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The following is a review of developments affecting health care in Canada

The information is updated the first week of every month - so ... make this a regular stop in your information gathering activities.

The following information has been compiled from publicly available sources, StratCom does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or the authenticity of the information and StratCom cannot be held liable for errors.

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Healthcare in Canada - July 1999

A team of researchers from the Canadian Bacterial Surveillance Network has shown that between 1993 and 1998, Canada experienced an increase in antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common cause of pneumonia, meningitis, ear infections, and sinus infections. In 1993-1994, only 1.5% of the S. pneumoniae samples tested were resistant to fluoroquinolones. By 1997-1998, 2.9% of bacteria samples were resistant to the drugs. Coincidentally, the use of fluoroquinolones rose from less than 1 prescription per 100 persons per year in 1988 to 5.5 per 100 in 1997.

A new chain of seven private health centers is planned for Calgary. The chain will be operated by YFMC Healthcare, a physician-driven medical management company that operates 18 primary care medical and other facilities in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. The first of the seven, a $9-million health-care center will be built in southeast Calgary and will have five or six family doctors, eventually rising to 10 to 12 as well as 24-hour care, an MRI, medical specialists and possibly a lab. Essential medical services would be billed to Alberta Health as in any other doctor's office.

Calgary Regional Health Authority has unveiled the first regional Clinical Information System in Canada, providing the organization with the ability to share patient data from three separate facilities; Foothills Medical Center, Peter Lougheed Centre and Rockyview General Hospital. Patient data that is needed for critical diagnostics and treatment decisions in the ICU and Cardiovascular ICU will now be accessible at any of the regional facilities using the QS5 Clinical Information System from GE Marquette Medical Systems.

Marcus Hollander, co-director of the National Evaluation of the Cost-Effectiveness of Home Care and president of Hollander Analytical Services Ltd. of Victoria, BC, in partnership with Dr. Neena Chappell, director of the University of Victoria's Centre on Aging are conducting a $1.5 million national home care study which is scheduled for completion in August 2000. According to Hollander, the goal of the study is to evaluate the extent to which home care is a cost-effective substitute for care in long-term care facilities, and the extent to which it is a cost-effective substitute for acute care. For more information see www.homecarestudy.com.

The Canadian Blood Services (CBS) has initiated pre-storage leukoreduction procedures for all of the blood collected at all 14 of its blood centers across Canada. The procedure will filter not only platelets, but also red cells to remove leukocytes from the units. This process will replace the current process usually conducted at hospital bedsides.

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* Healthcare in Canada - June 1999
* Healthcare in Canada - May 1999
* Healthcare in Canada - April 1999
* Healthcare in Canada - March 1999
* Healthcare in Canada - Febuary 1999
* Healthcare in Canada - January 1999
* Healthcare in Canada - December 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - November 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - October 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - September 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - August 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - July 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - June 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - May 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - April 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - March 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - February 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - January 1998
* Healthcare in Canada - July 1997
* Healthcare in Canada - June 1997
* Healthcare in Canada - May 1997
* Healthcare in Canada - April 1997
* Healthcare in Canada - March 1997
* Healthcare in Canada - February 1997
* Healthcare in Canada - January 1997
* Healthcare in Canada - December 1996
* Healthcare in Canada - November 1996
* Healthcare in Canada - October 1996
* Healthcare in Canada - September 1996
* Healthcare in Canada - August 1996
* Healthcare in Canada - July 1996
* Healthcare in Canada - June 1996

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