Volume 12 | September 2021
HITS eHealth Office
eConsult Insider
eConsult Custom Form Now Available
For PS Suite EMR Users

For users of Telus PS Suite EMR, we have a new custom form available that can help incorporate eConsult into your clinic's workflow. This custom form works particularly well when you are utilizing a delegate.

A delegate is a member of your team (medical admin, referral clerk) who can send and receive eConsults on behalf of a physician or nurse practitioner.

How the Form Works

By adding this form to the patient record, all pertinent patient demographic details will be populated into the form automatically. A field to note the desired specialist/specialty and a field to enter your clinical question has been provided. Once the form is complete, a physician or nurse practitioner can send a message to their delegate to initiate the eConsult on OTNHub. Delegates can export progress notes from the EMR into PDFs which can be attached to the eConsult on OTNHub. Once the eConsult is complete, delegates can download the full interaction and attach it to the patient record.
If you have further questions about this form, or want ideas on how to better incorporate eConsult into your practice, know that the HITS eHealth Office, Regional Deployment Lead for OTNHub eConsult in Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) is here to support you. With over 1600 specialists across Ontario and over 280 in HNHB, many primary care providers have noted that using eConsult:

  • Decreases unnecessary and/or inappropriate referrals
  • Decreases wait times for diagnosis/treatment
  • Decreases travel for patient
  • Builds knowledge in primary care
  • Increases collaboration with the health care team

If you’re not achieving these benefits, contact us and we will assist you. We are always available for one-on-one support sessions via Zoom, and we offer flexible timing options that work with your schedule.
Vaccine Advice for Patients Requiring 3rd Dose

COVID-19 vaccine advice is available to physicians and nurse practitioners through eConsult on OTNHub.

The Vaccine Clinical Advisory Group, made up of clinical and public health physician experts, provided a recommendation to the Ministry of Health on the select populations which may be considered for third doses based on suboptimal/waning immune response to vaccines and increased risk of COVID-19 infection.

  • Severely immunocompromised, including transplant recipients, those being treated with an anti-CD20 agent, and individuals receiving active treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy) for malignant hematologic disorders.
  • Vulnerable Elderly in High-Risk Congregate Settings
  • People who are pregnant or breast-feeding

If you would like to consult with public health experts and/or clinical immunology/allergy specialists, you can utilize the following speciality groups on eConsult:

  • COVID-19 Vaccine - Public Health Provincial Group
  • COVID-19 and Autoimmune Disorders Provincial Group
  • COVID-19 Vaccine - Allergy/Immunology Provincial Group
  • COVID-19 and Pregnancy Provincial Group

Source: Ministry of Health: COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations for Special Populations https://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/publichealth/coronavirus/docs/vaccine/COVID-19_vaccination_rec_special_populations.pdf
New Gynecology – Pelvic Mass Imaging Provincial Group Available on eConsult

The Ontario eConsult Service is pleased to launch the Gynecology – Pelvic Mass Imaging Provincial BASE™ Managed Specialty Group. This specialty is available province-wide through the BASE™ Managed Specialty option and supports the management of pelvic masses found on imaging, especially pelvic ultrasounds. Pelvic masses include abnormalities found in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, adnexa and uterus.

Review of imaging patterns of practice reveal that far too many family physicians and gynecologists are repeating imaging or ordering unnecessary imaging such as MRI / CT scans which can delay timely surgical opinion and surgical management of pelvic masses including malignant disease. 

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Article: Are too many imaging tests being performed in women with an adnexal mass?

The Gynecology – Pelvic Mass Imaging Group can be accessed by choosing the 'BASE Managed Speciality' option when creating an eConsult, selecting 'Gynecology' from the dropdown menu, then Pelvic Mass Imaging.
Preparing for Increased Wait Times for Patients

Sometimes referring a patient to see a specialist is unavoidable. As summer ends and Ontario starts to return to normal operations, many patients will be contacting their primary care provider to address their health concerns, many of whom will need to see a specialist. This may result in longer wait times for patients this Fall.

eConsult can be used to manage your patients' care while they are waiting to see a specialist. You can send an eConsult to a specialist to seek advice on:

  • Whether a referral is required
  • What tests to order in preparation for your patient's specialist visit
  • How to manage your patient's care while they wait to see a specialist
  • Confirm a proposed treatment plan

Ontario eServices Program: eReferral

The Ontario eServices Program delivers digital services that support clinical workflows and facilitate smoother transitions in care and an improved patient experience. eConsult and eReferral are the first initiatives in the scope of the Ontario eServices Program. 

eReferral is a secure and seamless transfer of patient information from one point-of-care system into another, via an electronic platform for the purpose of engaging another provider in the care of a patient.

  • The program is funded to provide local change management resources to support implementation, training, adoption, and sustained use
  • The solution-generated data enables comprehensive analytics to support local and​ system-level decision making​
  • Referral status and appointment details are updated directly in providers’ EMRs​ (TELUS PS Suite® EMR, Accuro® EMR and OSCAR EMR) or the Ocean Portal (non-EMR users)
  • Patients receive automatic email notifications on their referral status and appointment information
  • The program works with a variety of vendors ​
  • This eReferral initiative has been funded since 2017 as part of the System Coordinated Access Program (now part of the Ontario eServices Program)

Looking for more information? Complete the Ontario eServices Program eReferral Quick Form or email eReferral@ehealthce.ca.

eConsult Impact
Data as of July 2021.This data has been reproduced with permission from the Ontario eConsult Centre of Excellence. For more information, please contact eConsult@HITSeHealth.ca.
Contact Us
For more information on anything in this email, or to schedule a follow-up appointment with our team, please contact us at the email listed below.