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Tag: Effective Use of EMRs

  • QI in Action eBulletin #114: Quality & Knowledge Translation Materials 2021 Recap and COVID-19 Vaccination Digital Tools

    QI in Action eBulletin #114: Quality & Knowledge Translation Materials 2021 Recap and COVID-19 Vaccination Digital Tools

    In this Issue:

    • Quality Improvement & Knowledge Translation Materials – 2021 Recap
    • Updated Omicron Guidance
    • Ontario Health e-Reports
    • Supporting EMR Documentation of COVID-19 vaccinations
    • TELUS PSS Toolbar – Assisting in Reconciling Vaccinations
    • Upcoming Webinars

    quality & knowledge translation

     

    Quality and Knowledge Translation screenshot

    Within the AFHTO member portal, members can find the Quality and Knowledge Translation section.  

    Under the Quality Improvement Tools and Resources section, members can find COVID-19 tools to help support EMR workflows for COVID-19 vaccination patient population identification and documentation.

    Additionally, QI resources ranging from standardized D2D queries to member initiatives can be found for teams to adapt and implement within their teams.

    Throughout the year, AFHTO has been a part of multiple research initiatives which wouldn’t be possible without you! Check out the recent research publications and presentations on this page.

    Quality and Knowledge Translation webinar screenshot

    2021 has been a year with many challenges, which teams have responded to with their flexibility and resilience. To share the great work of teams, updates and supports, AFHTO collaborated with many partner organizations to organize webinars for teams. These webinars have been archived in this library within this section for your reference.

    As we plan the webinar schedule for 2022, if you have any suggestions for webinar topics, please email improve@afhto.ca.

    Updated Omicron Guidance
    The COVID-19 Omicron Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance has been updated. This will be available on the Ministry’s website in French and English shortly.

    Ontario Health e-Reports
    As we move into the push of COVID-19 third doses, it will be critical to reconcile the patients with a 3rd booster shot to create a list of those without one. As of November 15th OH eReports have included patients that have received their third dose. There is also a new additional OH eReport which includes the full vaccination history of all rostered patients whose vaccination status is on record. All toolkits on the OntarioMD website have also been updated to work with this new report.

    Supporting EMR Documentation of COVID-19 Vaccinations
    The eCE Automates team at the eHealth Centre of Excellence has launched a new process for the Bernie bot that will help primary care clinicians to document their patients’ COVID-19 vaccinations seamlessly and efficiently within their electronic medical records (EMRs). eCE are offering this virtual assistant at no cost to you or your team. Contact them to learn more.

    TELUS PSS Toolbar – Assisting in Reconciling Vaccinations
    The HRM COVID Immunization Maker toolbar allows you to reconcile your patient’s COVID-19 immunization history in the TELUS PS Suite EMR with vaccination reports received via the Ontario Health Report Manager with one click of the mouse.

    The content can be installed into your PS Suite instance as a custom form and will integrate into your records window using a downloadable reminder.

    By ensuring that patient records contain the correct number of COVID-19 vaccines, you can find those patients who are still not fully vaccinated, as well as those who are eligible and best suited for third shots
    To find out more visit this link.

    Illustration of a group of health professionals holding patients up

    Thank you for all your hard work this year, and our very best wishes for this season. We want to continue to capture your team’s hard work. With Omicron set to become the dominant strain this week, we want to capture how many teams have pivoted their operations for the next two weeks to support the province’s request that health system partners prioritize vaccination efforts, either within their own teams or working in the public health or hospital clinics. To share your team’s story, please fill out this survey before midnight today, December 16th.

    Upcoming Webinars:

    The latest on Omicron and what it means for you and your practice
    Friday, December 17th at 8:00-9:30 am
    Dr. Peter Juni, head of Ontario’s Science Advisory Table, will be providing an important update on Omicron and what it means for you, your practice, and our communities. You will also hear from Dr. Sacha Bhatia, Vice President at Ontario Health, about the health system response and what primary care is being asked to prioritize. Finally, Dr. Shane Tepper will discuss organizing to support vaccination and other services in the Peel community.

    Please register here

    Diabetes Care: Tools And Resources To Support Mental Health Needs
    Thursday January 13, 2022, 12:30–1:30 pm
    Ontario Health is hosting a webinar for endocrinologists, primary care providers, and diabetes educators on screening for mental health needs among people with diabetes, and resources available to support them. This is the first of an ongoing series that will highlight Ontario Health’s three diabetes quality standards.  

    Please register here.

    Quality Rounds: The Reality of Virtual Care: Lessons from The Pandemic
    January 28th, 2022, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
    Over the last two years of the pandemic, the popularity and usage of virtual care has increased dramatically. Join us as we hear from patients and providers on the enablers and barriers to delivering and using virtual care during the pandemic, as well as exploring the future opportunities of virtual care in Ontario.

    If you are interested in learning more, please contact Courtney Paxton at Courtney.Paxton@ontariohealth.ca.

    Webinar Series: MyPractice Primary Care Report: Using Data For Improvement
    Please join Ontario Health in this quality improvement webinar series as we learn about the MyPractice: Primary Care Report, a confidential report that includes personalized practice level data, along with suggestions to support you in improving care for your patients. This 1-credit-per-hour Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 1.0 Mainpro+Ⓡ credits. The program is part of a series that has been certified for up to 4 Mainpro+ credits.

    • Session: A focus on using the antibiotic prescribing indicators – January 24, 2022; 12:00-1:00 p.m. Register here.
    • Session: A focus on using the cancer screening indicators – February 28, 2022; 12:00-1:00 p.m. Register here

     

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #113 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

     

  • Bits & Pieces: member stories, virtual funding opps and more

    Bits & Pieces: member stories, virtual funding opps and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Member stories
    • Reminder- virtual funding opportunities for primary care, Sep. 16
    • Reminder- COVID-19 malnutrition – how to identify and treat in team-based primary care, Sep. 20
    • AFHTO 2021 Conference: AI panel update & poster confirmations
    • Additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine in immunocompromised individuals and more
    • Relevant news and updates: EMR data uses for performance measurement & climate change
    • Submit an abstract for Trillium Primary Health Care research day
    • Reminder- seeking pharmacists’ input on experiences and contributions to mental health care during COVID-19
    • Upcoming events regarding keeping our kids safe at school and more

    Member stories
    Humber River FHT– Humber River Hospital vaccinates 1,500 in 2 days as city says vaccine hesitancy dropping in Toronto
     

    Manitoulin Central, Municipality of Assiginack and Northeastern Manitoulin, FHTs– The rate of first shots as of Sep. 1 was 88% for Manitoulin Island vs. 74.4% across Ontario, thanks to FHTs, volunteers & the community.
     

    Powassan and Area FHT- East Ferris breaks ground on new medical centre

    Reminder- virtual funding opportunities for primary care, Sep. 16
    Co-hosted with Ontario Health, this webinar will provide information and answer questions about FY2021-22 digital and virtual care provincial funding opportunities for Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) and In Development Team, including support for online appointment booking and virtual primary care projects.
    Find out more and register here.

    Reminder- COVID-19 malnutrition – how to identify and treat in team-based primary care, Sep. 20, 2021

    Gain a greater awareness of prevalence of malnutrition in primary care and the impact of undiagnosed malnutrition on quality of life, health outcomes and health care dollars. Find out more and register here.

    AFHTO 2021 Conference: AI panel update & poster confirmations

    AFHTO 2021 small logo

    More information on Artificial Intelligence and Robots in Primary Care. The Future is Now is now available. Register here.

    And if you are part of a group that has prepared an abstract, please ensure your group contact has received an e-mail including the words AFHTO 2021 Conference in the subject on Sep. 9. (Please have them check their junk mail as well.)

    If your contact person has NOT received this notification, please contact info@afhto.ca before Thursday, September 16, 2021. We are currently awaiting confirmation for 10 posters.

    Additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine in immunocompromised individuals and more

    Recent updates include:

    We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:

    Relevant news and updates: EMR data uses for performance measurement & climate change

    Submit an abstract for Trillium Primary Health Care research day

    You are invited to submit your research for presentation at the virtual 2021 Trillium Primary Health Care Research Day on Oct. 15. Deadline to submit Oct. 1.

    Reminder- seeking pharmacists’ input on experiences and contributions to mental health care during COVID-19

    If you are a primary care pharmacist, University of Toronto researchers want to hear from you! Their study seeks to examine primary care team pharmacist contributions to patient mental health care, and understand pharmacists’ experiences with collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 15 to 20 min survey includes a mix of multiple choice and open response questions.
     
    This study from the University of Toronto is co-led by Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft, Assistant Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and Dr. Lisa Dolovich, Professor & Dean at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.
     
    To take the survey, please click on this link: https://bit.ly/SplPharm.

    Keeping our kids safe at school, new IPAC guidance, and more, Sep. 17, 2021
    The next meeting of OCFP COVID-19 CoP. Register here.

    NPAO 2021 Virtual Annual Conference, Sep. 23-24, 2021
    This years’ Conference theme is Nurse Practitioner: Innovative Influencers of Health and Wellness. Find out more and register here.

    Expanding your differential diagnosis, Oct. 14
    Co-hosted with ECHO Ontario at UHN, this presentation provides an overarching schema of rheumatic diseases. Find out more and register here

    Tapering and Stopping Opioids, Oct. 19, 2021
    Co-hosted with ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain and Opioid Stewardship (UHN). Register here.

    AFHTO 2021 Conference, Oct. 27-28, 2021
    Post-Pandemic Primary Care: Respond, Recover, Rebuild. Members get a significant discount on the registration fee. Find out more here.

    Transforming Care: Supporting Older Adults Post-COVID in Ontario, Oct. 19-21, 2021
    Hosted by Specialized Geriatric Services East. Register here.

  • QI in Action eBulletin #110: COVID-19 Vaccination Reports, Cancer Screening Summary and Quality Standard Placemat

    QI in Action eBulletin #110: COVID-19 Vaccination Reports, Cancer Screening Summary and Quality Standard Placemat

    In this Issue:

    • COVID-19 Vaccination Reports
    • Resuming Cancer Screening During COVID-19
    • Quality Standard Placemat
    • Share your Thoughts on Addressing Patients’ Mental Health Needs as a Pharmacist
    • Upcoming Webinars

    COVID-19 Vaccination Reports
    Currently COVID-19 Vaccination Reports are available to Primary Care Providers in a few ways that are summarized below:

    • Health Report Manager (HRM®):
      • As of May 18, 2021, and onwards, physicians/NPs with access to HRM will receive HRM notifications with vaccination reports for patients for whom the Primary Care Provider (PCP) field was entered in at the time of vaccination. At the moment reports prior to May 18, 2021, will not be sent to the EMRs via HRM but work is being done to capture earlier vaccinations through HRM.
      • As of July 22, 2021, COVID-19 vaccination reports from the provincial COVaxON system are being enhanced with data from the Ministry of Health’s CAPE (Client Agency Program Enrolment) database to match patients to family physicians who practice in a Patient Enrollment Model (PEM). Patients are not always asked to identify their family physician for entry into COVaxON so the addition of CAPE data enables more reports to reach family physicians. If you practice in a PEM, you will now receive many more vaccination reports via HRM. The next improvement OntarioMD (OMD) is working on is a solution to send historical COVID-19 vaccination reports to family physicians.
      • To automate the process of entering these HRM reports into the immunization list of patients, eCE has created a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) (aka bot), which is currently compatible with the Telus PSS EMR. The bot is currently being offered at no cost and with supports from eCE. eCE will run the bot for you so no additional administrative supports will be required on your end. To see a demo of the bot in action, click here. To request more information or express interest in adding this bot to your workflow, please click here.
    • COVaxON Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Reports              
      • As of July 15, 2021, PEM physicians/clinicians with access to ONEID have access to aggregate eReports from the same portal as the Cancer SAR reports to download a complete list of patients vaccinated up to July 15, 2021. After this date, the report will be updated on a monthly basis.
      • EMR-eReport Patient Vaccination Reconciliation Toolkit were designed to be used with the Ontario Health’s COVaxON Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Report and are designed for Microsoft Excel, Open Office, and Mac Numbers. These toolkits are designed for TELUS PSS, QHR Accuro and OSCAR EMRs. An FAQ on the aggregate reports can be found here. In addition, an information session slide deck and FAQ document can be found here.
      • Please note, a ONE-ID is required to access these reports. For instructions on completing a ONE® ID self-registration, refer to the ONE® ID CPSO Registration Guide. To assign a delegate further information can be found in the FAQ document here.
    • Clinical Viewers (ConnectingOntario ClinicalViewer and Clinical Connect):
      • These reports are available for physicians/clinicians for any time period, however on a per patient basis. For step by step instructions on how to access ClinicalViewers please refer to this reference document.
    • COVaxON:
      • For physicians/clinicians with access to COVaxON, patients can be queried on a per patient basis to inquire on vaccination status.

    For more information and updates on COVID-19 Vaccination Reports, please refer to the OMD page here.

    Resuming Cancer Screening During COVID-19

    Missed the last ebulletin? Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) has created a summary page for your reference on the resumption of cancer screening during the pandemic.

    Content below developed by Ontario Health (Health Quality Ontario)

    Quality Standard Placemat

    Ontario Health wants your input on the quality standard placemats!

    Ontario Health has recently developed a tool called the Quality Standard (QS) Placemat that is a resource for primary care practitioners. The placemat highlights key elements of care for a condition and is an evidence-based, quick-reference tool that concisely summarizes key information from the quality standard and includes links to resources and tools. To facilitate use at point of care, the placemat can be uploaded and used within EMRs for easy access. We have developed step-by-step user guides to help you add the QS placemats into Accuro, PS Suite and OSCAR EMR systems.

    They are looking for clinicians willing to review and use any of the QS Placemats for approximately 2 weeks. After that they would like you to complete a short survey (link below) that will give you the opportunity to provide feedback on the usefulness of the tool.

    Currently, there are seven quality standard placemats available:

    Would you or one of your colleagues be willing to help them test and provide feedback on the placemats?

    If so, please complete the following survey by clicking on the link below.  They would appreciate it if you can complete the survey by August 25th, 2021.

    Survey Link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6387602/Quality-Standards-Placemat-Evaluation

    If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please email Jorge Ginieniewicz at: jorge.ginieniewicz@ontariohealth.ca

    A new Quality standard placemat has been developed:

    Early Pregnancy Complications and Loss QS Placemat—summarizes content from the Early Pregnancy

    Illustration of a woman with long wavy hair in profile, holding plants in her arms

    Complications and Loss Quality Standard, focusing on care for people experiencing complications, such as pain and vaginal bleeding, and/or the loss of their pregnancy in the first 13 weeks.

    Share your Thoughts on Addressing Patients’ Mental Health Needs as a Pharmacist
    If you are a primary care pharmacist, the research team wants to hear from you! This study seeks to examine primary care team pharmacist contributions to patient mental health care and understand pharmacists’ experiences with collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 15 to 20 min survey includes a mix of multiple choice and open response questions.

    This study from the University of Toronto is co-led by Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft, Assistant Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and Dr. Lisa Dolovich, Professor & Dean at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

    To take the survey, please click on this link: https://bit.ly/SplPharm.

    Upcoming Webinars:

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #109 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • QI in Action eBulletin #109: Cancer Screening during the Pandemic and Onwards

    QI in Action eBulletin #109: Cancer Screening during the Pandemic and Onwards

    In this Issue:

    • Cancer Screening during the Pandemic and Onwards
    • Tip Sheets for Primary Care Providers
    • Breast Screening
    • Cervical Screening
    • Colorectal Cancer Screening
    • Ontario Health’s Screening Activity Report
    • EMR Tips to Help you Resume Cancer Screening
    • Upcoming Webinars

    Cancer Screening during the Pandemic and Onwards

    Check out our recent Cancer Screening during the Pandemic and Onwards webinar co-hosted by AFHTO, The Alliance for Healthier Communities, the Ontario College of Family Physicians, the Nurse Practitioner Led Clinics Association and Ontario Health, hosted on June 21, 2021.

    Learn some practical tips and examples on resuming cancer screening from our speakers:

    • Dr. Ed Kucharski, Family Physician, Regional Primary Care Lead (Toronto Central)
    • Dr. Jennifer Rayner, Director of Research and Evaluation, Alliance for Healthier Communities
    • Diana Noel, Executive Director, Village Family Health Team
    • Teresa Wetselaar, NP, West Parry Sound Health Centre
    • Dr. Neil Naik, Family Physician, Interim Regional Primary Care Lead (Waterloo Wellington)

    Cancer screening webinar title slide

    Content below developed by Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario)

    Tip Sheets for Primary Care Providers

    Ontario’s health care system has been significantly impacted by COVID-19 and these impacts will be felt for a while. Cancer screening was paused in March 2020 because of the pandemic, and gradually started to resume after the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s Directive 2 for healthcare providers was amended in late May 2020.

    Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) runs the province’s organized cancer screening programs, the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP), the Ontario Cervical Screening Program (OCSP) and ColonCancerCheck (CCC). Ontario Health released Tip Sheets on gradually starting up breast, colorectal and cervical screening in June 2020, and most recently, has updated and streamlined the Tip Sheet for primary care providers. Tip Sheets have also been developed for OBSP sites, colposcopy, and endoscopy. Guidance in the Tip Sheets is based on the best available evidence as well as expert opinion.

    As we begin the process of system recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, here are some tips based on Ontario Health’s guidance to help you make decisions about how to resume screening for your patients. Please contact Ontario Health if you have any questions: cancerinfo@ontariohealth.ca.

    1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in her lifetime

    Breast Screening
    For most people at average risk of breast cancer, routine breast screening is a mammogram every two years for people ages 50 to 74.  If capacity is limited in your area, OBSP sites have been asked to focus on the following groups and you can support by encouraging these patients to be screened:

    • High Risk OBSP participants
    • People at average risk who have never been screened before
    • Average risk participants who have been told to rescreen in one year

    The Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) website has more information on the current routine breast cancer screening guidelines.

    Know the facts- cervical cancer is almost always preventable

    Cervical Screening
    If someone comes to your office and they are due for cervical screening, the OCSP suggests screening them. Routine cervical screening every three years with cervical cytology (Pap test) is recommended for people with a cervix. While formal OCSP guidelines currently recommend starting screening at age 21, Ontario Health encourages primary care providers to start cervical screening for patients at age 25 in alignment with best new evidence.  

    OCSP guidelines will be formally updated with the implementation of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in the OCSP. Routine cervical screening can stop at age 70 for people with three or more normal cytology tests in the previous 10 years.

    If you are unable to provide routine cervical screening, people at elevated risk for cervical cancer should be prioritized because they need annual screening. Examples of people at elevated risk include anyone who is:

    • Discharged from colposcopy with persistent low-grade cytology
    • Discharged from colposcopy with an HPV-positive test and a normal or low-grade cytology
    • Immunocompromised (e.g., HIV positive)

    Colposcopy services have also resumed. To make sure people at the highest risk for cervical cancer are able to get timely colposcopy appointments, it is recommended that primary care providers refer patients with:

    • a single high grade cytologic abnormality (e.g., HSIL+, AIS) or
    • two consecutive low grade cytologic abnormalities (e.g., LSIL, ASCUS).

    Patients with a single low grade cytologic abnormality should be re-screened in primary care in approximately 12 months with cytology. As a reminder, any patient that is positive for HPV strains 16 or 18 should be referred to colposcopy, regardless of cytology result.

    Colorectal Cancer Screening

    9 out of 10 people can be cured if colon cancer is caught early

    Routine screening with the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) should be done every two years for people ages 50 to 74 with no first-degree relatives diagnosed with colorectal cancer. 
    If you have limited capacity for screening, CCC recommends focusing your screening efforts on people over the age of 60.

    Here are some tips for sending in FIT requisitions to prevent delays:

     

    fit for colon cancer

    • Please do not batch fax requisitions as this can lead to errors and subsequent delays
    • Ensure that your patient’s mailing address information is correct including apartment numbers
    • Do not send repeat orders until at least 4 to 6 weeks have passed to allow for processing and mailing time
    • To request a replacement kit for your patient, ensure that the replacement kit checkbox near the top of the requisition is marked and submit the new requisition to LifeLabs

    Referrals to colonoscopy can also be resumed, especially for patients with an abnormal FIT result, patients who are at increased risk for colorectal cancer, or patients who are eligible for post-polypectomy surveillance with colonoscopy.

    As a reminder, patients with a previous low risk adenomas (1 to 2 tubular adenoma(s) <10mm in diameter with no high-grade dysplasia) should return to average risk screening with FIT five years after their colonoscopy instead of continued surveillance with colonoscopy. You can find out more about the current colorectal cancer screening recommendations on our website.

    Ontario Health’s Screening Activity Report
    The Screening Activity Report (SAR) is an online tool available to primary care physicians who practice as part of a patient enrolment model (PEM), or to non-patient enrolment model physicians and nurses who practice in the Sioux Lookout Municipality and Sioux Lookout Zone (27 First Nation communities).

    The SAR provides screening data for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers and can help to improve screening participation by identifying patients who are eligible for screening or require follow-up tests. Physicians can also view a comparison of their screening rates to other registered PEM physicians in their region.

    As we recover from COVID-19 in the coming months, and catch up on preventive care like cancer screening, a tool like the SAR can support your practice. The SAR uses ONE® ID to authenticate users; for more information on how to register visit our website.

     

    SAR chart and graph

    EMR Tips to Help you Resume Cancer Screening
    In fall 2020, Ontario Health partnered with OntarioMD on a blog on EMR tips to help primary care start to screen patients again for cancer. The blog includes tips to identify higher-priority patients for cancer screening in your EMR systems and can be found here.

    Upcoming Webinars:

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #108 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • QI in Action eBulletin #108: COVID-19 Vaccination Data & GeriMedRisk

    QI in Action eBulletin #108: COVID-19 Vaccination Data & GeriMedRisk

    In this Issue:

    • COVID-19 Vaccination Data Workflow Updates
    • COVID-19 Vaccination Information Available via the Digital Health Drug Repository (DHDR)
    • Digital Health OHT Community of Practice (CoP)
    • GeriMedRisk
    • Upcoming Webinars

    COVID-19 Vaccination Data Workflow Updates
    As of May 18, 2021, and onwards, Health Report Manager (HRM) has been pushing data prospectively to physicians/nurse practitioners when their name has been collected through COVaxON at point of vaccination. Further information around HRM COVaxON Vaccination Reports can be found on the OntarioMD website here.

    COVaxON is now up to date to allow for documentation of mixed vaccines for those who received the AZ vaccine as their first dose. When adding the second dose vaccine a pop up will appear to remind you that this is not the same vaccine as the first dose. To proceed to the next step, you can write “guideline update” within the text box.

    COVID vaccination data is now also available through the provincial clinical viewers, Connecting Ontario and Clinical Connect. Access to the viewers can be requested via Ontario Health’s Digital Health Service’s website. In the upcoming weeks, you will also see curated lists of enrolled patients that have been vaccinated made available on a monthly basis to physicians through the eReport tool which is available to any patient enrollment model (PEM) physicians in Ontario.

    Any PEM physician with an Ontario Health ONE ID account will have access to their reports. Physicians without a One ID account can get one through the CPSO website or by making a request at Ontario Health’s Digital Health Service’s website.

    Please click here for the COVID-19 vaccination toolbar created by Guelph FHT to help support providers in vaccine data documentation. In addition, please click here for a HRM workflow document, thanks to Dr. Scott Laing of Ottawa. As the vaccination reports are sent via HRM, some issues have been flagged and OntarioMD is working to resolve these issues as they become aware of them. Please check out the OntarioMD website for up-to-date notes on any issues identified and fixed. Below is a list of updates as of June 8, 2021:

    Content below developed by Ontario Health
    COVID-19 Vaccination Information Available via the Digital Health Drug Repository (DHDR)

    The DHDR is a provincial repository of publicly funded drugs and pharmacy services, and all monitored drugs (regardless of payor). Ontarians’ COVID-19 vaccination information from COVaxON (the ministry’s provincial solution for COVID-19 vaccination information) is being made available through the DHDR as a quick solution to enable secure and easy access to authorized health care practitioners throughout the province.

    Similar to existing DHDR records, COVID-19 vaccination information available through the DHDR is limited to patients with a valid Ontario Health Number (HN).

    More information can be found within this document here.

    Content below developed by Ontario Health (Population Health and Digital Excellence) and the Ministry of Health

    Digital Health OHT Community of Practice

    Ontario Health (Population Health and Digital Excellence) and the Ministry of Health are proposing that a province-wide Digital Health OHT Community of Practice (COP) be established that would provide a framework for OHTs to collaborate and share at a provincial level related to their digital and virtual needs and programs. This group would be a sub-component of the broader OHT Learning Collaboratives and Communities of Practice and supported by the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health.

     
    The COP will be co-facilitated by OH regional digital leads and OHTs would be invited to showcase their best practices and lessons learned related to digital needs/programs for mutual learning across the province on a given topic. This collaborative should make it easier for OHTs to work on their requirements.

    This group will meet quarterly but the COP would serve as a forum for engagement more broadly in between the meetings. This will include ongoing collaboration, on-line sharing, webinars, and workshops on key subjects. Importantly, the group will have an online collaboration space on the OHT Collaborative platform called the Digital Health OHT Community of Practice that can help support these activities. The COP will be used to facilitate sharing of leading practices, enabling scale of successful initiatives and standardization across OHTs/regions.   

    To learn more, please check out the Digital Health OHT Community of Practice Quorum group.

    Content below developed by GeriMedRisk
    A Geriatric Specialist Resource for Primary Care Providers: GeriMedRisk

    GeriMedRisk is an Ontario Ministry of Health-funded clinical consultation and education service for doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists practicing in Ontario.

    GeriMedRisk provides virtual access to an interdisciplinary specialist team from geriatric psychiatry, clinical pharmacology, geriatric pharmacy, and geriatric medicine who collaborate to answer clinical questions regarding your older patients’ medications, physical and mental health conditions.

    Within approximately 5 business days, GeriMedRisk provides a coordinated response and educational materials back to the primary care provider for use with their patient.

     

    How to consult GeriMedRisk
    Ontario Telemedicine Network or Champlain BASE™ eConsult: select “GeriMedRisk”
     
    Fax: (519) 279-2959
     
    Call toll-free 1 (855) 261-0508 (Mon-Fri 9:00 am – 5:00 pm ET)
     
    Specialized Geriatric Services (SGS) Intake Forms
     

    GeriMedRisk Consultation Process:

    Shows lifecycle of gerimedrisk process

    1. Prescriber (doctor, nurse practitioner, specialist) or allied health care professional* identifies medication, mental health or physical concern in their patient.
    2. Clinician sends consult question and patient medical records to GeriMedRisk via eConsult, phone, fax, or central intake referral.
    3. GeriMedRisk team reviews question, medical records, and conducts a best possible medication history with patient/caregiver.
    4. Clinician receives a single, integrated consult note and relevant educational materials typically within 5 business days.

    *Includes pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants or other clinicians in partnership and with the consent of the prescriber.

    Example of Gerimedrisk resource

    Educational Resources for Primary Care Providers

    • Drug information: GeriMedRisk creates geriatric drug information summaries and infographics on safe prescribing for older adults.
      • Browse the library here and request at no cost.
    • GeriMedRisk- Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology rounds:
    • Monthly online accredited rounds on topics in safe prescribing.
    • COVID-19 Drug Information Resources

    Upcoming Event: Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology And GeriMedRisk: Drug Safety For Older Adults Beyond “Start Low, Go Slow”

    On June 24, 2021 at 12 pm, join Dr. Joanne Ho (geriatrician, clinical pharmacologist and co-executive director of GeriMedRisk) to learn more about how GeriMedRisk can support your patients’ care. Click here to register.

    For more information: www.GeriMedRisk.com |1 (855) 261-0508| info@GeriMedRisk.com | @GeriMedRisk

    Upcoming Webinars:

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #107 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • Bits & Pieces: Astra-Zeneca pause supporting documentation, CMOH webinar and more

    Bits & Pieces: Astra-Zeneca pause supporting documentation, CMOH webinar and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Supporting documentation for Astra-Zeneca pause
    • COVID-19 Education with Daniel Warshafsky, Office of CMOH, June 9
    • Happy Foot Health Month- plus article on initial diabetic foot screening
    • COVID-19 vaccination clinic workflow update
    • Provincial Antigen Screening Program – Intake Portal and more
    • Relevant reports and studies- patient perspectives on quality of care for depression and anxiety and need for team-based primary care in the US
    • ECHO Ontario Integrated Mental and Physical Health
    • OHT Impact Fellows- deadline May 25
    • 1st North American Conference on Integrated Care– call for submissions
    • Upcoming events including Measuring Patient and Provider Experience: Completing the Quadruple Aim and more

     

    Supporting documentation for Astra-Zeneca pause

    As we noted last week the Ontario government announced on May 11 that primary care and pharmacy are to pause on the further use of the AstraZeneca (AZ)/COVISHIELD COVID-19 vaccines as first doses to eligible individuals.

    On May 14, the Ministry released related supporting documentation for healthcare workers:

    COVID-19 Education with Daniel Warshafsky, Office of CMOH, June 9

    From variants of concern to changing directives on vaccines, understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve rapidly. The Indigenous Primary Health Care Council, the Alliance for Healthier Communities, and the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario are pleased to invite Dr. Daniel Warshafsky, Senior Medical Consultant at the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health to speak with our members on the latest findings and considerations related to COVID-19, so that you can be better equipped to answer your patients’ questions.

    This session will cover key questions that we have heard from you, including variants of concern, AstraZeneca and potential mixing of vaccine, breakthrough cases and emerging evidence around vaccination for children 12-17 years old. Nicole Blackman, Provincial Director at the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council will talk about why Indigenous people are prioritized to receive vaccines. Register here.

    Happy Foot Health Month- plus article on initial diabetic foot screening

    This month chiropodists and podiatrists all over Ontario will be promoting awareness and education on the importance of good foot health. Everyone involved in foot health, including physicians, chiropodists, nurses, diabetes teams, and other IHPs, can provide better outcomes for their patients by sharing important weekly tips and information about good foot health, common conditions, and preventative measures. Some useful sources include:

    In recognition of Foot Health Month, we would also like to celebrate a recent peer reviewed publication from Dufferin Area FHT’s chiropodists in The Foot journal. Conducted at the DAFHT, the study explains how the 60-second diabetes foot screens that many diabetes teams and nurses use (to refer) could be enhanced with a use of the Manchester Scale visual tool. The purpose was to emphasize a primary care and inter-collaborative approach to diabetes foot screens.

    COVID-19 vaccination clinic workflow cover data & emr edition tips & tricks

     

    COVID-19 vaccination clinic workflow update
    We have just updated the document geared towards the Super User, with some tips and tricks for teams, their mass vaccination clinics, drive-thru vaccination clinics and in-clinic vaccinations.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Provincial Antigen Screening Program – Intake Portal and more

    Recent updates include:

    We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:

    Relevant reports and studies- patient perspectives on quality of care for depression and anxiety and need for team-based primary care in the US

    View frome behind of people in a meeting room with more light on those at the back

    ECHO Ontario Integrated Mental and Physical Health

    Are you looking for support managing your most complex patients?  Apply for ECHO Ontario Integrated Mental and Physical Health.  The FREE and virtual interactive sessions will take place on Fridays from 12:00-1:15 PM EST from June 4-August 27, 2021. 

    Identifying the most effective mental and physical health interventions can be challenging.  Our program connects you with the expertise of leading clinicians and a panel of your peers.  By learning together, you will not be alone in finding the best path ahead for your patients.  Apply here.

    OHT Impact Fellows- deadline May 25
    The OHT Impact Fellows program offers recent Master’s and PhD graduates a one-year embedded fellowship opportunity in Ontario Health Teams, where they will support local projects and contribute to rapid learning.

    The program provides Fellows with advanced training in implementation and evaluation while enabling them to apply their skills in an exciting work environment and be a catalyst for health systems change. Deadline May 25. Find out more here.

    1st North American Conference on Integrated Care– call for submissions

    The 1st North American Conference on Integrated Care in association with the 6th World Congress on Integrated Care will be run as a virtual conference in partnership with the University of Toronto, KPMG Canada, HSPN and iCOACH from October 4 – 7,  2021. With the overarching theme ‘Co-designing for health and wellbeing with individuals and communities’, deadline to submit is May 31. Find out more here.

    Input needed today on the curriculum for a new mentoring program on occupational and environmental medicine
    How confident do you feel about identifying a work-related illness, completing a WSIB Form 8, or doing a functional abilities assessment with injured patients?  You can get support on these topics and more through the new Project ECHO Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) for Ontario healthcare providers.  Help tailor the program curriculum by completing this short needs assessment.  It takes less than 10 minutes, and you could win a $50 gift card. The (free) ECHO OEM program launches this fall. Deadline extended to today, May 18.

    Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in clinical practice, May 19 & 20, 2021
    The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) is hosting a webinar to inform health care providers on addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in clinical practice.  

    COVID-19 CoP: Mobilizing community, administering Moderna in the office, evolving guidance and more, May 21, 2021
    Join the OCFP for their 23rd CoP to see how primary care is vaccinating communities and more.
    Find out more here.

    Measuring Patient and Provider Experience: Completing the Quadruple Aim, May 25, 2021
    HSPN will be discussing the measures of provider experience they recommend for use in OHTs. Patient & provider experiences will be shared from their own perspective.
    Register here.

    McMaster University Review Course in Psychiatry, May 27-28, 2021
    Hosted by Continuing Professional Development, McMaster University and accredited. Find out more here.

    Child & Youth Eating Disorders: Information for Primary Care, June 1 – 15, 2021
    This special interest ECHO session series will cover:

    • Understanding Medical Implications and Monitoring for Children and Youth with Eating Disorders, June 1, 2021
    • Supporting a Young Person with an Eating Disorder in Primary Care – Tips and Tricks for the Primary Care Provider, June 15, 2021

    For more information, click here.

    Project ECHO: Ontario Bariatric Network, Starting June 2, 2021
    Join these OBN Project ECHO Series held by Guelph General Hospital BCOE & The Ottawa Hospital BCOE.
    Find out more here.

  • Bits & Pieces: nursing week, EMR audit materials, vaccination workflow and more

    Bits & Pieces: nursing week, EMR audit materials, vaccination workflow and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Nursing Week
    • EMR/EHR Auditing Obligations video and materials
    • COVID-19 vaccination clinic workflow and mass upload tips & tricks
    • Member stories
    • High-risk healthcare workers to get second dose sooner, VITT guidance and more
    • IPHCC youth-produced social media and video series on vaccine promotion
    • Message for pregnant individuals about the COVID-19 vaccine
    • KTE webinars on hold
    • Respiratory Health Forum – call for expression of interest
    • Upcoming events including primary care vaccine QI support and more

     

    Thank You Nurses with red chocolate hearts and red paper hearts

    Nursing Week

    It’s Nursing Week so we’re extending a heartfelt THANK-YOU to nurses in primary care teams. This week, we’re recognizing your dedication to your patients, your teams and your community during the pandemic and beyond. You can join with #NursingWeek2021.

     

     

     

    Privacy audits webinar title slide

     

    EMR/EHR Auditing Obligations video and materials
    On May 7 we held an hour and a half webinar with Kate Dewhirst Law to better understand the obligations to audit EMR and EHRs. Video, slides, and an audit report sample are now available here.

     

     

    COVID-19 vaccination clinic workflow and mass upload tips & tricks

    COVID-19 vaccination clinic workflow cover data & emr edition tips & tricks

    COVID-19 vaccination mass client upload workflow

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    As teams move from pilot COVID-19 vaccination clinics to mass vaccination clinics, drive-thru vaccination clinics and in-clinic vaccinations, we have put together a document geared towards the Super User, with some tips and tricks. Learning from the experience of Windsor FHT, Hamilton FHT, Upper Grand FHT, London FHT and many more we have summarized the key learnings for you!

    We have also put together a Mass Client Upload Workflow document in collaboration with the QI in PC Council, with tips and tricks for data extraction, manipulation, and upload. Read more in last week’s eBulletin.

    Member stories

    Elliot Lake FHT – Elliott Lake FHT to get Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

    Guelph FHT – “I got my COVID-19 vaccine to keep my community safe”: Health Care Providers addressing vaccine hesitancy

    Hamilton FHT– Hamilton opens AstraZeneca vaccine walk-in for ages 40 and up

    Owen Sound FHT – Grey Bruce – COVID-19 Vaccines for Homebound Residents

    Prime Care FHT – Milton clinic offers COVID-19 vaccine for Ontarians 40 and up

    You can share your own stories with our member initiative webform. If you have any questions, please email us at info@afhto.ca.

    High-risk healthcare workers to get second dose sooner, VITT guidance and more

    Recent updates include:

    We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:

    IPHCC youth-produced social media and video series on vaccine promotion

    The Indigenous Primary Health Care Council, in partnership with the National Reconciliation Program at Save the Children, has been leading an Indigenous youth vaccine advocacy program. As part of the program, each of the 20 youth participants has created a 30-40 second video “story” which they will be sharing on social media. Each of the videos includes a brief story explaining how COVID has affected their life, a COVID fact and finishes with their reason for getting vaccinated.
     
    As this is a youth run program, they have created their own social media strategy. The videos are being shared through Facebook stories, Instagram (both as stories and reels), TikTok and other platforms that the youth may choose beginning on Monday May 3. Each participant will be sharing a different video for 20 days to maximize their reach. IPHCC is also sharing the videos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. The youth also chose several hashtags to use for the campaign- #SmudgeCOVID #4MyRelations #BrighterFuture and #IndigenousYouth4Vaccine. If you choose to share the content, please use these hashtags so they can monitor the campaigns reach.

    Social media handles are:

    Facebook: @IPHCC.ca
    Instagram: @iphcc.ca
    Twitter: @iphcc_ca
    TikTok: @iphcc

    Message for pregnant individuals about the COVID-19 vaccine

    BORN Ontario Video Collage Language Logo

    Pregnant individuals are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario, and now have a decision to make about getting vaccinated while pregnant. Making sense of information from various sources can be difficult. There is an urgent need to deliver COVID-19 messages from reliable sources of information and empower individuals to make an informed choice.
    To this end, pregnancy care providers in Ontario are sharing a unified video message for pregnant individuals, aimed at highlighting the risks of COVID-19 infection in pregnancy (notably the increased likelihood of ICU admission), and at increasing vaccine confidence.

    The message is currently available in English, French and numerous other languages, such as Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, Mandarin, Spanish, Tamil, Vietnamese, and Yoruba. Please share the link to the video collection with the pregnant people in your care, and the public.

    KTE webinars on hold
    We have had so many great webinars so far this year, but right now we will have a brief pause for May and possibly June as vaccination efforts are expedited. Of course, things can change quickly so please keep up to date by checking our emails. In the meantime, you can catch up with these webinars from the past few months.

    Respiratory Health Forum – call for expression of interest
    The Lung Health Foundation invites those working in primary or community care programs and initiatives related to lung health to submit an expression of interest to present a virtual and interactive presentation at the Respiratory Health Forum on Oct. 13, 2021. Deadline May 28, 2021.

    Choosing Wisely Canada’s Virtual National Meeting, May 12 – 13, 2021
    Remember to register for Choosing Wisely’s 2-day national meeting, in collaboration with the CMA.
    Learn more here.

    Primary Care Vaccine QI Support Group Webinar, May 13, 2021
    Join Ontario Health to learn valuable lessons from pilot sites, gain access to resources, information, and quality improvement tips to assist you in moving forward with your vaccine plans.
    Register here.

    Child & Youth Eating Disorders: Information for Primary Care, May 18 – Jun. 15, 2021
    This special interest ECHO session series will cover:

    • Understanding Eating Disorders and Assessment of Children and Youth with Eating Disorders, May 18, 2021
    • Understanding Medical Implications and Monitoring for Children and Youth with Eating Disorders, June 1, 2021
    • Supporting a Young Person with an Eating Disorder in Primary Care – Tips and Tricks for the Primary Care Provider, June 15, 2021

    For more information, click here.

    CFPC Pivots: May & June 2021

    • The Art And Science Of Medication Optimization For Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction, May 18, 2021
    • At A Loss For Weight Loss? Scaling Down The Evidence For Primary Care, June 8, 2021

    To access the webinar links, click here.

    Project ECHO: Ontario Bariatric Network, Starting June 2, 2021
    Join these OBN Project ECHO Series held by Guelph General Hospital BCOE & The Ottawa Hospital BCOE.
    Find out more here.

  • QI in Action eBulletin #107: COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Workflow and Mass Upload Tips & Tricks

    QI in Action eBulletin #107: COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Workflow and Mass Upload Tips & Tricks

    In this Issue:

    • COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Workflow and Mass Upload Tips & Tricks
    • Ontario Health Updates: Quality Standards (QS)
    • Recent Research Publications
    • Upcoming Webinars

     

    COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Workflow and Mass Upload Tips & Tricks

    COVID-19 vaccination clinic workflow cover data & emr edition tips & tricks

     

    As teams move from pilot COVID-19 vaccination clinics to mass vaccination clinics, drive-thru vaccination clinics and in-clinic vaccinations, we have put together a document geared towards the Super User, with some tips and tricks. Learning from the experience of Windsor FHT, Hamilton FHT, Upper Grand FHT, London FHT and many more we have summarized the key learnings for you!

    OntarioMD continues to provide live and recorded series of webinars for the COVaxON system. In addition, it’s recommended to keep an eye on their website for any updates on End to End sessions, EMR Tools and Queries, Job Aids and much more!

     

     

    COVID-19 vaccination mass client upload workflow

     

     

    In collaboration with the QI in PC Council, we have put together a Mass Client Upload Workflow document with tips and tricks for data extraction, manipulation, and upload.

    In addition, to these tips and tricks it is highly recommended to keep an eye on the OntarioMD and eHealth Centre of Excellence Community Portal for up-to-date queries to help identify patient lists for vaccinations.

     

     

     

     

    Ontario Health Updates: Quality Standards (QS)

    Recognizing World Asthma Day (May 5th)

    Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions in Canada. Two million Ontarians have asthma and an estimated 90% of them have uncontrolled asthma that could be improved by optimizing medication. It’s more important than ever for people with asthma to get the best treatments to prevent emergency room visits for asthma flare-up during the pandemic.

    Ontario Health has also developed placemats based on the Asthma quality standards to support you and your patients living with asthma. The placemat is a quick-reference tool that concisely summarizes key information from the quality standard and can be used by primary care providers to facilitate patient-centered discussions. See the links below to access the asthma placemats:

    EMR Resources for primary care providers
    Ontario Health is making the QS placemats more accessible by supporting their use within electronic medical record (EMR) systems. They have developed EMR user guides to help you access the QS placemats in Accuro and Practice Solutions Suite EMR systems. A step-by-step guide to support OSCAR EMR users will be available soon.

    OH encourages you to share these resources with your colleagues and networks. Please let them know how these resources are being used in the field and in your EMR systems. To share your feedback, please email qualitystandards@hqontario.ca.  

    Research Publications

    Upcoming Webinars:

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #106 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • Q&A Refresher with Maria McDonald, vaccination roll-out CoPs and input for the next OHT webinar

    Inside

    • Managing and Supporting Staff throughout COVID-19: Q&A Refresher with Maria McDonald
    • COVID@Home
    • Primary Care Vaccination Quality Improvement Community of Practice (Ontario Health) – Next Meeting is April 22!
    • OCFP community of practice
    • Next webinar on OHT learnings!
    • Reminder: Webinar on EMR auditing obligations
    • COVID-19 and patient responsibility

    Hello Executive Directors and Administrative Leads,

    We’d like to provide some updates on a new webinar, COVID@Home and communities of practice (CoP) for vaccine roll-out. There is also a request in this email for your input regarding another OHT webinar this spring, and a reminder about an upcoming webinar on auditing. Thank you in advance for your comments towards an OHT webinar – it will help us arrange one that will be of most use to you!

    Here are some updates:

    Managing and Supporting Staff throughout COVID-19: Q&A Refresher with Maria McDonald

    Over the past year, teams have pivoted to respond to the demands of COVID-19, and staff have shifted how and where they work. We recognize staff are working outside normal clinic hours and being tasked with additional duties as this crisis increases and Ontario remains under a stay-at-home order. How do teams continue to support staff through these transitions, recognize their efforts, and provide the flexibility needed while maintaining equity in the workplace?

    For advice on these questions and more, join us for a one-hour “refresher” webcast with Maria McDonald of McDonald HR Law on Tuesday, April 27, from 12 PM to 1 PM.

    This webcast invitation is going to EDs and admin leads only. However, we leave it at your discretion to extend the invitation to others on your team, as you consider appropriate.
     
    More information and registration is here!

    COVID@Home
    Teams received an email from the ministry on April 9, requesting support for home monitoring of COVID-19 positive patients with mild to moderate symptoms. This is to help relieve the strain on hospitals.

    Since that email, and due to the accelerating pressure on hospitals, particularly in 34 hot spot areas, teams have been hearing from both AFHTO and officials to identify capacity and, where needed, connect teams with the appropriate person in the hospital.

    AFHTO is scheduling a call with officials to answer questions about compensation, overtime, deployment of staff, and other operational matters. Please stay tuned for more details.
     
    For today, the following are available:

    Teams can contact their ministry representative if there are extraordinary costs associated with delivering COVID@Home or other COVID home monitoring programs. To enable participation in COVID home monitoring efforts, teams may pause or adjust their programs and services, except those that are deemed critical (e.g., acute care, mental health and addictions).

    COVID@Home is not intended to replace a home monitoring program you may already be using. If you already have a program, it would be helpful if you could email Beth MacKinnon so we know the work teams are doing and can ensure the ministry is informed.

    Primary Care Vaccination Quality Improvement Community of Practice (Ontario Health) – Next Meeting is April 22!
    A community of practice (CoP) came together in March under the leadership of Dr. David Kaplan from Ontario Health (COVID-19 Primary Care Lead, Toronto Region). This was for groups to share learnings, tools, and strategies across the six pilot regions during the Primary Care Vaccination Pilot in March/April.

    The group supported the pilot vaccine clinic sites and primary care partners in delivering vaccines; shared learnings, tools, resources, and strategies; and enabled collaboration to identify solutions to challenges.

    This pilot is now complete. As primary care vaccination expands, all members are invited to join what is now called the Ontario Health Primary Care Vaccination Quality Improvement CoP.

    You can join the CoP’s Quorum group for access to weekly webinars, tools/resources, and optional coaching support.

    These documents provide more information:

    Here are summaries of key learnings to date, as well as OMA guidance documents:

    This CoP’s webinar series will resume this Thursday, April 22. There will be one webinar a week for four weeks. They are from 8 AM to 9 AM. Registration is here.

    OCFP community of practice
    There is another community of practice, which is hosted by the OCFP to support physicians: “COVID-19 Community of Practice for Ontario Family Physicians.”

    The next call is this week on Friday, April 23, from 8 AM to 9 AM: “The COVID-19 vaccine: Vaccination in primary care, evolving vaccine evidence, and more” with panelists Dr. Allison McGeer and Dr. Rosemarie Lall.  You can register here.

    OCFP’s COVID-19 CoP session recordings, resources, and Q&As are here: https://www.dfcm.utoronto.ca/covid-19-community-practice

    COVID-19 information and resources:
    OCFP:         https://www.ontariofamilyphysicians.ca/
    U of T, DFCM:     https://www.dfcm.utoronto.ca/covid-19-community-practice

    Next webinar on OHT learnings!
    On February 26, members heard from four teams about OHT development in their regions. In a poll during the webinar, most members said that another one in the spring would be useful.

    To help us arrange speakers, we would like your feedback on what would be most helpful! What would you like to know about other OHTs? What questions do you have regarding their approach to population health? Governance? Primary care leadership? Patient engagement? Data and digital solutions? Performance and evaluation metrics?

    Please complete this survey by this Friday, April 23. Based on the feedback, we will arrange speakers for a 90-minute webinar later in the spring.

    Reminder: Webinar on EMR auditing obligations
    Teams are invited to join Kate Dewhirst from Kate Dewhirst Health Law on Friday, May 7, from 12 PM to 1:30 PM to better understand obligations to audit electronic medical records (EMR).

    Topics discussed will include the following:

    • Why do you have to audit?
      • What’s new in the 2020 changes to PHIPA about audits of electronic systems.
      • Contractual obligations when signed onto Connecting Ontario platforms or sharing systems with OHT partners or other agencies in your geographic region.
    • How often should you audit?
    • What do you have to audit?
    • How do you audit?
    • What tools to use to document your auditing practices.

    There will be time for questions. Register today!

    COVID-19 and patient responsibility
    Several teams have asked about communication for patients on COVID fatigue and the outcome of individuals’ actions in not following public health measures. Regions are seeing different interpretations of the urgency in following these measures and would like to communicate this clearly to patients.

    If any teams have developed messaging or handouts to help people understand the impact their behavior can have on others and on the health care system, we would welcome this to share with all members.

    We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this very challenging time. If you have any questions, please reach out to us anytime at info@afhto.ca

    Yours in good health,
    Your AFHTO team

  • QI in Action eBulletin # 106: COVID-19 Vaccination Eligibility – EMR Searches for Primary Care

    QI in Action eBulletin # 106: COVID-19 Vaccination Eligibility – EMR Searches for Primary Care

    In this Issue:

    • EMR Searches for Primary Care
    • eConsult Specialty Groups
    • Share your COVID-19 Initiatives
    • Upcoming Webinars

    EMR Searches for Primary Care
    To support primary care with COVID-19 vaccination during Phase Two of Ontario’s roll out strategy, the team at the eHealth Centre of Excellence can provide EMR searches that enable clinicians to more efficiently identify and prioritize ambulatory patients from their roster who are in greatest need of the COVID-19 vaccination.

    Searches are now available for Telus PS Suite, Oscar and Accuro EMRs. Searches prioritize patients according to the eligibility criteria outlined in the Ministry of Health’s provincial Phase Two vaccination roll-out plan.

    The three searches created prioritise patients according to highest risk, high risk and at-risk populations.

    highest, high and at risk population search

    To download these searches, please join the community portal.

    eConsult Specialty Groups

    As a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic, OTN and the eConsult Centre of Excellence in partnership with Public Health, OMA, OntarioMD, Ontario Health and the MOH have created new specialty groups;

    • a COVID-19 BASETM managed eConsult specialty group. This group enables physicians and nurse practitioners to ask general clinical questions to infectious disease specialist electronically and receive a response within days. The COVID-19 BASE™ Managed Specialty Group is now available province-wide.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • a COVID-19 and Autoimmune Disorders BASE™ Managed Specialty Group. This group enables physicians and nurse practitioners to ask COVID-19 and Autoimmune Disorders related clinical questions to Rheumatology specialists electronically and receive a response within days.

    These are the only group that allows for population-based, non-patient specific clinical questions. Specialists can answer both patient-specific and general questions about COVID-19.

     

    • 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
    • Please note: Patient screening for COVID-19 must still be done through Public Health Services. For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario, visit Getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario.
    • If you would like to sign up for eConsult, visit www.otnhub.ca or complete the Intake Form and someone can assist you.
    • If you need a refresher on how to submit an eConsult, you can watch the training video here.

    Tell us what COVID-19 initiatives you’re proud of!
    News is that COVID-19 has been rapidly evolving- and so are your teams!
    AFHTO is committed to advocating for your teams by amplifying stories of your team’s efforts, pandemic or not. Tell us what your team is doing to continue providing care to your patients, whether it’s:

    –    COVID-19 vaccination efforts
    –    Adaptations to your programs or clinic
    –    New programs emerging from newly recognized demands
    –    Stories of collaboration with other organizations or the community
    … or any other initiatives your team is proud of- we want to hear from you.

    Submit your COVID-19 stories & photos here, OR tag us on Facebook or Twitter
    … and we could be celebrating your team’s work next!

    Picture of first tweet in vaccine tweet thread

     

    Facebook post of Athens District vaccine drive through

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    COVID member initiatives table

    Upcoming Webinars:

    Respiratory Care During COVID-19: What Have We Learned One Year Later
    Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | In collaboration with the LUNG HEALTH FOUNDATION
    This webinar will highlight practice changes and considerations for the diagnosis and management of chronic lung diseases such as COPD. This includes highlighting the challenges of respiratory diagnostics such as spirometry testing and policies and changes that were needed to provide a safe testing environment. Additionally, the webinar will highlight clinical resources and community support programs provided by the Lung Health Foundation to support primary care practices and their patients.
    For more info and to register, click here.

     

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #105 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.