May 2025 eTips Newsletter
Tips and advice on EMRs and digital health tools you can use NOW
From the CMO's Desk
AI Scribes: Empowering Doctors to Focus on Patient Care
There's a lot of buzz these days around AI scribes and their ability to take the documentation burden off physicians and have more time with patients. Do AI scribes live up to the hype? If you were at the
OMD Educates: Digital Health Virtual Symposium on April 25, 2025, you may have attended Adopting AI Scribe Technology: Considerations for Family Doctors and Specialists, Making AI scribes Work for Specialists as well as the Beyond AI Scribes: The Future of AI in Community Practice panel. Attendees have access to the recordings to watch them again. If you didn't attend, you can
purchase the recordings.
Our Virtual Symposium was a big hit, but many of you want to learn more about available technologies for your practice. I encourage you to
register for OMD's Digital Health Conference on Thursday, September 18 to Friday, September 19 at the Toronto Congress Centre. This amazing, one-of-a-kind, in-person conference will offer new sessions on digital health for community practice. It's tailored to family doctors, specialists, nurse practitioners and the PCNs and OHTs where they practice. There will also be more AI content, including information on Ontario's AI Scribe Program and its Vendor of Record approach to adopting the best AI scribe for each clinician.
Register now at the early bird rate and save! OHTs and PCNs are encouraged to sponsor clinicians in their areas to attend using the group rate for further savings. Physicians will earn Continuing Medical Education credits and benefit from networking with their colleagues, vendors and OMD staff.
OMD Advisory Service
Mental Health Awareness & the Power of Proper Diagnosis
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This month's tip from an OMD Advisor relates to the importance of a proper diagnosis for better care of patients with mental health conditions. Awareness is the first step in supporting mental health, but proper diagnosis and smart coding take care to the next level. Using structured systems like ICD-10, SNOMED, and PHQ-9 tracking, providers can better manage patient cohorts, monitor care gaps, and even identify bonus opportunities. With the right systems in place, we shift from reactive treatment to proactive, data-informed care that's more accessible, equitable, and effective. To learn more about diagnosis and smart coding, contact your OMD Advisor or
support@ontariomd.com.
OMD Advisors are a wealth of knowledge and provide valuable advice to clinicians in every OHT and PCN. They can help with digital health tools used in Ontario, not just EMRs. Take advantage of their free services before you call anyone else!
Advice from the General Counsel and CPO
Using AI in Your Practice: Meeting Regulatory Standards
When integrating AI tools into your practice, it is important to ensure patient data is protected and that your vendor maintains the standards of privacy and security required by PHIPA and other privacy laws. As you may be aware, Ontario's AI Scribe Program and its Vendor of Record approach is coming soon. It will help support your AI scribe adoption process and compliance obligations. In the interim, if you conduct trials of different AI scribe solutions, consider these steps:
Choose PHIPA-Compliant Tools: Choose tools from AI vendors that comply with PHIPA and PIPEDA, and that include security measures to protect PHI, and limit data use to authorized purposes. Ask vendors to provide proof of their compliance and data handling protocols. The Ontario AI scribe VOR Program has already done this for you. Check out the
OMD Practice Hub for more information.
Obtain Valid Consent: PHIPA requires informed, valid consent from patients before you use an AI scribe for the first time.
Download OMD's Patient Consent Toolkit to learn more and simplify this process.
Research and Implement Security & Privacy Safeguards: PHIPA requires reasonable security safeguards to protect PHI against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or destruction. Confirm your chosen AI scribe includes encryption (for data at rest and in transit), access logs, and regular security updates. Some vendors' tools may have certifications (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001), which can help demonstrate adherence to more industry recognized cybersecurity standards.
Ensure the Vendor Performs Regular Audits: Regular audits can help verify AI tools remain compliant with appropriate privacy laws. Audits may include reviewing access logs, checking for unauthorized access, assessing and reviewing data storage practices, and identifying any non-compliance in vendor operations.
Ensure Vendors have Clear Data Retention and Disposal Policies: PHIPA specifies how long PHI should be retained, requiring records to be accessible as long as necessary for the patient's recourse under PHIPA. Your vendor should establish very short retention limits for AI-generated data and enforce secure disposal practices to prevent unauthorized access post-termination.
By following these tips, and learning more on our Practice Hub's
Legal & Privacy Page, you can take a strong, proactive approach to PHIPA compliance to protect patient data and maintain integrated privacy and security when adopting AI tools into your practice!
Read more privacy and security tips from past issues of our newsletter
OMD AI News
OMD has "lit the fuse" for AI scribes
OMD's leadership in the AI space continues to be recognized in the media:
Visit the OMD Practice Hub to learn more about AI scribes
HRM Improvements
More Users Opting Out of eNotifications
A growing number of clinicians who use HRM are opting out of receiving eNotifications to reduce their inbox and report review burden. At last count, more than 700 have opted out, resulting in 120,000 eNotifications eliminated from their inboxes. For information on how to opt out of eNotifications to reduce the number of HRM reports in your inbox, check out the
last HRM User Bulletin.
Want to know more about how HRM Task Force recommendations are being implemented? Check out the
HIRAC (HRM Improvement Recommendations Advisory Committee) page.
Your HRM experience is important to us. We support you and your practice,
at no cost, so don't hesitate to contact us at
support@ontariomd.com with any questions about HRM or anything else digital.
OMD Digital Health Advocacy and Education
Recent news and events
What's coming up
Paediatric Allergy/Respirology in Primary Care Half Day CME (May 28) – OMD will have a booth.
OMA District 11 AGM (May 28) – Visit OMD at our booth.
e-Health Conference 2025 (June 1-3) – OMD is a sponsor of the conference and is hosting a Sponsored Symposium on
Transforming Primary Care: Unlocking the Potential of AI in Ontario on June 3. Dr. Chandrasena is speaking on the Passing Notes in Class panel on June 3 with Alyssa Bryan and Dr. Tetyana Maniuk from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
Need Help with Your EMR?
Your EMR should be a
benefit, not a burden. In addition to our
OMD Advisory Service and
Peer Leaders, OMD has additional, COMPLIMENTARY resources to help you use your certified EMR better to save you time and frustration.
OMD develops tools and suggests helpful workflow improvements in our
EMR Lab.
Join an
EMR Community of Practice (CoP)! CoP is a virtual place for EMR and digital health tool users, including clinicians and office staff, to share their knowledge, discover upcoming changes, ask questions and learn from the vendors and other users.
Find out more about OMD EMR Communities of Practice.
Important Reminders
Changing Your EMR or Practice? OMD Needs to Know
Especially for HRM!
Planning to make any of these changes?
Contact us at
support@ontariomd.comat least two (2) weeks in advance to ensure you continue to receive HRM reports.