January 2025 eTips Newsletter
Tips and advice on EMRs and digital health tools you can use NOW
From the CMO's Desk
Happy New Year!
I'll admit it – I ride the New Year's resolution bandwagon every year. I love the idea of a fresh start. As clinicians, 'a fresh start' can mean many things – getting your EMR into shape, improving your clinical workflow with tools like AI scribes, making the most of learning opportunities, etc. – all which OMD can help you with for free, so
don't hesitate to reach out to an OMD Advisor or
OMD Peer Leader! 2025 is set to be another exciting year at OMD, with new webinars, more Health Report Manager® (HRM) improvements, and better-than-ever conferences to support you, your staff, and your practice.
Advice from the General Counsel and CPO
Privacy and Security Training for a Safe New Year!
The start of a new year is the best time to
refresh your privacy and security awareness by completing OMD's training modules. As our reliance on a variety of digital health technologies grows, it's crucial to understand the risks and accountability obligations associated with using these technologies to be better positioned to protect your patients' data and your practice. The training modules are comprehensive, covering key privacy and cybersecurity issues, and best of all, are free!
Using OMD-certified EMRs can also provide peace of mind as they meet a minimum set of privacy and security requirements (and give you access to provincial digital tools like HRM and more).
Read more privacy and security tips from past issues of our newsletter.
HRM Improvements
HRM eNotifications: To Receive or Not to Receive? You Choose!
OMD recently completed a successful pilot that allows you to opt out of eNotifications, which are the electronic messages sent through HRM to primary care clinicians, notifying them when patients are discharged from the emergency department or admitted or discharged from in-patient units. Whether you love or hate eNotifications, you now have the option to turn them off.
Complete this form to opt out. Visit the
OMD HRM Preference Management page for more information.
Want to know more about how 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 last webinar on
HRM Task Force Priorities: Actions to Ease Clinicians' Report Burden,
watch the recording at your convenience.
Tip from a Peer Leader
OMD Peer Leaders comprise a network of over 60 physicians (family doctors and other specialists), nurse practitioners, nurses, and clinic managers. As expert users of OMD-certified EMRs and other digital health and virtual care tools, they work with our Advisory Service Team to help you with your EMR and digital workflows.
Discover what our
Peer Leader Program and
Advisory Service can do for you.
Streamline Your Practice with Online Virtual Bookings
View the video with Dr. Steven Klassen, OMD Physician Peer Leader, as he shows how online virtual bookings can help to better manage your practice.
OMD Digital Health Services
eConsult Changes Through Your Accuro® EMR
As of February 28, 2025, Accuro® EMR users will no longer be able to access eConsult as an integrated workflow, but will access it through OTNhub, a private and secure web portal. Like other EMR users, Accuro® users can select eConsult from one of the available Ontario Health tools in their EMR, or through the Ocean platform.
Watch the Access eConsult Demonstration Video to
learn how to access this service from your EMR.
Read more information on eConsult and how it works.
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
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 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:
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Resolving EMR issues quickly
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Optimizing your EMR use to improve data quality and identify patient populations for preventive care
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Streamlining office workflows for smoother scheduling, referrals, consultations etc.
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Training your clinic and staff to integrate digital health tools (OAB, secure messaging, AI scribe etc.)
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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
Identify Infants and High-Risk Children for RSV Prevention Programs
Check out OMD's Infant RSV Tookit, with searches and queries for Accuro®, OSCAR Pro, and TELUS PSS EMRs, to help you identify infants born in 2024 and high-risk children under the age of 2 who may be eligible for the RSV vaccine.
Maximize Your Digital Awareness.
Save the Dates!
Digital Health Virtual Symposium Friday, April 25, 2025
Digital Health ConferenceSeptember 18-19, 2025
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 Your EMR or Practice? OMD Needs to Know!
Planning to make any of these changes?
- Moving, joining or taking over a practice
- Changing your internet plan or provider
- Changing EMRs
Contact us at
support@ontariomd.com at least two (2) weeks in advance to ensure you continue to receive HRM reports.
Partner News
Ontario Health My CancerIQ: Learning Personal Cancer Risk
My CancerIQ is a free online tool that helps people understand their personal risk of developing six types of cancer. After answering a series of questions, the tool generates a personalized health action plan.
Share My CancerIQ with your patients and use their health action plan to discuss their health. For more information and resources,
visit the My CancerIQ toolkit. If you have questions or want to share a My CancerIQ story, please contact
mycanceriq@ontariohealth.ca.
New Tool from the Centre for Effective Practice (CEP)
CEP's Preventive Care for Older People (PCOP) tool helps primary care clinicians deliver comprehensive preventive care for patients aged 65 and older. Developed with primary care clinicians and the Chief Medical Officer of Health, it provides evidence-based reminders to enhance care and streamline practice workflows.
Inspired by the Rourke Baby Record, this tool is available as a Telus PS Suite EMR form or a vendor-neutral PDF. Improve outcomes for older adults
with this practical, easy-to-use resource.
Unified Health Information System for Unity Health Toronto
Unity Health Toronto is excited to announce that all three of its sites—St. Joseph's Health Centre, St. Michael's Hospital, and Providence Healthcare—officially transitioned to the same Health Information System (Epic) on Nov 30, 2024. This unified system will enhance care coordination, streamline workflows, and improve the overall experience for patients and staff across the network. HRM went live on Dec 2, 2024, and all three sites will use the same report types. If you're experiencing any issues with reports from these hospitals after this transition, please contact: