Volume 7 | February 2021
HITS eHealth Office
eConsult Insider
Announcing The Ontario eServices Program
The HITS eHealth Office is now a participating partner in The Ontario eServices Program. 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 two digital health tools available to you as part of the Ontario eServices Program. Both solutions are available to providers at no cost.
Benefits of eServices

  • More timely, transparent, equitable and appropriate access to specialty care and services for patients
  • Prompts learning, knowledge sharing and improved care coordination between primary care and specialists
  • Administrative time savings due to less time booking appointments or contacting patients, reduction in unnecessary referrals and no shows, and no need to track down lost referrals
eConsult Impact
Data as of January 31, 2021. This data has been reproduced with permission from the Ontario eConsult Centre of Excellence. For more information, please contact eConsult@toh.ca.
What Specialties are Available to Me?

Both primary care providers and specialists can send eConsults through OTNHub. You can connect directly with a specialist by searching their name in the OTNHub Directory, or you can access a provincial or regional BASETM Managed Specialty Group.
If you'd like to connect with a local specialist, try using an HNHB BASETM Managed Specialty Group. There are 30 available!
How to Access an HNHB Regional Managed Group on eConsult:

  1. With your 'Priority Region' already set to Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (Read how to set your Priority Region here), select 'BASETM Managed Specialty Group' after initiating an eConsult, then select your desired specialty from the dropdown menu, including a sub-specialty if prompted.
  2. Proceed as normal with your eConsult.

HNHB Regional Group of the Month

HNHB Regional Gastroenterology Group

The HNHB Regional Gastroenterology Group is group of HNHB Gastroenterology specialists providing managed consultations to primary care providers in Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant.

Consultative services on general gastrointestinal care and digestive systems disorders, including appendix, esophagus, stomach, intestine, gall bladder, colon, rectum, bile ducts, pancreas, and liver disorders.

Group Specialists:

Did You Know?

ClinicalConnectTM can be used to provide supporting clinical documentation for eConsult.

Allergy Advice for COVID-19 Vaccine

In response to the COVID-19 vaccination roll out, the Ontario eConsult Centre or Excellence in partnership with Public Health, OMA, OntarioMD, Ontario Health and the MOH have created a COVID-19 – Allergy/Immunology BASE™ Managed Specialty Group.

This group enables physicians and nurse practitioners to ask COVID-19 vaccine allergy related clinical questions to Allergy and Clinical Immunology specialists electronically and receive a response within days.

  • Accessed through the BASE™ Managed Specialty option and listed under COVID-19 and Allergy & Clinical Immunology.
  • A group of Allergy & Clinical Immunology specialists who can answer both patient-specific and general questions about COVID-19 vaccine allergies

For non-patient specific questions please enter the patient information as follows:

First Name: COVID19
Last Name: COVID19
Date of Birth: 1900-01-01
Select 'OHIP number Not Available'

eConsult Tip: Save Specialists or Specialty Groups to your Favourites

  • Click the Star icon in the top-right corner of a specialist or specialty group profile to add them to your Favourites so you can find them easier when sending eConsults.
  • Look for the Star icon in the top-right corner of your eConsult dashboard to access your Favourites.

COVID-19 and Pregnancy Advice Available

Similarly, the Ontario eConsult Centre or Excellence has created a COVID-19 and Pregnancy BASE™ Managed Specialty Group. This group enables physicians and nurse practitioners to ask COVID-19 and Pregnancy related clinical questions to Obstetrics specialists electronically and receive a response within days. 

  • Accessed through the BASE™ managed specialty option and listed under COVID-19, Public Health and Obstetrics.
  • A group of Obstetrics specialists who can answer both patient-specific and general questions about COVID-19 and Pregnancy.

For non-patient specific questions please enter the patient information as follows:

First Name: COVID19
Last Name: COVID19
Select OHIP number not available

Book a Team Training Session

Are you part of or run a family practice, community health centre or hospital unit? Reach out to us today to book a group training session for your fellow staff.

We can cover:

  • How to create an OTNHub account
  • How to submit an eConsult directly to a specialist
  • How to submit an eConsult to an HNHB Regional Specialty Group
  • How to utilize a delegate to save time


Email us at eConsult@HITSeHealth.ca to book your session today.

Do You Need a ONE ID?

If you require a ONE® ID account in order to sign up for OTNHub, please reach out to us at eConsult@HITSeHealth.ca.

Our team are ONE® ID Local Registration Agents (LRAs) and can get you set up with a ONE ID usually within 1 business day!
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.