March 2024 eTips Newsletter

Looking for ways to extract valuable patient insights from your EMR? View the video with OMD Peer Leader Dr. Philip Vandewalle to learn how your EMR can help with preventive screening and an overall population health approach. 

Advice from the General Counsel and CPO

As health-care professionals, you rely on a growing list of new digital health tools. OMD is here to help you realize the benefits as well as the risks of these technologies. Formed in collaboration with the Ontario Regional Security Operations Centres (RSOCs), OMD's Privacy & Security Training Module for the Health Care Sector includes cybersecurity content and scenarios informed by real-world experiences. We recommend taking the module annually to fulfill training requirements, keep up with the latest practices, and stay informed about contemporary cyberthreats. 

The training is relevant for clinicians in any setting in the Ontario health-care sector and is certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada's Ontario Chapter for 2 Continuing Medical Education Mainpro+ credits. Specialists can claim credit(s) under the Royal College Maintenance of Certification Program as a Section 2: Personal Learning Project for 2 credits/hour.

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 With eForms, you no longer need to fax paper or digital forms, only to have them sent back because they are outdated or have incomplete information.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! 

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. 

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: 

• North Bay Medicine Update (Mar. 2) – Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Chandi Chandrasena spoke about the Digital Health Tools and AI. Members of the OMD Advisory Service Team and Peer Leaders led hands-on workshops on Accuro® and TELUS PS Suite EMRs. 
• UpOnDigital: Update on Ontario Digital Health Conference (Mar. 5) – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robert Fox joined a panel to discuss the importance of digital optimization tools and stakeholder collaboration to address administrative burden. General Counsel and CPO Ariane Siegel moderated a panel of hospital Chief Information Officers. 
  

• OMD Educates: AI 101: Intro to AI and AI Scribe (Mar. 20) – Dr. Rosemarie Lall will join the Director, Information Services at the Centre for Effective Practice, Anne Dabrowski to co-present the first in a series of AI webinars. It will be moderated by CMO Dr. Chandi Chandrasena. 
• OMDEducates: Primary Care - Secure Messaging – Part II (Apr. 3) – A panel of OMD and OMA representatives will discuss the use of secure messaging to reduce physician burden in the second of a series of secure messaging webinars. 
• Digital Health Canada Innovation Rounds (Apr. 24) – CMO Dr. Chandi Chandrasena will lead a session on AI in the primary care community and the legal implications. 
• OMD Educates: Digital Health Virtual Symposium (Jun. 14) – Join us for dynamic live-streaming sessions on topics that matter most to clinicians. Register now for 30% early bird savings. 
  

Call for Abstracts for OMD Educates: In-Person Digital Health Conference Now Open! 

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 

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.