Nova Scotia Health has started transporting boxes of paper health records of Nova Scotians to Ontario for digitization by a private company. A Nova Scotia Health staff member revealed to CBC News that 900 boxes of records are being sent to Iron Mountain in Toronto for scanning and conversion into electronic format. The employee’s identity is being protected due to concerns about potential job repercussions.
The decision to move the records out of the province could create health risks for patients, according to the employee. Normally, in cases like emergency department visits, physicians can request and access patient records within 24 hours. However, if the records are in transit or awaiting scanning in another province, delays could impact patient care significantly.
The employee criticized the outsourcing of the digitization work, stating that there are capable individuals within the province who could handle the task. The urgency to digitize a backlog of 22,000 inches of records, linked to the upcoming One Person One Record (OPOR) initiative, is believed to be the driving force behind the decision.
Nova Scotia Health clarified that the record transportation to Ontario is not directly tied to the OPOR initiative and mentioned its long-standing business relationship with Iron Mountain Canada. The health authority stated that interprovincial transportation of paper and digital records has been a standard procedure for over a decade.
Concerns have been raised by the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union regarding the privacy and security of personal health information being sent out of the province. The union also expressed discontent over the outsourcing of work that could be handled by local employees.
In response to the concerns, Nova Scotia Health acknowledged the backlog issue and mentioned efforts to address it by increasing staff, offering overtime, and redistributing work within the province. The health authority emphasized that the decision to send records to Ontario was to ensure timely access to medical information for patients and their care providers.
The outsourcing plan has led to the union filing a grievance against Nova Scotia Health, highlighting the potential risks associated with shipping sensitive documents outside the province. Despite these concerns, Nova Scotia Health defended its approach, stating that Iron Mountain has a history of securely handling record transportation.