December 2024 eTips Newsletter

Tips and advice on EMRs and digital health tools you can use NOW

From the CMO's Desk

Season's Greetings: Introducing OMD's AI Knowledge Zone

The holidays are upon us and during this joyous time, I'd like to wish you all the best for a restful holiday season and happy new year. Take time to relax and reflect on the excellent care you've provided this year. Your dedication to patients keeps the health system going and fuels OMD to develop digital health solutions that address your needs.

As we reach the end of 2024, we'd like to share our new and free online resource – our AI Knowledge Zone – with information on AI scribes. Check out the site to understand best practices for adopting and using an AI scribe, get guidance on signing a contract, and find answers to your AI scribe questions. The world of AI is evolving quickly so visit us often for updates on AI scribes and other AI tools.

OMD is conducting market research to assess clinic demand for EMR Management Services to help you negotiate the best prices and support services for your EMR. The proposed services will allow you to get group pricing and optimal functionality. If you're interested in these services, please let us know by completing the form.

Advice from the General Counsel and CPO

The Legal and Privacy Considerations of AI Scribes

There can be many benefits to AI scribes, including saving time in documenting patient encounters and reducing your cognitive load. You can read about these benefits in OMD's AI Scribe Evaluation Report (PDF), a summary of the results of the AI scribe study led by OMD. With those benefits come legal and privacy risks, such as whether prospective AI scribe vendors are accessing and using patient data. You must also obtain express consent from patients before you first use an AI scribe. To learn more about legal and privacy risks and consent requirements for AI scribes, including a Patient Consent Toolkit you can use in your clinic, visit OMD's new AI Knowledge Zone.

Still learning about AI scribes? Watch our latest OMD Educates webinar to help you choose the right AI scribe for your practice.

Understanding privacy and security obligations is essential for clinicians. Check out all the privacy and security tips from our newsletter over the past year to better understand your responsibilities.

Privacy and Security Tips for the Holidays (and Always)

OMD's additional gifts to you this month are reminder tips to stay vigilant when using your devices as you browse and shop this holiday season. This is the time of year when scams and hacking abound. We hope you stay safe and your personal information stays protected. Happy Holidays!

HRM Improvements

Great News! HRM eNotifications Preference Management is Open to Everyone

eNotifications are the electronic messages sent through Health Report Manager® (HRM) to primary care clinicians to notify them when their patients are discharged from the emergency department or are admitted or discharged from in-patient units. While many clinicians love these notifications, many don't. OMD recently completed a successful pilot that allows you to opt out of eNotifications, if you wish.

We have now opened this feature to all users. Interested in shutting off your eNotifications? Complete this form to opt out. Visit the OMD HRM Preference Management page for more information. Next up – OMD will expand the pilot to eliminate duplicate reports.

Want to know more about how the HRM Task Force Recommendations are being implemented?

Check out the latest HRM User Bulletin or visit the HIRAC (HRM Improvement Recommendations Advisory Committee) page. If you missed the webinar on HRM Task Force Priorities: Actions to Ease Clinicians' Report Burden, watch the recording at your convenience.

OMD Digital Health Services

Switching Patients to Biosimilars? Use OMD's EMR Searches to Find These Patients

The Ontario government is expanding its drug coverage policy to further promote the use of biosimilars funded through the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program. As of November 29, 2024, ODB patients who are currently on Prolia® and/or Xgeva® must transition to a Health Canada approved biosimilar equivalent by August 29, 2025, to maintain coverage under ODB, unless they have an approved medical exemption. To assist clinicians, OMD has developed queries for Accuro® EMR, OSCAR Pro, and TELUS PSS on OMDEducates.com to identify patients who have been prescribed products affected by the new biosimilars policy.

Accuro® EMR Users: Access to Integrated eConsult to be Deactivated

Effective February 28, 2025, EMR-integrated access to eConsult will be deactivated for Accuro® EMR users. Check out the alternate options to access specialist advice for your patients.

OMD Change Management & Adoption Services

Still Using Paper MTO Forms? Go Digital Instead!

OMD is making form completion easier. eForms are digital forms you complete from the convenience of your EMR and submit electronically. Other forms in your EMR are delivered through fax to recipients. With eForms, you no longer need to fax paper or digital forms, only to have them sent back because they are outdated or incomplete. 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!

(Please note: eForms are not available to TELUS Health EMR users. Please speak to TELUS Health if you are their client and want access to eForms.)

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

Digital Health Drug Repository (DHDR): A Valuable Item in Your Patient Care Toolkit

It's crucial for clinicians to know about the 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. DHDR is now available to Cerebrum users! Contact AwareMD to get started.

(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 Advisory Service

Free Knowledgeable EMR Support Whenever You Need It

Did you know that if you use an OMD-certified EMR, you're entitled to free support from the OMD Advisory Service? Instead of struggling to fix issues yourself, contact your local OMD Advisor for help with:

Resolving EMR issues quickly
Optimizing your EMR use to improve data quality and identify patient populations for preventive care
Streamlining office workflows for smoother scheduling, referrals, consultations etc.
Training your clinic and staff to integrate digital health tools (OAB, secure messaging, AI scribe etc.)
Customizing EMR features like toolbars or forms, etc. to enhance efficiency

Take advantage of this free service before you call anyone else! Contact support@ontariomd.com for assistance.

OMD Education

Save the Dates for OMD’s 2025 Virtual and In-Person Conferences!

Digital Health Virtual Symposium – April 25, 2025, streaming at ontariomd.live

Digital Health In-Person Conference – September 18-19, 2025, Toronto Congress Centre

These conferences have become must-attend events for family doctors and specialists. More details to come!

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 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 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 have changed your email address or phone number.

HRM Users

If you are moving, switching internet providers, changing your internet plan, or switching EMRs, your IP address may be changing and OMD needs to update our records to make sure your EMR continues to receive patient reports through HRM. Please notify OMD at support@ontariomd.comat least two (2) weeks in advance of the change with a complete change request and a valid IP address to ensure you do not experience any service interruptions.

Partner News

Reminder: New Ontario Health Integrated Primary Care Report

Ontario Health is pleased to share the launch of the MyPractice Primary Care Plus (with SAR data) report accessible through ONE® ID. This report integrates the MyPractice Primary Care Physician indicators and the Screening Activity Report (SAR) and provides personalized data and suggestions to support physicians in improving care for their patients. All future refreshes of the MyPractice Primary Care Physician Report will be available through ONE® ID and not sent as a PDF via email.

To access this new report, please log in to eReport using your ONE^® ID account. Once signed in, select the MyPractice PC Plus SAR tab on eReport.

Learn more

For a quick tutorial on the report, view Module 2 of this training series on YouTube or a recent training webinar (registration is required to access the recording). Access frequently asked questions and registration instructions.