Better Outcomes Registry & Network

BORN Ontario, also known as the Better Outcomes Registry & Network, is a provincial perinatal health registry that collects, manages, and analyses data on pregnancies, births, and newborn outcomes from hospitals, midwives, and other health‑care providers across Ontario. Its core services include the routine capture of maternal and infant health information, the production of standardized reports for surveillance and quality improvement, and the provision of de‑identified data sets for research and public‑health planning. By linking perinatal records with other administrative health data, the organization enables trend analysis, outcome benchmarking, and evaluation of interventions aimed at improving maternal and child health.

The organization’s reach is substantial, as it maintains perinatal health information for over three million individuals in Ontario—a figure highlighted by the MOVEit incident in May 2023 that exposed approximately 3.4 million records related to pregnancy and newborn care. This extensive data set covers a large proportion of the province’s births and provides a longitudinal view of maternal‑infant health that spans multiple years. BORN Ontario’s province‑wide scope allows it to serve as a central repository for health‑system planners, clinicians, and policymakers who rely on its standardized metrics to monitor performance and identify areas for improvement.

Distinguishing attributes of BORN Ontario include its exclusive focus on perinatal health, its status as a mandated provincial surveillance system, and its recognized expertise in data linkage, privacy protection, and analytical reporting. The registry’s specialization enables it to capture detailed clinical variables such as prenatal screening results, mode of delivery, neonatal intensive care admissions, and congenital anomalies, which are not routinely available in broader health‑data sources. Its role as a trusted, authoritative source is reinforced by rigorous governance structures, adherence to Ontario’s health‑information privacy legislation, and ongoing collaboration with the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health and the Ontario Ministry of Health.

Structurally, BORN Ontario operates as a not‑for‑profit entity that receives core funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health. It is administered as a program of the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health and is hosted by the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), which provides the technical and administrative infrastructure necessary to maintain the registry’s data holdings and support its stakeholder network. This arrangement ensures that the organization remains accountable to provincial health objectives while benefiting from the operational support of a major pediatric health‑care centre.