The number of Canadian Provinces to adopt the Vitalware Vital Records Management System has risen to four with New Brunswick joining Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan.
To replace the outdated system managing Life Event data in New Brunswick, Services New Brunswick (SNB) went to tender for a modern system built with a proven technology and methodology. SNB had stringent and exacting requirements both for the replacement system and its provider.
The provider had to demonstrate a capability to perform data conversion, configuration, integration, training, and installation, and to support services for testing, as well as implementation and post-implementation activities. The extensive list of requirements for the system included an interface to the National Routing System (NRS), and the capability to operate in multiple languages as New Brunswick is constitutionally bilingual (English and French).
SNB has a long term goal of being a fully electronic Vital Statistics Registry and therefore kept one eye on the future when identifying a suitable replacement system. At the very least the system had to provide online registration for use by hospitals, funeral homes, clergy, and coroners; online tracking of applications by the public; online registration of persons authorised to solemnise marriage; online public access to historical records; and electronic validation for the delivery of a government service to New Brunswickers that require confirmation of name and / or birth date.
Services New Brunswick selected KE Software (an Axiell Group company) to implement and support the Vitalware Vital Records Management System due to KE and Vitalware’s proven ability to meet these requirements and more.
As each new Canadian Province comes on board with Vitalware, strengthening the network and guaranteeing ongoing development and support for the software, the benefits to each Province accrue. Obvious benefits include the ease with which data can be exchanged between the Vitalware systems managed by the Provinces. Costs for extending functionality (NRS is adding stillbirths for instance) or of adding new functionality common to each jurisdiction are shared, greatly reducing the cost to each Province. Axiell runs regular user group meetings at which participants share knowledge and experience; as the network grows, so do the opportunities and benefits of networking. At the user group meetings participants have an opportunity to provide input into the direction that Vitalware development takes.
Vitalware is the world’s leading Vital Records Management System, installed in vital statistics offices in eight countries, including Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, Australia, and New Zealand. Globally, Vitalware manages over 100 million vital records and processes more than two million transactions annually.
