A government-funded non-profit responsible for a failed $300-million digital prescription program paid its chief executive officer nearly $900,000 a year so that his compensation would be on par with that of leaders of downtown Toronto hospitals, the non-profit\u2019s board chair told MPs.<\/p>\n
Michael Green, who was dismissed as CEO of Canada Health Infoway last week, was also allowed to hire a former colleague as chief financial officer in an interim role through a non-competitive process, the House of Commons health committee heard Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The CFO has held that interim post for more than two years. <\/p>\n
Peter Vaughan, chair of the board of Canada Health Infoway, defended PrescribeIT to the committee as a \u201ctechnological success,\u201d despite plans to shut it down at the end of the month. He said less than 5 per cent of prescriptions flowed through the service only because provinces did not either force doctors to use it or financially incentivize them to do so.<\/p>\n
Non-profit behind failed PrescribeIT program spent more than $400,000 on executive travel in three years<\/a><\/p>\n Canada Health Infoway launched PrescribeIT in 2017 as part of \u201caxe the fax\u201d initiatives to replace fax machines with digital alternatives, in this case transmitting prescriptions from doctors\u2019 offices to pharmacies digitally. More than $298-million in federal funds have been spent on the program so far.<\/p>\n Dr. Vaughan and a senior advisor for Canada Health Infoway told the committee that the non-profit had hoped 75 per cent of prescriptions would eventually go through PrescribeIT. <\/p>\n The health committee has been probing PrescribeIT after a Globe and Mail report revealed the program\u2019s problems with low uptake. After that story, Ottawa announced it was closing PrescribeIT. The platform is set to shut down later this month. <\/p>\n On April 21, Mr. Green testified at the committee, but provided few answers to MPs\u2019 questions. He was dismissed from his role at what Dr. Vaughan described as a hastily scheduled board meeting on April 29.<\/p>\n Dr. Vaughan, a former deputy health minister of Nova Scotia and medical doctor, denied Mr. Green was removed because of his committee appearance. He said the organization had wanted to make a leadership change anyway because its mandate was shifting.<\/p>\n Ottawa expects Canada Health Infoway to help implement new national standards on electronic medical records after passage of Bill S-5, which is currently before the Senate.<\/p>\n Conservative MPs call for A-G probe into federal spending on failed digital prescription program<\/a><\/p>\n On Mr. Green\u2019s pay for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which was set at $616,700 in base salary, $215,845 in bonuses and $51,569 in taxable benefits, including a car allowance, Dr. Vaughan said that hospitals are also non-profits and have comparable salaries.<\/p>\n \u201cThe short answer is that we look at the environment in which we worked, with the comparator groups around health IT, pharmaceuticals and hospital administration in Ontario and particularly downtown Toronto,\u201d Dr. Vaughan said. \u201cThat\u2019s the comparator groups that are looked at.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Ontario\u2019s public salary disclosures, the University Health Network CEO earned a $883,097.20 salary plus $93,927.19 in taxable benefits in 2024. Unity Health Toronto\u2019s top boss earned $775,117.95 in salary and $27,053.29 in taxable benefits. <\/p>\n Both organizations run multiple hospital sites with thousands of employees. Canada Health Infoway disclosed it had 175 employees in 2024-25.<\/p>\n When asked about Mr. Green\u2019s severance, Dr. Vaughan said that was an active discussion between lawyers.<\/p>\n