Abstract

According to e-business industry analysts, the healthcare e-commerce sector is on the verge of exploding in the United States. Recent estimates forecast that it could become a $370 billion (US) business by 2004.1 The reason for this anticipated growth is an unprecedented IT build-up by participants in the healthcare sector, particularly in the last two years. In Canada, healthcare e-commerce also appears to be poised to undergo a period of rapid expansion, which will undoubtedly be promoted by federal, provincial and territorial initiatives aimed at creating a legal infrastructure to facilitate e-commerce transactions.2 This article examines the key features of legislation currently in place or in the process of being adopted across Canada, and its implications for healthcare e-commerce in this country.