Quebec begins transition to Digital Health Records with overnight rollout
Posted May 9, 2026 11:42 am.
Last Updated May 9, 2026 1:14 pm.
The Digital Health Record (DSN), which has faced criticism in recent weeks over security breaches and technical issues, was finally launched early Saturday at the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and the CIUSSS de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec.
Health Minister Sonia Bélanger wrote in a post on social media at 4 a.m. Saturday morning, the time the DSN was rolled out, that she knows “the coming weeks will require a lot of adjustment.”
“There will be adjustments. Challenges. Possibly bugs and glitches. That is the reality of any major change in a network as vast and complex as ours, but it is the right thing to do,” she stated.
The rollout of the pilot project in the two “showcase” CIUSSSs is expected to cost $400 million. To date, according to the “Quebec Government Information Resources Project Dashboard,” $329 million of the planned $400 million has been spent.
Santé Québec reported that 3,200 “superusers” are supporting health-care professionals in this pilot project. An operational update on the project’s progress is expected from Santé Québec on Saturday afternoon.
The pilot project in the two CIUSSSs has been widely criticized in recent weeks, both by the opposition and by healthcare professionals.
Ultimately, the DSN will be expanded to the entire health-care network. The digitization project is expected to cost between $1.5 billion and $3 billion and aims to merge no fewer than 400 different computer systems.
Santé Québec said in a press release on Friday that once the DSN is fully deployed, operating costs for the new system are expected to be $100 million per year. The agency assures, however, that this IT solution will ultimately save at least $120 million annually.
The “Dashboard” describes the DSN as “a major departure from traditional systems.”
The system “replaces faxes, paper forms, and manual scanning with a smart, seamless, and interoperable digital platform.”
It is a daily work tool that “allows clinicians to receive real-time alerts, avoid duplicate tests, better coordinate care, and improve patient safety. It transforms clinical, support, and administrative practices, while empowering citizens.”
Managers will also have “real-time access to information from the DSN, allowing them to monitor operations and effectively support teams.”
– With information from Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
