PrescribeIT was launched in 2017 as part of Ottawa's 'axe the fax' initiatives to replace fax machines with digital alternatives in sending prescriptions between doctors and pharmacists.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
The Auditor-General of Canada has turned down a parliamentary committee’s request to audit the failed $298-million digital prescription program PrescribeIT because Health Canada is planning a separate review of the federally funded non-profit Canada Health Infoway, which ran the program.
The Conservatives say they are disappointed with the decision of Auditor-General Karen Hogan because they are not sure the government review will be comprehensive enough.
The Auditor-General is an independent officer of Parliament who holds government organizations accountable for how they spend public funds.
Canada Health Infoway launched PrescribeIT in 2017 as part of “axe the fax” initiatives to replace fax machines with digital alternatives for sending prescriptions between doctors and pharmacists. Nearly $300-million in federal funds went into PrescribeIT over the years.
But the program was shut down in most of the country in May because fewer than 5 per cent of prescriptions flowed through it, as The Globe and Mail revealed earlier this year.
The program has been a subject of hearings at the House of Commons health committee in recent months. The long-time chief executive officer of Infoway, Michael Green, was dismissed by the organization’s board after a troubled appearance at the health committee in April.
Opinion: An urgent prescription for our ailing Canadian health care system
On April 28, Liberal, Conservative and Bloc Québécois members of Parliament voted unanimously to ask the Auditor-General to review PrescribeIT, including its costs and governance.
Separately, on June 18, Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced the government would launch a multi-phase review of Canada Health Infoway, beginning with a third-party audit and then a wider strategic review of Infoway’s operations.
On Tuesday, Ms. Hogan wrote to the health committee to say that she has carefully considered the request and at this time believes an audit from her office would be duplicative of the government’s efforts and offer “limited added value for parliamentarians and Canadians.”
“Once Health Canada’s review has been completed, we will assess the need for any additional audit work by my office,” Ms. Hogan said in the letter.
Ms. Michel’s office has not yet announced any details of Health Canada’s review, such as its timeline or who the third-party auditor will be.
Her spokesperson Alexandre Bergeron did not have any more details on Tuesday but said the review will ensure Canadians have confidence that public funds are being spent effectively.
“The Auditor-General’s statement confirms that our government took the right approach by launching this independent review of Infoway,” Mr. Bergeron said in an e-mail.
The Globe has previously reported on concerns about Canada Health Infoway’s spending, such as the CEO’s nearly $900,000 in annual compensation and millions spent on consultants.
Conservative MP Dan Mazier, who has led his party’s investigations of Infoway on the health committee, said he was disappointed in the Auditor-General’s decision.
Mr. Mazier pointed out Health Canada is the department that has been funding Canada Health Infoway and has a seat on its board of directors.
He said there is no indication the government will probe PrescribeIT’s failure in-depth.
“That means Canadians may never know where $300-million went, and who, if anyone, will be held responsible for this failure,” he said.
Canada Health Infoway did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Interim chief executive officer Abhi Kalra previously told The Globe in a statement that the organization is committed to working constructively with the government on the review.
PrescribeIT closed down in nearly all of Canada at the end of May, but a pilot project in Quebec’s Eastern Townships is continuing through the summer.