Alberta’s Tracked Prescription Program (TPP), ensuring compliance with mandatory indication-of-use fields and enabling safer prescribing and dispensing practices.
Additionally, the integration of End User License Agreements (EULA) directly into vendor applications simplifies user onboarding, reduces administrative burdens, and enhances the overall user experience. The launch of RxStudio, a tool created to streamline conformance testing for point-of-sale vendors, further highlights PrescribeIT®’s dedication to fostering seamless vendor collaboration.
PrescribeIT® also completed development of its CRM and ERP systems, ensuring full readiness to support pharmacy invoicing and billing of pharmacy transactions beginning January 1, 2025 – a significant step forward in our journey.
Once again this year, PrescribeIT® exceeded its service level targets, reaffirming its reputation for exceptional reliability and performance. The service achieved an impressive average response time of 99.98% within one second (surpassing the 99% target), maintained 100% data accuracy, and delivered an average production solution availability of 99.96% (exceeding the 99.9% target). These results highlight PrescribeIT®’s unwavering commitment to delivering value to its users and strengthening the digital healthcare ecosystem.
Insights into PrescribeIT’s Impact
PrescribeIT® published a comprehensive resource document highlighting how the service enhances patient safety while driving efficiency for clinicians and the broader healthcare system. This document features evidence and testimonials from current users, illustrating the tangible benefits of PrescribeIT® for various stakeholder groups, both now and in the future. The resource is available on the Infoway Insights website here.
Looking Ahead
PrescribeIT® has become a vital part of Canada’s digital healthcare landscape, showcasing the power of collaboration, innovation, and dedication to patient care. In 2024, we strengthened connections among hospitals, pharmacies, Indigenous communities, and jurisdictions while advancing technology to simplify prescribing workflows and enhance patient safety.
Looking ahead, PrescribeIT® remains committed to streamlining healthcare for Canadians, ensuring sustainability, and fostering a healthier future. Together, we are connecting healthcare providers, pharmacies, and patients nationwide—building stronger relationships, driving innovation, and delivering a seamless, connected healthcare experience.