Canada is investing about $15 million to develop artificial intelligence in health care, which federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne calls a “game changer” to improve the industry’s ability to serve patients.
Champagne says the funding will be invested through the ministry’s Vancouver-based technology cluster program in five medical technology companies, creating technology that automates certain tasks to improve care.
The AI initiative, known as Project Health Compass II, will use the $15.3 million federal investment as leverage to secure additional investments from partners to support the total budget of $44 million.
Technologies developed under the program include a “patient-facing virtual agent” that is expected to improve patient engagement by 30%, as well as automation that streamlines administrative tasks and clinical documentation.
Companies developing the technology say implementing AI automation can free up time for doctors each day to see more patients or take breaks to maintain their well-being and service delivery.
Champagne says the latest investment builds on an initial $3.1 million in funding in 2022 for integrating AI into electronic medical records under the original Health Compass program.
“This is a technology that we can use today,” Champagne said at the investment announcement in Vancouver.
“I think that’s what people want to see, more efficient delivery, making sure their doctor has access to cutting-edge information, making sure they can look at the data and making sure we can help more people… that’s the game changer in how we’re going to deliver health care.”