End of e-prescription service PrescribeIT: Canada plans switch to open system
With the end of PrescribeIT, a central e-prescription service is ending. In the future, providers are to develop their own solutions based on an open standard.
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The e-prescription service “PrescribeIT” will be discontinued in Canada at the end of May 2026. This is according to information from the publicly funded organization Canada Health Infoway, which operates the system. PrescribeIT is, unlike the e-prescription in Germany, a voluntary service and is considered a central, nationwide coordinated e-prescription service, while other solutions are mostly regional or tied to individual software providers.
Infoway cites a lack of a long-term sustainable financing model and overall low adoption rates as reasons in a statement. Several media outlets such as Canadian Healthcare Network also report that PrescribeIT has not achieved the required adoption in the healthcare system. Instead of continuing a central platform, the organization plans to introduce an open national standard for electronic prescriptions, which is to be provided from May 1, 2026.
Infoway further states that this standard will enable various software providers to develop their own, interoperable solutions. The goal is to promote competition and facilitate integration into existing systems.
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Meanwhile, doctors are pointing to practical challenges during the transition. Speaking to Canadian broadcaster CBC, a family doctor from Ontario said that PrescribeIT currently enables fast electronic transmission of prescriptions and processing of renewals directly in the patient record. Without an immediately available replacement system, practices might have to revert to other methods such as fax. Several doctors told CBC that this could lead to a return to fax communication in daily practice.
(mack)
