Digital health news from the eHealth Centre of Excellence

January 2025

In this issue:

Important updates (including a big milestone) from the Ontario eServices Program
Get started with eCE Shield, our cybersecurity and privacy training program
Celebrating Data Privacy Week
Check out our latest Ideal Primary Care Practice Model webinar
A message from OntarioMD on HRM eNotifications

Reaching New Heights Together: 3 Million eReferrals Processed!

We’re thrilled to announce that, as of this past month, the Ontario eServices Program has officially processed 3 million eReferrals! This milestone marks a significant achievement in improving healthcare navigation, reducing wait times, and enhancing patient experiences by providing more seamless access to necessary services.

This success would not have been possible without your continued use and support of eReferral. We truly appreciate your role in helping to shape a more efficient and effective healthcare system and we look forward to seeing what 2025 brings.

Learn more about the Ontario eServices Program here

Driving Progress in eReferral: eReferral Forms Standardization Review Process in Ontario

In an effort to reduce administrative burden and improve clinician and patient experience across the province, the eHealth Centre of Excellence is working with partners to develop standardized eReferral forms.

As part of this provincial initiative, 11 forms have had a preliminary clinical review and are now available to clinicians across the province to provide feedback as part of an Open Clinical Review process. The team is now collecting and prioritizing that feedback with the aim to finalize the standardized forms by the end of this fiscal year. Future phases of this work will continue throughout 2025.

Email ereferral@ehealthce.ca for more information

Boost Your Organization’s Cybersecurity Efforts with eCE Shield

January is a time for new beginnings, presenting a great opportunity to give some thought to your organization’s cybersecurity and privacy readiness. For busy healthcare professionals, safeguarding sensitive data and protecting against cyberattacks is crucial but often gets pushed aside due to other demanding priorities.

That’s why we’re proud to offer eCE Shield, an online cybersecurity and privacy self-learning program designed specifically for people working across the healthcare spectrum in Canada.

With the growing risks of cyberattacks and data breaches, and with healthcare often being targeted by cybercriminals, it's never been more important to stay ahead of potential threats and enhance your organization's security. However, we also recognize that clinicians and their teams need flexibility – that’s why our courses are modular and don’t need to be completed all at once. Another bonus: you can earn up to 7.5 Mainpro+® credits!

Get started on your cybersecurity journey today

January 27 - 31 is Data Privacy Week

We’re celebrating Data Privacy Week here at the eHealth Centre of Excellence by helping to spread awareness about the importance of privacy and data protection. Our team observes the 10 fair information principles, which are embedded in our Privacy Policy. We also help to educate others about the importance of privacy through programs like eCE Shield.

Learn more about privacy principles here

Check Out Our Latest Ideal Primary Care Practice Model Webinar

This past week, we were delighted to co-host another webinar focused on different ways that clinicians and their teams can enhance their workflow efficiencies in an effort to create/sustain an ideal primary care practice.

Thank you to Dr. Joanna Willms, Family Physician, Willow Family Health Team and Connor Kemp, Performance and Evaluation Lead, Frontenac Lennox and Addington OHT, who joined us to talk about how they are reimagining administrative load in family practice through three impactful Quality Improvement projects.

View a recording of the webinar here

The Ideal Primary Care Practice Model webinar series is powered by HEAL, our Healthcare Experience and Advancement Lab. Stay tuned for more webinars coming up in 2025!

Optimizing HRM: Turning Off eNotifications

Following a successful OntarioMD pilot project to manage report preferences, starting with eNotifications, all Health Report Manager (HRM®) users now have the option to turn them off. Suppressing eNotifications reduces the number of reports clinicians receive, minimizes their report burden, and is a significant step toward optimizing HRM® to enhance its value to the healthcare system.

Interested? Complete the form to opt out, or visit OMD’s HRM Preference Management page for more information.

To learn about how recommendations are being implemented, read OMD’s HRM User Bulletin, visit OMD’s HRM Improvement Recommendations Advisory Committee (HIRAC) webpage or view OMD’s HRM Task Force Priorities webinar.

Driving Progress in eReferral: eReferral Forms Standardization Review Process in Ontario

January 27 - 31 is Data Privacy Week

www.ehealthce.ca | info@ehealthce.ca