The province of Manitoba faces a number of challenges both in terms of delivery of care and the implementation of eHealth initiatives. With nearly 60 per cent of all inhabitants residing in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, one of eleven RHA’s in the province, a common practice is to develop projects and data hosting within the region, and follow a centralized model for provincial roll-out. Staffing in the rural parts of the province has also become a significant issue, as many of the physicians trained in the province are drawn to the metropolitan centres to pursue their careers. Despite these challenges, Manitoba still emerges as a leader in more ways than one. For example, the Winnipeg RHA physicians are being connected to the first Canadian online tool designed to help them identify and create a short list of medical specialists for patient referrals, a registry called the Catalogue of Specialized Services (CSS).
