HITS eHealth Office
eConsult Insider
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Leveraging Delegates in your eConsult Workflow |
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Implementing the Delegate Model is one way primary care providers in Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant are incorporating eConsult into their workflows.
eConsult is a secure web-based tool that allows physicians and nurse practitioners timely access to specialist advice for all patients, often eliminating the need for an in-person specialist visit. eConsult allows for improved access to specialty care for patients.
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Advantages of the Delegate Model
- Improved workflow for front line primary care providers, by utilizing administrative support to manage eConsult workflow in non-integrated EMR settings.
- Improved information flow, managed by delegates (e.g. referral clerk, nurse, or administrator), ensuring timely management of patient-related inquiries.
- Providers and delegates can build upon existing clinical best practices to incorporate eConsult into their workflow.
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Is the Delegate Model Right for Your Practice? |
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The Delegate Model might be right for your practice if:
- You have administrative personnel in place who already assist with the outgoing referral work in my clinic.
- You would like to be able to have your non-urgent patient inquiries addressed in a timely manner with less administrative burden.
- You would like to leverage the support of your staff to assist you with the administrative tasks of submitting an eConsult.
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The HITS eHealth Office, the Regional Deployment Lead for eConsult, is ready to assist you implement the delegate model in your practice.
We can:
- Create OTNHub accounts for your referral clerk, nurse or administrators
- Work with your staff to understand your practice workflow and make process recommendations
- Provide in-depth training on the eConsult platform
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Bundle eConsult and eReferral for Improved Access to Local Specialists |
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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.
If after receiving specialist advice via eConsult the patient needs to be referred to a specialist, utilizing eReferral saves time booking appointments or contacting patients and reduces unnecessary referrals and no shows.
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eReferral is EMR Integrated
3 of the most common EMRs (TELUS PS Suite® EMR, Accuro® EMR and OSCAR EMRs) are integrated with the Ocean eReferral platform.
Many clinicians are also using the web portal and reporting significant benefits.
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Referral Destinations Continue to Grow Across HNHB
All the referral destinations that are currently accepting eReferrals through Ocean are publicly available on the Ocean Health Map.
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Opportunity for Specialists to use eReferral
Specialists receiving referrals via the Ocean eReferral platform can expect to spend less time on administrative tasks, including follow-up calls. You'll receive complete and legible referrals in TELUS PS Suite® EMR, Accuro® EMR and OSCAR EMRs) or via the easy to navigate web portal.
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Syncope and Cardiovascular Autonomic Disorders Team (Left to Right: Dan Ashwin RN, Dr. Stuart Connolly, Deb Harring RN and Dr. Juan Guzman |
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Dr. Juan Guzman, MD, FRCPC, and his team at the Syncope and Autonomic Disorders Unit at Hamilton Health Sciences, are investigating the ways that tools like eConsult can be used to manage incoming referrals with the launch of the Syncope and Cardiovascular Autonomic Disorders Unit Group on eConsult.
The Syncope and Cardiovascular Autonomic Disorders Unit at Hamilton Health Sciences, affiliated to McMaster University, provides province-wide coverage for assessment and management of syncope (cardiac vs. non-cardiac) and other cardiovascular autonomic disorders.
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Initially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Guzman identified that virtual care could be leveraged to improve the patient experience and lessen the financial impact on the healthcare system, in addition to reducing the transmission of COVID-19. The need for in-person visits can be emotionally and financially cumbersome for the patient. Multiple in-person appointments can be challenging for patients experiencing syncope as they may have to request time off work or arrange for transportation and parking. Many patients have their driver’s licenses suspended due to their syncope which adds an extra layer of complexity to making arrangements for visits.
The traditional referral pathway also results in long wait times to see specialists and unnecessary investigations, resulting in increased costs to the healthcare system.
"Virtual Care Home Video Visits are an effective tool to communicate and assess patients in the comfort of their homes. Also, it increases access to specialists who may be even further out of range in remote areas. On the other hand, eConsult is a quick and efficient way to answering health care providers' questions and delivering care", says Dr. Guzman.
Dr. Guzman identified two points in the referral pathway that could be managed using virtual care. Historically, referrals were received by fax and patients were scheduled for an in-person consultation. Now, utilizing eConsult on OTNHub, new referrals, along with the appropriate documentation, can be sent to the Syncope and Cardiovascular Autonomic Unit Group through eConsult, at which point the case is assigned to one of the nine specialists in the group. The referring physician will receive a response within a matter of days, with either advice given via eConsult or a recommendation to set up a virtual visit via OTN or an in-person visit at Hamilton General Hospital. Data collected from 14,460 people who received an eConsult between May 2016 and August 2017 show 71% of cases were resolved without requiring an in-person consultation with 97% of patients considering it as an acceptable alternative to in-person consultation.
Dr. Guzman explains, "One of the benefits of eConsult is that it provides a secure and reliable platform to interact with health care providers and share confidential information to help to diagnose and manage patients in the community. eConsult can prevent unnecessary referrals, expedite patient care avoiding long wait times and improve the patient experience."
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This model is currently operating as a pilot with the hopes that if successful, it can be implemented with other units at Hamilton Health Sciences. During this pilot phase, Dr. Guzman seeks to answer the following questions.
Does the Virtual Syncope Unit Model:
- Improve the service’s patient’s flow and access to care?
- Decrease the waiting list time?
- Reduce health care costs?
- Increase patient satisfaction?
- Decrease the contact related infections?
Stay tuned to our newsletter to find out more about the Virtual Syncope Unit model’s evolution and findings!
How to Access the Syncope and Cardiovascular Autonomic Disorders Unit Group on eConsult:
Use the OTNHub Directory to search for Syncope and Cardiovascular Autonomic Disorders Unit Group. In the top right corner, click the speech bubble icon to send an eConsult to this group.
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Data as of February 28, 2021. This data has been reproduced with permission from the Ontario eConsult Centre of Excellence. For more information, please contact eConsult@toh.ca. |
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What Specialties are Available to Me? |
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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.
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If you'd like to connect with a local specialist, try using an HNHB BASETM Managed Specialty Group. There are 32 available!
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How to Access an HNHB Regional Managed Group on eConsult:
Option 1: Use the OTNHub Directory and search for 'HNHB Regional [Specialty] Group'
Option 2: 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. Proceed as normal with your eConsult.
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*New* HNHB Regional Groups Available |
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The HITS eHealth Office is thrilled to announce the launch of 2 new HNHB Regional Groups on eConsult!
HNHB Regional Endocrinology Group
This group of local specialists can answer eConsult that address adult endocrinology and metabolism, including diabetes education and management, thyroid disease and cancer, metabolic disorders, and pituitary disease.
HNHB Regional Urology Group
This group of local specialists can answer eConsult that address adult kidney and urinary issues and diseases.
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Did You Know?
ClinicalConnectTM can be used to provide supporting clinical documentation for eConsult.
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COVID-19 Advice Available on eConsult |
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In response to the ongoing pandemic, the Ontario eConsult Centre of Excellence has created 4 COVID-related Managed Specialty Groups.
COVID-19 BASE™ Managed Specialty Group
- Accessed through the BASE™ managed specialty option and listed under Infectious Disease and Public Health
- A group of Infectious Disease specialists who can answer both patient-specific and general questions about COVID-19
COVID-19 and Autoimmune Disorders BASE™ Managed Specialty Group
- Accessed through the BASE™ Managed Specialty option and listed under COVID-19, Public Health and Rheumatology
- A group of Rheumatology specialists who can answer both patient-specific and general questions about COVID-19 and Autoimmune Disorders.
COVID-19 and Allergy/Immunology BASE™ Managed Specialty Group
- 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
COVID-19 and Pregnancy BASE™ Managed Specialty Group
- 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
Date of Birth: 1900-01-01
Select 'OHIP number Not Available'
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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.
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Book a Team Training Session |
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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
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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!
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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. |
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