February 2024 eTips Newsletter
Tips and advice on EMRs and digital health tools you can use NOW
OMD: Making Change Easier for You
Managing change, especially rapid technological change, can be daunting. This is where OntarioMD (OMD) comes in. We can help you navigate the evolving health-care landscape by sharing digital health best practices and offering complimentary EMR support from our experienced Advisors and Peer Leaders. We can help you with your workflow, EMRs and digital tools.
Our work doesn’t end there. We ensure your concerns about administrative burden are heard and advocate for solutions to address them.
Could AI scribe help?
We’ve undertaken an evaluation study, funded by the Ministry of Health (MOH) through Ontario Health (OH). Together with the eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE) and Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV), we will assess if artificial intelligence (AI) scribe technology can alleviate administrative burden in primary care. We’ve received a strong response from potential participants and appreciate your patience as we work through the selection process.
Does technology help or hurt in terms of burnout? Complete our survey to help us find out.
OMD has partnered with Dalhousie University, following its grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and compiled a burnout survey to determine the roles that technology plays, as mitigator and contributor, in clinician burnout. To help us better understand and address the issue of administrative burden, we invite you to
complete the administrative burnout survey by March 15.
Your feedback is vital to us – whether you’re new to the world of EMRs or other technologies, need guidance on how to optimize your EMR workflow or would like to share your thoughts on what is and isn’t working in your practice. No matter your need, OMD is committed to making any change, technological or otherwise, easier for you.
Tip from a Peer Leader
Using Software to Complete and Manage Forms
This month’s tip comes from Dr. Mark Dermer, a former OMD Physician Peer Leader. Read his post to learn about software programs that can help you complete and manage forms more effectively.
For more tips or advice from a Peer Leader, please contact
peer.leader.program@ontariomd.com.
Advice from the General Counsel and CPO
The Health-Care Industry Needs a Seat at the AI Development Table
Change is a constant in everyday life. AI technologies present a whole new level of change, with promising opportunities to enhance health care by reducing physicians’ administrative burden, assisting in the diagnosis of medical conditions, and improving patient outcomes.
To ensure AI technologies, such as AI scribes, align with health-care needs, it’s important that the health-care industry is involved in engaging vendors and regulators early. This includes creating a framework with defined principles for the development, provision and use of generative AI systems – for example, requiring that vendors comply with applicable laws and health-care regulations and conduct privacy impact and threat risk assessments.
The input and alignment of diverse stakeholders, including the health-care industry, in managing AI’s possibilities and risks will provide the groundwork for AI implementation and adoption, effectively and responsibly.
To learn more about the potential impact of AI on clinicians’ practices and other legal and regulatory developments, join us for the OMD Educates: Privacy & Security webinar on Feb. 28. Register today!
HRM Task Force Updates
COVaxON Vaccination Reports Survey
Do you want to continue receiving COVaxON vaccination reports via HRM?
Complete our COVaxON vaccination reports survey by Feb. 29 to let us know!
Hôpital Montfort and Bruyère Continuing Care are Live on HRM
As of January 2024, Hôpital Montfort and Bruyère Continuing Care began delivering reports through HRM® to community-based clinicians.
OMD Digital Health Services
New e-Referral Form for Halton Region Services and Supports for Children
OMD has created a new referral form that can be imported into Accuro®, OSCAR Pro and TELUS PS Suite EMRs to assist you with patient referrals to Halton Region Services and Supports for Children.
Visit OMDEducates.com to download the referral form.
Still Using Paper MTO Forms? There’s a Better Way!
With
eForms, OMD is making form completion easier for you. eForms are digital forms that you can complete from the convenience of your EMR. They are better than other digital forms in EMRs, which when submitted, arrive as faxes to the recipient. With eForms, you no longer need to fax paper or digital forms, only to have them sent back because they are outdated or have incomplete information. There are 16 forms available from the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), with more on the way!
Make form submission easier for yourself and
request eForms today!
Digital Health Drug Repository (DHDR): A Valuable Item in Your Patient Care Toolkit
It’s crucial for clinicians to know about dispensed medications that patients are taking to avoid adverse drug events. DHDR provides up-to-date information on drugs dispensed to patients, which you can access seamlessly through your EMR. Join the many clinicians who have access to DHDR. (Please note: DHDR is still not available to TELUS Health EMR users. Please speak to TELUS Health if you are their client and want access to DHDR.)
Contact
support@ontariomd.com or your local OMD Advisor to connect DHDR to your EMR.
OMD Digital Health Advocacy and Education
OMD advocates for physicians to ensure digital tools meet your practice and patient care needs. We present at many events and conferences to engage with you, your staff and other health system stakeholders.
Recent news:
What’s coming up:
Leverage Our Expertise to Meet Your OHT’s Digital Health Needs
OMD is involved with Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) in every area of Ontario. We deliver digital tools to clinicians in all OHTs. We can support clinicians in your OHT with:
- Training and education
- Change management and adoption of existing or new digital health tools
- Preventive care and integrated care pathway projects
Contact us at support@ontariomd.com to assist you to achieve your OHT’s goals.
OMDEducates.com: Your Digital Health Knowledge Repository Site
Bookmark our site if you’re looking for:
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Advice on EMRs and Digital Health Tools: Learn how the OMD Advisory Service can help you use these tools effectively.
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More Patient Data: Ask a question or sign up to receive drug information, hospital reports, and lab results through your EMR.
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Tools & Resources: e.g., EMR tools, ‘how to’ videos, EMR Communities of Practice, and more.
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Training & Education: e.g., Get Peer Leader advice, find out about upcoming educational events, watch recordings of past webinars, etc.
If you have a suggestion for a tool, training or resource you and your peers could use,
email us and you could see it on OMDEducates.com.
Looking for Ways to Improve Your Practice?
The Office of Continuing Professional Development at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, together with OMD, has announced the return of its popular workshop,
Essentials for Practice Improvement for Ontario Physicians. Join fellow clinicians looking to improve patient care and reduce costs in their practices.
Need Help with your EMR?
Your EMR should
be a benefit, not a burden. If you need help, our OMD Advisory Service can assist you!
We can help you use your EMR to better save you time and frustration.
We are experts in all OMD-certified EMRs! Through our
EMR Lab, we can develop tools and suggest helpful workflow improvements. We also offer
EMR Communities of Practice (CoP) that bring users and vendors together to leverage their collective wisdom to improve the use of EMRs and digital health tools.
Find out more about OMD EMR Communities of Practice and join the CoP for your EMR!
We can connect your EMR to
If you prefer to talk to a peer, our
Peer Leaders can also help you.
Contact support@ontariomd.com and help will soon be on the way!
We can help you protect your patient data through our
FREE CME-accredited online Privacy & Security training.
Important Reminders
Changing EMRs or Practices, Moving Your Practice?
OMD Needs to Know!
All EMR Users
Please notify OMD at support@ontariomd.com when switching to another EMR, moving offices or joining a different clinic. We also need to know if you’ve changed your email address or phone number.
HRM Users
If you’re moving, switching Internet providers, changing your Internet plan, or switching EMRs, your IP address may be changing and OMD needs to know! We need to update our records to make sure your EMR continues to receive patient reports through HRM.
Please notify OMD at support@ontariomd.com a minimum of 7 business days in advance of the change with a complete change request and a valid IP address to ensure you don’t experience any service interruptions.
Partner News
Working Together to Understand Administrative Burden
We teamed up with Dalhousie University on a survey to better understand the role that technology plays in administrative burden. Please lend your voice and
complete the administrative burnout survey by March 15.
The Ontario Health Cyber Security Centre’s Portal is Now Live!
The Ontario Health Cyber Security Centre’s Portal is your source for health-related cyber security information, training and more. The portal is an online digital hub for thought leadership, information and resources to help health service providers combat growing cyber threats in the provincial health sector. Follow the steps below to get started:
Step 1: Visit
cybersecurityontario.ca and register an account. Please note, access may take 1 to 2 business days. If you already have an account, please bypass this step.
Step 2: Once you have an active account, please visit the
health portal site to register for access to the Ontario Health’s Cyber Security portal. Scroll down to the middle of the homepage and click the “Register Now” button or click any of the header tabs to activate the registration form. Please note, membership access may take 1 to 2 business days.
Step 3: Once access has been granted, users can subscribe to receive healthcare focused cyber threat advisories. To join this opt-in list, please click theclick the “Register Now” button on the homepage featured under “Cyber Threat Advisory Subscriptions” section.
If you have questions, please
contact the Ontario Health Cyber Security Centre at cybersecurity@ontariohealth.ca.
Ontario Health’s New Secure Messaging Pilot
As of January 15, Ontario physicians may register to participate in a two-year patient-to-physician Secure Messaging Proof-of-Concept pilot led by the province. The pilot will run from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2026. The last date for physicians to register for participation is July 31, 2024. More information is available on the Ministry of Health website.
In more exciting news, Ontario Health has also released a new marketing toolkit for Health811 with downloadable materials that clinicians can use on their own platforms. Download the English toolkit or French toolkit.