GTA Launch of Telehealth Ontario

The Province of Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has commenced a new telephone dial-up round-the-clock health information line called Telehealth Ontario, which is available to more than six million people in the Greater Toronto Area. Nurses use sophisticated software and computer databases of health information to help them answer questions and provide advice. They also can connect callers quickly to services like 911, poison information centres or a medication information line staffed by pharmacists. Callers can be connected to the service’s audiotape library for more detailed information on a wide variety of topics. The nurses are also able to fax information to hospital emergency rooms. As a result of a request for proposals process, Clinidata Corporation Inc. was selected by the province to provide the 416/905 service.

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP acted for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, with a team consisting of Rob Granatstein, Marcia Cooper, Graham McLeod and Trudi Pye (corporate/commercial), Judy Wilson and Joel Richler (procurement) and Lisa Abe (information technology and intellectual property). Blakes advised the Ministry on all aspects of the telecare service, including procurement and commercial issues, systems, software and database issues, intellectual property ownership and licensing issues, trademark registrations and source code escrow. Blakes also acted as the Ministry’s RFP co-ordinator. Miller Thomson LLP advised Clinidata Corporation in its negotiations with the Ministry, and in matters related to software licensing, source code escrow and operational set-up, with a team comprising David Buchanan and Robert Stewart (corporate/commercial), Joshua Liswood (health law), Eamonn Flaherty (technology licensing) and Peter Prattas (leasing).