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"E-health compares the drug to other drugs dispensed to you over the past six months from any pharmacy in the prov- ince. If there is any potential interaction between the current drug and another one, [the system] will pop up an alert to the pharmacist," says McLaren. Another benefit is better control of health-care costs. If the results of all lab tests done in each province are com- puterized, duplicate testing can be pre- vented. "If you go to a walk-in clinic because your doctor is on vacation and the [clin- ic] doctor didn't know you'd recently had a lab test for hemoglobin, they'd order another one and you'd have to give blood again. With a computerized lab information system, doctors can look and see that you'd had that test a month ago and there's no reason to do it again. The system makes the right information available to providers at the right time," she says. McLaren says one of her roles is to conduct privacy impact assessments on electronic systems under development. She looks at the impact on the privacy of the individual, how much informa- tion is being collected, and whether it's excessive. "Over the years, the 'nice to have' principle has ruled. It said, 'Let's collect all sorts of data we might need down the road.' That went out the window when the Personal Health Information Act was passed in 1997," she says. Her team is starting to conduct the assessments early in the planning stages of a project and she says the goal is to have a list of a patient's prescriptions, lab results, immunizations, MRI results, and X-rays in an electronic format in two years. Jabs says in-house lawyers have played a vital role as the e-health sec- tor has grown, in particular with the legal framework created by Bill 24, the E-Health Act, which governs personal health information access and the pro- tection of privacy. "The E-Health Act is another step towards faster, safer health care in a secure electronic environment. It provides a legislative framework for governing the collection, use, and dis- closure of personal health information in electronic health records." IH Parallel Importation A controversial subject touching on international trade policy, competition law and intellectual property rights This unique and comprehensive tool for identifying and litigating parallel import cases uses an unbiased, multi- disciplinary approach to exploring the tensions, issues and arguments. Use it to negotiate the boundaries of intellectual property, competition and international trade law. Parallel Importation incorporates both practical and theoretical perspectives. Key cases are summarized and discussed with reference to relevant legislation from Canada, the United States and the European Union. Expand your clients' opportunities with the only resource that deals with parallel importation from a Canadian perspective. This often murky area of law is addressed with reference to law, economics and business to provide a clear, incisive analysis. ORDER your copy today Hardbound • Approx. 250 pp • October 2009 • Approx. $95 P/C 0177010000 • ISBN 978-0-88804-492-1 For a 30-day, no-risk evaluation call: 1.800.565.6967 Canada Law Book is a Division of The Cartwright Group Ltd • Prices subject to change without notice, to applicable taxes and shipping & handling. MacGillivray_Parallel Importation (CL 1-2).indd 1 INHOUSE OCTOBER 2009 • CL1009 8/24/09 1:44:30 PM 35 Rose Ann MacGillivray