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January 2024 eTips Newsletter

Digital Health eTips 

From the CMO's Desk

Riding the Wave of Momentum into the New Year

The start of a new year can mean different things to different people. For some, it's a time to reflect on the past 12 months. For others, it's a fresh start with new goals. At OntarioMD (OMD), it's about riding momentum and picking up more steam. 

Last year, we made progress in leveraging digital health tools to reduce your administrative burden. This year, we're looking to raise the bar even higher (and minimize your burden even further). We'd like your feedback on COVaxON vaccination reports through HRM®. Please complete our short survey by Jan. 25 to tell us if you would like to keep receiving them.

OMD is also looking at unique solutions that will address your longstanding pain points and transform our health-care system. One potential solution is AI scribe technology. OMD is leading a project to better understand the value of AI scribe technology to clinicians in primary care and are looking for physicians and nurse practitioners to participate in an evaluation study. If you are interested in being considered as a candidate for this study or would like to know more about the project, please contact support@ontariomd.com.

Onward and upward!


Tip from a Peer Leader

Using Secure Messaging for Patient Communications

This month's tip comes from Dr. Anish Mody and Dr. Kevin Samson, OMD Physician Peer Leaders. Watch the webinar to learn about secure messaging as a patient communication alternative and its potential to save time and money and improve patient engagement.

If you'd like more tips or advice from a Peer Leader, please contact peer.leader.program@ontariomd.com.


Advice from the General Counsel and CPO

The Big Cost of a Privacy Breach in 2024: Is Your Clinic Protected?

The start of a new year typically brings about change, including new laws and regulations. OMD reminds you that, as of January 1, 2024, changes to the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) allow the province's Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) to penalize individuals or organizations who inappropriately access or share a patient's health information.  

This regulation gives the IPC options for how to address PHIPA breaches, with less severe remediation for unintentional infractions and fines for serious violations only (such as the authorized sale of personal health information).

To learn more about compliance with PHIPA and how to protect the privacy and security of your patients and your practice, we recommend that you take OMD's privacy and security training and share it with colleagues. Additional insights on the implications of these new changes will be provided in the OMD Educates: Privacy & Security webinar on Feb. 28. Register today!


OMD Digital Health Services

Erie St. Clair Hospitals Resume Delivery of HRM Reports

Following an October 2023 cyberattack on a service provider shared by Chatham Kent Health Alliance, Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Windsor Regional Hospital, Erie St. Clair Hospitals resumed the delivery of HRM reports in December. Many of the reports affected by the suspension of

electronic report delivery have been resent, however the hospitals will send additional reports as they scan and process them over the coming months. If you have a question about reports from Erie St. Clair hospitals, please contact them directly.


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!

Dr. Catherine Link uses eForms and says:

"eForms is easy to use. It's much nicer than the paper form since I didn't have to fill out the four pages having nothing to do with my patient. I submitted it, and then printed it and gave it to my patient so he has a copy. I thought the eForm hadn't saved for me but decided to take a chance. And now it is in my inbox! Exciting!"

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 more than 7,000 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.

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 understand each region's unique needs. We can help clinicians in your OHT with:

  • Training and education
  • Change management and adoption of digital health tools
  • Funding proposals to implement new digital health tools.
  • Improvement projects and population health management

Contact us at support@ontariomd.com to assist you to achieve your OHT's goals. 


OMDEducates.com: Your Digital Health Knowledge Repository Site

Visit and bookmark OMDEducates.com if you're looking for:

  • Advice on EMRs and Digital Health Tools: Learn how the OMD Advisory Service can help you use these tools effectively.
  • More Patient Data: Ask a question or sign up to receive drug information, hospital reports, and lab results through your EMR.
  • Tools & Resources: e.g., EMR tools, 'how to' videos, EMR Communities of Practice, and more.
  • 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, tell us and you could see it on OMDEducates.com.


Need Help with Your EMR?

Your EMR should be a benefit, not a burden to you. 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 drug information, eConsult, eForms, hospital reports, and lab results.

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.