Telus Expands Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Business

TELUS Health has acquired the electronic medical record (EMR) business operated by MD Practice Software LP, a member of the MD Physician Services Group and a subsidiary of the Canadian Medical Association. The acquisition of MD Practice Software LP, Ontario’s largest EMR provider, positions TELUS Health as Canada’s largest electronic medical record provider with some 7 million health records.

TELUS Health currently provides EMR systems in Western Canada and Quebec, and offers solutions to all major stakeholders in the health system, including physicians, hospitals, pharmacies and extended healthcare providers such as physiotherapists and chiropractors. Financial terms of this acquisition were not disclosed. 

The patient health record business has been slower to develop than expected. However, some analysts believe this area of consumer services will be significant for human and animal health as the future unfolds.

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Data Security Concerns Threaten Canada's Competitiveness

A recent survey conducted by TELUS and IDC Canada discovered misdirected concerns over data security and the limited knowledge of cloud computing are putting Canada's economic competitiveness at risk, as business leaders fail to adopt new cloud technologies.

The study showed the majority of Canadian organizations currently using cloud computing have said it has transformed the way they work, allowing them to re-focus resources on meeting strategic business objectives. 

Yet an astonishing 71% of Canadian businesses are risking their competitive edge because they will not embrace new technology, delivery models or allow their company to be transparent.

The study also revealed that Canadian businesses do not fully understand the value of cloud-based services. Many do not see the cost savings, improved functionality of IT systems, greater agility and improved customer responsiveness.

Why is this important to you?  Make sure that you don't lose the advantage of being an adopter of cloud computing, new delivery models or transparency in business dealings. 

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TELUS AND SANOFI LAUNCH WEB BASED DIABETES MANAGEMENT

TELUS Health has partnered with Sanofi Canada to launch STARsystem, a private Web-based platform that gives diabetics free anywhere, anytime access to personalized education and self-management health tools. The STARsystem platform is available to diabetics who purchase BGStar and iBGStar blood glucose monitors, both developed by Sanofi Canada. Following a simple, user-friendly format, users answer a series of preliminary questions to determine their level of knowledge about diabetes. This “triage” process then allows the system to suggest relevant and current content based on each patient’s preferences and expertise.


Why is this important?  It is yet another example of how web based services and cloud computing will be used to deliver personalized health services in the human area. Diabetes is becoming a significant issue as the average age of pets increases. Will consumers clamor for similar services to protect their companion animals? What will be the impact for Health Services in the companion animal industry? 


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TELUS and VOX Mobile Introduce Managed Mobility Services for Enterprises

TELUS and Vox Mobile, a provider of mobile IT services, have announced the launch of a suite of Managed Mobility Services (MMS) designed specifically for Canadian enterprises. 

TELUS Managed Mobility Services, powered by Vox Mobile, manage an enterprise’s mobile infrastructure and devices from procurement to payment. Leveraging a growing trend in enterprises to adopt “Bring your Own Device” (BYOD) policies, the service offer a series of six individual service modules, providing an end-to-end service option for managing wireless devices on multiple platforms, from multiple carriers. 

For more information on this new offering for enterprises visit http://www.telus.com/mms.

 

Bell and Telus Announce Q3 Subscriber Numbers

In the third quarter of 2011, Bell and Telus added 198,749 voice and data subscribers to bring the combined voice and data subscribers of these two Canadian carriers to 14,580,596.


Bell added a total of 84,749 net new retail wireless voice and data subscribers. Bell’s total retail subscriber base is now 7,369,596, an increase of 3.4% for the last 12 months. The company’s subscriber base is now 79% postpaid and 21% prepaid.

TELUS added a total of 114,000 net new retail wireless voice and data subscribers in the third quarter, bringing its total retail subscriber base to 7,211,000, an increase of 5.2% for the last 12 months. The company’s subscriber base is now 83% postpaid and 17% prepaid.

Q2 Report shows Telus ahead of Bell at adding Subscribers

Q2 Bell:

• added 37,507 new net wireless subscribers
• total wireless subscriber base is now 7,283,847, an increase of 4.2% over the past 12 months
• total subscriber base was 78.5% postpaid and 21.5% prepaid
• smartphones represented 56% of postpaid gross activations in the quarter

Q2 TELUS:

• reported 94,000 new net wireless subscribers
• total wireless subscriber base is now 7,097,000, representing growth of 5.9% over the same time last year
• total subscriber base is was 82.4% postpaid and 17.6% prepaid
• smartphones represented 61% of postpaid gross additions in the quarter
• total postpaid smartphone subscribers are now 2,456,580.

WIRELESS CANADA TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE FEATURES M-HEALTH

Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association and Telus will showcase a suite of mobile solutions that span the spectrum of health care in Ottawa, 20 September 2011.

Solutions for acute care will illustrate how secure access to patient information in real-time from anywhere enables quicker diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Mobile solutions for home and community care will show how they simplify the work of mobile caregivers, reduce overall costs for home care organizations, and enable patients to stay in touch with their healthcare providers from anywhere and at any time without the need for costly and inconvenient visits to a hospital or clinic.

TELUS will also demonstrate how mobile solutions for self care help patients better manage their condition and facilitate their journey to improved health and wellness.  Free registration

Telus Models Unlimited On Demand Music Bundle for Clients

Skype creators offer Social Music service directly to Telus customers
TELUS and Rdio have announced the companies intend to enter into an agreement that will give TELUS smartphone customers the ability to subscribe to Rdio, an unlimited, on-demand social music service, with one-click billing directly to their existing TELUS account.

Rdio, founded by the creators of Skype, gives users instant access to a growing catalogue of nearly nine million songs. For $10/month, Rdio users can play any song, album, artist and playlist as many times as they like, without listening to advertising. Users also have access to new albums the day they are released.

With Rdio, users can follow friends, people with similar musical tastes, recording artists and other influencers to see what they are listening to, as well as collaborate on playlists. The new service is integrated with Facebook and Twitter, enabling users to share their favourite songs, albums and playlists with friends.  Read the release