Digital Health in Canada

Canada's digital health landscape is shaped not just by technology, but by the relationships between governments, communities, and the people delivering care. Today, our leaders guide us through partnership and policy, care and collaboration, and how we can move health care forward together.

Guests:

• Elizabeth Toller, Director General, Health Care Strategies, Health Canada
• Dr. François de Wet, Territorial Chief of Staff, Nunavut

· Learn more:

• Bill S-5: The Connected Care for Canadians Act
• Working Together bilateral agreements

Summary:

• 00:46 Meet the Guests
• 03:49 Bill S-5 and Regulation
• 05:00 Nunavut's Interoperability Landscape
• 11:11 Impacts of (Dis)connected Care
• 14:08 Policy Signals and Standards
• 17:49 Pan-Canadian Wins
• 22:12 Stories That Stick
• 29:16 Five-Year Vision Forward

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Every health system is shaped by the choices it makes—and the ones it avoids. In this episode, two international leaders reflect on the decisions that transformed digital health in their countries, the trade‑offs that came with them, and the insights they're drawing from Canada's own journey.

Guests:

• Päivi Sillanaukee, Special Envoy for Health and Wellbeing, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland
• Kate Ebrill, Interoperability Lead, National Lead Sparked, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Summary:

00:21 Meet The Guests

04:32 Canada And Australia Compared

05:52 Finland's Foundational Decisions

10:40 Modernizing With FHIR

12:07 Federated Data And Innovation

16:51 Trust And Patient Rights

25:56 EU Health Data Space Lessons

27:47 Closing Thanks And Reflections

28:07 Post eHealth Debrief

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

As technology rapidly changes and a health human resource crisis continues, it is critical for our health systems to adapt, innovate, and lead with compassion. Today, our guests reflect on the balance between technological intelligence and human connection, and how humans and AI can amplify each other's strengths – so everyone can thrive.

Guests:

• Jimmy Yang, Managing Director-Canada Health Industry and Portfolio Lead, Accenture
• Dr. Andy Smith, President and CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Summary:

00:00 Live at eHealth

00:35 Meet the Guests

03:12 Purpose and Partners

03:56 Why Humans and AI

09:25 Ambition and Diversity

12:26 Coalitions and Guardrails

16:11 Supporting the Workforce

20:34 AI Costs and Humanity

25:33 Hopes and Wrap Up

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

AI is opening new doors in care delivery, but its true impact depends on how people experience and shape it. Explore how clinicians build confidence in new tools, why some solutions thrive while others stall, and what health leaders can do to bridge the gap.

Guests:

• Dr. Samuel Gareau-Lajoie, family physician; Partner, Vetted Medical
• Dr. Payal Agarwal, family physician; Chief Medical Information and Innovation Officer, Waterloo Regional Health Network; Provincial Clinical Lead, Digital Health, Ontario Health

Learn More:

• Care for Tech/Soignons La Tech
• Ontario AI Scribe Program

Summary:

00:12 Introducing Our Guests

05:22 First AI in Practice

09:43 Building Clinician Trust

12:08 Adoption by Unexpected Users

15:40 Patients and Dr ChatGPT

17:34 Beyond Scribes Use Cases

19:33 AI Literacy and Privacy

21:17 Future Hopes and Wrap

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

AI has incredible potential to transform care – but what does that look like in practice, and what is the potential value for health systems and organizations? Today, we invite two leaders to explore the rapidly changing AI landscape and how leaders can support effective - and strategic - implementation.

Guests:

• Julien Billot, Chief Executive Officer, SCALE AI
• Matt Gallagher, Director, Business Development Health Division (Ontario), Airudi

Learn More:

• SCALE AI
• Airudi
• Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy

Summary:

00:28 Meet the Guests

06:19 Health Projects Focus

08:25 Beyond the Chatbot Hype

10:42 Talk Business Not AI

16:12 Change Management That Sticks

21:42 When AI Is Not the Answer

25:07 Rethink Processes for Big Gains

28:00 Closing Reflections and Wrap-Up

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

When it comes to high-quality care, technology accelerates possibility—and people determine impact. In this episode, our guests explore the skills that leaders need to bring out the best of a tech-enabled world, and help make sure that the future of care in Canada is both high-tech and high-quality.

Guests:

• Dr. Jennifer Zelmer, President and CEO, Healthcare Excellence Canada
• Dr. Kendall Ho, Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, & Medical Director, HealthlinkBC 811 Virtual Physician Service

Learn More:

• Healthcare Excellence Canada
• HealthLinkBC 811 Virtual Physician Service

Summary:

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

04:31 Defining Quality Care

08:13 Safety Sets the Pace

10:23 Analogies for Guardrails

14:52 Co Design With Patients

15:48 Fixing Human Problems

16:41 High Performing Systems

21:59 Leader Playbook for Change

27:06 Developing Trust Based Leaders

32:00 Digital Health in One Word

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Why is Generative AI (GenAI)—AI that can create content in response to a user's prompt or request—so different from other technologies in health? Listen to this episode for thoughts on what you need to know to prepare yourself and your team for a GenAI world.

Guests

• Dr. Zayna Khayat, applied health futurist and keynote speaker with affiliations at AMS Healthcare, the Rotman School of Management, Deloitte, and Teladoc Health
• Will Falk, Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute; Executive-in-Residence at the Rotman School of Management; CSA Public Policy Fellow at the CSA Group

Learn More:

• AI in Action: Transforming Clinical Care Across Canada Environmental Scan

Summary

00:14 Welcome to the Podcast

03:56 Why AI Feels Different

04:16 GenAI vs Predictive vs Agentic

06:00 AI Empowered Patients

09:14 New Interoperability Reality

10:17 From Digital to AI Systems

19:51 Leadership Skills for AI Era

25:17 Mindset Shifts

28:38 One Word Takeaways

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

What does it take to protect a key strategic asset— our health data — in an era of accelerating AI? In this episode, we explore why data sovereignty is a strategic imperative for Canada, and the digital health future we stand to build — or lose.

Guests:

• Dr. Kumanan Wilson, Specialist in General Internal Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital; Chief Executive Officer/Chief Scientific Officer, Bruyère Health Research Institute; Vice President Research & Academic Affairs, Bruyère Health; and Chief Scientific Officer of CANImmunize Inc.
• Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa.

Learn More:

Ensuring the sovereignty and security of Canadian health data

The catch-22 of Canadian digital sovereignty

e-Health Conference and Tradeshow

Summary:

00:00 Why Canada's health data matters in the age of AI

01:41 Kumanan's journey: from public health to building an immunization app

03:38 Michael Geist's path: law, tech policy, privacy & data

05:22 Defining data sovereignty

09:40 When laws collide

15:27 Health benefit vs economic benefit

20:43 Practical safeguards and strategies

26:23 Learning from global examples

30:15 Closing reflections

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

AI scribes have been piloted in multiple provinces and territories – but what's the verdict so far? We explore the data, the potential impacts…and the balance between hype and hope.

Guests:

• Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya, Frigon Blau Chair in Family Medicine Research and Director, Women's College Hospital Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care
• Simon Hagens, Consultant; Adjunct Professor, University of Ottawa

Learn More:

Clinical Evaluation of Artificial Intelligence and Automation Technology to Reduce Administrative Burden in Primary Care (WIHV)

Canada Health Infoway AI Scribe Program

Summary:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:16 Introduction to AI Scribes

00:28 Meet the Experts: Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya and Simon Hagens

04:08 AI Scribes: Initial Studies and Findings

06:23 Scaling AI Scribes: Challenges and Successes

14:03 Long-Term Evaluation and Data Quality

16:31 Patient Experience and AI Scribes

19:43 Future of AI in Healthcare

25:08 Patient-Driven AI

30:44 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

·

What is possible if we unlock the full potential of health data in Canada? Across the digital health sector, organizations are striving to move us from silos to seamless systems. In today's conversation, two leaders share what excites them about this transformation, what's at stake, and what it means for our health – and our health systems.

Guests:

• Dr. Anderson Chuck, President & CEO, Canadian Institute for Health Information
• Dr. Fahad Razak, co-founder, GEMINI; Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics, University of Toronto

Learn More:

Summary of CIHI's Transformation Plan

GEMINI

Artificial intelligence at Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada

Episode Summary:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

01:20 Dr. Anderson Chuck's Leadership Journey

03:23 Dr. Fahad Razak's Leadership Journey

07:26 The Culture Problem in Digital Health

10:28 CIHI's Transformation Agenda

15:19 Canada's Unique Strengths in Health Data

25:06 The Urgency of Innovation

27:35 Collaborations and Success Stories

37:22 Leadership and Vision for the Future

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.