Helping to Evolve the Region's
Digital Health Space
Welcome to the second edition of the HITS eHealth Office's Connections newsletter. As we introduced in our first edition, our office has played an active role in the digital health space for nearly two decades, but the last few months have been particularly exciting. In collaboration with Ontario Health and other important stakeholder groups, the HITS eHealth Office team has been working hard to empower patients during their health journey by bringing them access to their health records from otherwise disparate systems, in one place. That place is ConnectMyHealth, and an update on that project is provided below.
If you have any questions about our work, you’re welcome to email us at info@HITSeHealth.ca, or call us at 905-577-8270.
More information about how the HITS eHealth Office can support organizations’ use of digital health tools is available on our website at https://HITSeHealth.ca.
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Helping Healthcare Providers Deliver Care More Efficiently |
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ClinicalConnect, the designated clinical viewer for authorized providers working in Ontario Health's West Region, continues to play an important role in healthcare delivery, with its user base growing every day. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind users of a few key features of ClinicalConnect:
Subscribing to New Results Notifications: Be notified by email that your patient(s) have new results available in ClinicalConnect. Watch this quick video tutorial to learn how.
Viewing COVID Vaccination Information: Look up COVID vaccination information for your patients using the Pharmacy Module – Home Med Drugs tab, which is even more valuable with the Government of Ontario’s expanded eligibility for fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses (2nd boosters). Watch this quick video tutorial to learn how.
Latest news:
• A friendly reminder to all ClinicalConnect Legal Signing Authorities, Privacy Contacts, Local Registration Authorities, including physicians who are approved to use ClinicalConnect as Sole (Physician) Practitioner Participants, that semi-annual attestations begin on May 1, 2022. Be sure to check your email after May 1, and complete your attestations as soon as possible from within ClinicalConnect's Access Governance System (AGS). Privacy Contacts, Local Registration Authorities and Sole Practitioners: if you need a refresher on using AGS, your role-specific SharePoint sites are loaded with helpful information.
• The ClinicalConnect Program Office is pleased to be able to continue its support to healthcare organizations, including Sole (Physician) Practitioners, who wish to gain access to ClinicalConnect as well as data from provincially-managed repositories. Since January 2021, our team has worked directly with organizations across Ontario Health West Region, helping more than 440 to become approved as Participants in ClinicalConnect. Click here to learn more about how we can help your organization implement and optimize digital health solutions for your providers and patients.
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Helping Patients Empower
Their Health Journey
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The HITS eHealth Office completed an initial soft launch of the ConnectMyHealth patient portal earlier this month, and the system is now undergoing a stabilization period which is a common part of new technology deployment projects. ConnectMyHealth will provide patients in this region with an online, single access channel to view their health records from various healthcare facilities in Ontario, plus other important features including:
Record Sharing: Share health records with family and care partners
Alerts When New Results: Subscribe to be notified by email when new results are available to view in ConnectMyHealth
Patient Dashboard: Customize the patient dashboard view with the types of health records (modules) that are most important to the patient
Patient Visits Timeline: See schedule of upcoming hospital appointments
It's expected that general registration for ConnectMyHealth accounts will open this Spring starting with patients who have health records at hospitals located in the Ontario Health West Region.
Latest news:
• Check out our new ConnectMyHealth information website at https://info.connectmyhealth.ca! Make it your go-to place for the most current information about the region's new patient portal, including how to register for your account and when.
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Improving Access to
Specialist Advice
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With over 1,700 specialists across Ontario and 290 in Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant, eConsult, as part of the broader provincial eServices Program, allows primary care providers to seek specialist advice through a secure, web-based platform and receive a response within days.
For healthcare providers interested in gaining access to, or needing support with, OTN’s eConsult, email eConsult@HITSeHealth.ca.
Latest news:
• Check out our brand-new HNHB Specialty Offerings resource available for all eConsult users. This resource provides an overview of eConsult, and information about local specialists and groups available on eConsult. Please feel free to share this resource with your colleagues!
• 14 new Provincial BASE™ Managed Specialty Groups have recently launched including Post-COVID-19 and LGBTQIA+ Sexual Health specialties, adding to the 120+ Managed Specialty Groups already available to you. Learn More.
• The eConsult Centre of Excellence has recently published a study called The Utilization of an Electronic Consultation Service During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic comparing patterns of utilization of eConsult before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn More.
• Join Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization (SEAMO) for half-hour sessions about the benefits of eConsult in your practice. Attend one or more webinars to receive up to 4 credits from the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada! Learn More.
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Tips & Tricks: It's As Easy as 1-2-3! |
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All new ClinicalConnect users are encouraged to complete the portal's Learning Pathway, a self-paced, interactive module that covers the basics of using ClinicalConnect most efficiently. It can also act as a handy refresher for even the most seasoned ClinicalConnect user. Users are always welcome to provide their feedback about ClinicalConnect's training resources through our feedback form.
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Name: Devi Pandya
Role: Portfolio Manager, HITS eHealth Office
Devi joined HHS' Information Technology team almost 10 years ago and has held various roles leading up to her current position as Portfolio Manager with HITS' eHealth Office. In this role, Devi is responsible for guiding our team's work to enhance ClinicalConnect through data integrations with new source systems and implementing new functionality for users. One such example of this work is most recently, she's played a key role in transforming ClinicalConnect to be patient-facing - the portal we now know as ConnectMyHealth that's described above.
Outside of work, you can find Devi enjoying the great outdoors with her family and two dogs. Devi likes to travel to explore new places, cultures and food.
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The views expressed are those of the HITS eHealth Office at Hamilton Health Sciences and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Ontario or any of its personnel or entities, including Ontario Health. |
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