2024-10-29

Seeking Site Medical Informatics Leads (North, Central, and South Zones)

Alberta Health Services is seeking passionate leaders to fill multiple available positions as Site Medical Informatics Leads (SMILs) in the North, Central, and South Zones (positions for Edmonton and Calgary Zones will be posted and advertised soon). The SMILs will collaborate closely with their Zone's Medical Leadership team and work together with leadership and healthcare practitioners at assigned facilities/site(s) to ensure the seamless integration and optimization of Digital Health. The SMILs will:

  • directly engage site leadership;
  • establish and maintain effective communications;
  • identify workflow and tool gaps;
  • contribute local/specialized knowledge;
  • be a visible champion for clinical systems; and
  • be involved in enhanced local decision-making.

The SMILs will be seasoned physicians within the province of Alberta who understand the complexities of large-scale transformational change, have experience in clinical operations, are committed to continuous quality improvement, and can contribute to the innovation, integration, and consistency of patient-centered clinical care. The successful candidates would report to the Chief Medical Information Officer.

The postings will remain open until suitable candidates are found. 

For a full description of the positions and to apply, see the relevant zonal posting:

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 3: Buddy Up, Team Up

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Buddy-Up and Team-Up
Every clinical group will have members who like, and others who dislike, information management. This is a good time to recognize this reality and identify buddies for providers who may struggle.

There are valuable human resources embedded in Launch 9 sites and others flowing in from Zone sites already on Connect Care. Pre-socialize your Super Users, Medical Informatics Leads, Area Trainers and other specialty, ward or clinic informaticians. Create and share a launch contact list that fits your local group needs. Prescriber launch supports (launchhelp.connect-care.ca) link to a Super User schedule - good contacts to start with.

This is also a good time to consider how clinical information system adoption work can be divided and shared. Some personalization tasks, for example, can dramatically improve the user experience but take time to set up. Many can be initiated by a team member who understands the preferences of colleagues then shared for adoption by a larger group. Examples of allocatable personalization tasks are listed in the Connect Care Manual.

Consider devoting group, division, or other business meetings to identifying, and sharing, remaining team readiness tasks.

2024-10-28

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 4: Unburden as Possible

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Unburden where and when Possible
Many clinical services have limited abilities to control patient numbers or clinical workloads. However, each Launch 9 zone is implementing strategies to ease launch pressures in ways that befit their units and capabilities. In addition, clinicians can help by:
  • Identifying and flagging complex continuing patients who may need more cutover attention during the pre-launch week (see previous posts on pre-launch cutover tasks here and here). 
  • Printing patient lists the evening before launch to ease populating provider care team lists on launch day.
  • Protecting time before launch to confirm access to the Connect Care production environment for re-familiarization with training activities and high-value personalizations.
See our Byte about workload planning for more information.

2024-10-27

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 5: Find Help at the Virtual Drop-In Centre

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Take advantage of the Prescriber Virtual Drop-in Centre
The Virtual Drop-in Centre provides Launch 9 prescribers with support virtually, and is good for troubleshooting issues related to: mobility, personal devices, dictation, personalization and workflows; login, role and access problems; and more complex issues.

The Virtual Drop-in Centre is already open! More information on the Virtual Drop-in Centre – including how to access and a full schedule of hours during the launch support period –  can be found in the Connect Care Manual (launchhelp.connect-care.ca).

2024-10-26

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 6: Follow the Tippies

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Follow Connect Care Tippies
With most Launch 9 prescribers having full Connect Care production access, this is prime time for setting up starter personalizations that can streamline Connect Care workflows at launch. This is also a great time to collect simple best practices that colleagues have found most useful. These "Tippy" peer-to-peer tips can be considered within a moment, with many able to speed things up for most users.

Tippies are published on our "Tips" channel (button above or tips.connect-care.ca) and are re-released approximately twice a week in the peri-launch period. Please consider subscribing to the Tips channel.

The entire Tippies collection can be viewed via tippies.connect-care.ca or tippy.connect-care.ca (worth bookmarking).

2024-10-25

All User Bulletin - Dragon Medical One Issues

All-user-bulletins highlight stumbling blocks that all physicians need to be aware of when using the Connect Care clinical information system.

Dragon Medical One Issues 

Users are experiencing pixelation of text in Connect Care when Dragon Medical One (mobile dictation, DMO) is active. IT is actively troubleshooting the issue.

On Other Channels...

Thank you for continuing to check the Connect Care update blog for prescribers (ideally, subscribe to multiple channels; see instructions). Recent additions to this blog and its various channels are listed below. Reminder that a camera icon in a blog post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 7: Support Cutover Activities

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Support Cutover Activities
Key for attending physicians, nurse practitioners and trainees anticipating Launch 9 inpatient and/or outpatient launch is work to make sure that essential information is ready for loading or linking into the Connect Care clinical information system before launch... and that legacy systems are tidied up so that they can be retired. Related preparations include: 
  • General inpatient: Make sure that all dictations are complete and signed; use dictation (eScription) for all admissions, transfers and consults between now and launch, if possible, so that transition notes at launch can refer to recent documentation in Netcare. 
  • Outpatient: Make sure that all clinic documentation is complete, signed and routed, while also taking care to close any charts still open in legacy systems.
  • Long-term care (LTC): Review orders entered into Connect Care for LTC residents to ensure accuracy of medication and non-medication orders. 
    • Complex patients: Consider pre-launch problem list documentation to support easy transition note generation at launch. Please be aware that clinical teams may still be entering information up until November 1 at 23:30.
  • Post-acute: Please ensure all forms are reviewed and signed by October 30. All new patients admitted from October 31 to November 1 will need cutover forms signed. 
Reminder: All team members should be logged out of the legacy and Connect Care systems by November 1 at 23:30, and remain out of the system until November 2 at 05:00.
Key resources:

2024-10-24

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 8: Complete Login Lab

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Complete CMIO Login Lab
It is essential that all Launch 9 prescribers confirm access to the AHS Network (insite.ahs.ca), to the Unified Access Portal (myapps.ahs.ca) and to Production (PRD) Connect Care.

In addition, all prescribers are required to complete a "CMIO Login Lab" found within Connect Care Hyperspace. This checks that the right tools are assigned to the user in the right way. 

Step-by-step instructions are provided in a tip:

2024-10-23

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 9: Check In Basket

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Check In Basket
Launch 9 prescribers who have completed basic training and the associated proficiency assessment gain access to the Connect Care production environment (PRD), where they can complete personalizations and otherwise get ready for launch. As soon as a prescriber gains access to PRD, they also have an active "In Basket", with immediate implications to the routing of patient test results and communication.

Some prescribers participate in or are affected by early cutover and conversion activities; they can line up orders that need to be ready in the system at launch. There may be communications that relate to setting up surgical cases or outpatient encounters that will occur post-launch. In addition, once a prescriber's account is activated in PRD, new test results will start to automatically route to the prescriber's In Basket, and other Connect Care users can send messages to the prescriber via In Basket.

More information on managing results and reports is available in the Connect Care Manual. A Results Management Toolkit has been prepared (and is continually enhanced) to help prescribers hone effective and efficient results management habits. Prescribers with "mixed-context" practices need to be aware of situations where results might route to both their Connect Care and external EMR systems.

For these and other reasons, it is best to start regular In Basket checks now. A useful In Basket personalization sends alerts to an email of one's choice when there is new In Basket content.

2024-10-22

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 10: Anticipate Computerized Prescriber Order Entry (CPOE)

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Anticipate CPOE
Computerized Prescriber Order Entry (CPOE) refers to the process of a medical prescriber entering orders electronically via a digital health record instead of using paper-based processes. 

CPOE offers an important means by which health processes and outcomes can improve. Entered orders trigger clinical decision supports that can help avoid unsafe medications, promote best practices and improve system performance. Studies show that the move from paper to CPOE decreases common medication errors by 50% or more.

Accordingly, it is a Minimum Use expectation that a
ll tests, interventions and medications that can be ordered in Connect Care must be ordered in Connect Care. Very few exceptions are acceptable.

Connect Care provides tools that make CPOE as easy as possible. Indeed, with the convenience of ordering personalized favourites on any computer or mobile device, anywhere, anytime, ordering is easier to do, and do well, than when constrained by paper. Still, Launch 9 will bring significant change for many providers at facilities moving from paper to computerized order entry. This is a good time to anticipate and prepare for CPOE. Launch 9 prescribers should discuss with their medical leadership about expectations of CPOE as well as their department’s non-urgent communication tools pact.

2024-10-21

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 11: Anticipate Post-Acute Cutover

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Anticipate Post-Acute Cutover
Cutover for post-acute care is a process through which key pieces of information about admitted patients are entered into Connect Care prior to launch. The primary concern for prescribers will be the management of medication and non-medication orders, and the translation of important information about patients’ clinical status from a paper record to Connect Care.

Prescribers facilitate six key tasks as part of post-acute cutover processes:
  • Pre-Launch (October 23–November 1)
    1. Clean up medication orders in legacy systems. Remove unnecessary orders or unused PRNs.
    2. Fill out or review and sign Non-Medication Order Forms for each admitted patient. Should be found on the front of charts. Deadline is end of day October 30 for post-acute care teams. Ensure the orders are predictive of the patient needs as of November 2 at 05:00.
    3. If Best Possible Medication History (BPMH) was NOT done on the legacy BPMH form at admission, it will have to be done. Prescribers must review/complete and sign an AHS-approved BPMH form. (If BPMH was done on admission, there is nothing to do for this step.)
    4. Optional: Create list of all patients the team is following by November 1 at 23:30, to ensure smooth creation of provider specific and specialty lists.
    5. Optional: Summary Migration and Problem List entry can occur October 31–November 1 if teams wish to do this work ahead of time. 
    • Reminder: All team members should be logged out of the legacy and Connect Care systems by November 1 at 23:30, and remain out of the system until November 2 at 05:00.
  • Post-Launch (November 2)
    1. Compare legacy Medication and Non-Medication orders to Connect Care orders. Orders that will be missing include but are not limited to: 
      • Ongoing lab orders, only the first 24 hours worth of lab are being brought over.
      • Reoccurring medications that were ordered after pharmacy closure time. 
      • Wound Care orders. 
      • Area specific orders.
      • Orders that have changed since cutover occurred for patient.
    2. Optional: If teams have decided to utilize patient lists, create provider specific and specialty lists by finding their patients on the individual units throughout the site. Once patients are located, attach your service provider team to the patients’ Current Encounter Treatment Team.
The following resources can help prescribers prepare for post-acute cutover activities (for long-term care/Continuing Care activities, see this post):

2024-10-20

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 12: Know Where to Get Downtime Help

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Know where to get Downtime Help
The Connect Care clinical information system (CIS) needs periodic maintenance. Scheduled downtimes can happen as often as monthly, usually in the early hours of a weekday (e.g., between 00:30 and 04:30), avoiding peak patient care times. Downtimes can affect CIS parts (e.g., linked WellSky transfusion system) and/or the entire digital health record. Details about affected sub-systems are posted in advance of a planned downtime, and a variety of backup systems ensure that things like test results, order sets, documentation and other key tools remain accessible. During downtime, a CIS environment that provides a read-only view of chart information is available.

Most clinicians rarely, if ever, experience a scheduled downtime, and unscheduled downtimes are even rarer. The key is to know where to find just-in-time information and support.

The Connect Care Manual is hosted on separate servers not affected by AHS infrastructure, and so remains available during downtimes. In preparation for launch, check out the following link to see what the Manual covers. Essential information on downtime procedures is covered in a 1-page tip sheet, worth bookmarking. The first downtime scheduled after launch will be in February 2025, so there will be plenty of time to prepare.

2024-10-19

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 13: Get Ready for RAAPID

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Get Ready for RAAPID
Transferring admitted patients between facilities may seem a confusing process, particularly when the receiving facility is not on Connect Care. But there's help! 
  • RAAPID: The RAAPID (Referral, Access, Advice, Placement, Information & Destination) service manages all consultation requests within Connect Care, streamlining the process into a single "Intake Encounter". If transferring a patient to an alternate level of care or to emergency care, call RAAPID first.
  • Leave of Absence (LOA): Once RAAPID is involved in the process, a Leave of Absence order should be entered to communicate the unit to start the transfer process in Connect Care.
For additional information on RAAPID and LOA workflows, see the Connect Care Manual. 

2024-10-18

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 14: Confirm Dual Roles

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Ambidextrous? Let us know!
Most physicians work within a primary care or specialty service and are well served by the Connect Care department, role and user template initially assigned to them. Some prescribers work in multiple facilities or specialties (e.g., Critical Care and Medicine), still served well by their Connect Care toolset and the ability to change departments (contexts) on the fly.

Some prescribers work in two or more clinical areas that require quite different clinical information system (CIS) modules. The emergency module (ASAP), for example, is not like the critical care user interface. If one needs to switch between different modules for different roles (e.g., ER physician and Critical Care physician), then more than one "job" needs to be added to one's Connect Care prescriber record.

Connect Care has made these configuration changes for dual-role prescribers who are already known. If you think you may have been missed, likely because you do not see a module you need in PRD, get in touch with Medical Affairs or Provincial NP Services to request adjustments to your profile.

2024-10-16

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 16: Check Provider Registry Entry

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Confirm PROVIDER REGISTRY Information
The Connect Care clinical information system (CIS) draws from a “provider registry” to store information about clinicians in the CIS. The registry is also a source of information that can affect how CIS user roles and permissions are set up, how providers can find and communicate with one another, and how things like preference lists and referrals work. 

It is important that this information be correct, and getting ready for Connect Care launch is a perfect time to validate information about oneself. Specific instructions are provided in: 
Access and identity essentials are described in the Connect Care Manual.

2024-10-15

CMIO Prescriber Virtual Drop-In Centre Now Open

The CMIO Connect Care Launch 9 Prescriber Virtual Drop-in Centre is now open! 

The Virtual Drop-in Centre provides Launch 9 prescribers with support virtually, and is good for troubleshooting issues related to: mobility, personal devices, dictation, personalization and workflows; login, role and access problems; and more complex issues. 

The Virtual Drop-in is open Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:00, from October 15 to November 1 (closed Saturdays and Sundays). Hours then increase once the Launch 9 sites are live on Connect Care, and the Virtual Drop-in will remain open into December.

More information on the Virtual Drop-in Centre (including how to access and a full schedule of hours during the launch support period) can be found at launchhelp.connect-care.ca.

2024-10-14

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 18: Identify Launch Supports

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Identify Launch Supports
This is a good time to check that you and your colleagues know who the Super Users, Medical Informatics Leads or other peer-resources are for your clinical site, group, area or clinic. They can facilitate pre-launch personalization activities. They will be present and a great resource during the weeks around launch. 

Clinical groups may plan for their own start and end-of-day check-ins to flag issues to forward to twice daily launch support meetings.

Note where Launch Supports are described in the Connect Care Manual. This information is frequently updated with specifics about how to find and use in-person, online and telephone supports for help with Connect Care on-boarding, including the daily Super User schedule and details about the Launch 9 Virtual Drop-in Centre (which opens tomorrow, October 15).

2024-10-11

On Other Channels...

Thank you for continuing to check the Connect Care update blog for prescribers (ideally, subscribe to multiple channels; see instructions). Recent additions to this blog and its various channels are listed below. Reminder that a camera icon in a blog post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 21: Confirm PRD Access

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Check your PRD (Production) Access
All prescribers who have completed their On Our Best Behaviours (InfoCare) training and Connect Care Proficiency Assessment (EUPA) should be able to log in to the full production version of Connect Care (PRD) by now.

Please do the following from within an AHS network (AHSRESTRICT) or from outside with the aid of an RSA security Token:
  1. Go to myapps.ahs.ca and log in with your AHS username and password. Can't get in? See "Access Problems" in the Connect Care Manual.
  2. Once logged in to myapps.ahs.ca, ensure that the PRD (production) Connect Care icon is available. If not, see "Access to Connect Care Clinical Applications" in the Manual.


  3. Open PRD and log in with your AHS username and password. Can't get in? Contact AHS IT Service Desk or ConnectCare.SupportTeam.Security@ahs.ca
We are trying to identify Launch 9 users who somehow got missed in access provisioning. Do not expect access if OOBB (InfoCare) or EUPA is not complete.

2024-10-10

MyAHS Connect - Access Update

As of October 4, 2024, Connect Care's patient portal, MyAHS Connect, is now available to all Albertans with an Alberta Health MyHealth Records account.

  • Prescribers and staff no longer need to complete the previous activation steps for patients, and can instead provide patients with access information for MyHealth Records.
  • The previous activation workflow has been updated to reflect the new access requirements.
  • The self sign-up workflow is no longer required for prescribers and staff to get access to their own MyAHS Connect account. Prescribers who would like to access their MyAHS Connect account can do so by logging in to their MyHealth Records account.
  • With this update, MyAHS Connect users (and their proxies) can also now view their Connect Care referrals information within MyAHS Connect.
  • Proxy access workflows have not changed.

We are currently working to update all our existing prescriber resources to reflect this change.

2024-10-09

Seeking Digital Health Provincial Medical Informatics Leads

Alberta Health Services is seeking passionate leaders to fill multiple available positions as Digital Health Provincial Medical Informatics Leads (PMILs). The PMILs will be at the forefront of driving digital transformation in health care across the province. This pivotal role combines clinical expertise with digital health leadership to shape the future of clinical information systems through:

  • maintenance and improvement of knowledge and workflows in clinical information systems, with a goal to improve quality, efficiency, and safety of patient care;
  • engagement with prescribers to gather input and advice on clinical information system improvements, as well as to act as a champion for system adoption; and
  • development of communications and education materials for prescribers, to drive optimal system use and improve user satisfaction. 

In these capacities, each PMIL will be the key Digital Health medical lead on the provincial Clinical Systems Improvement (CSI) Team for a given clinical program. The available PMIL positions are for the following specialties: Emergency & EMS, Critical Care, Neuroscience & Stroke, Medicine, Surgery, Cardiovascular, Women's Health, Children's Health, Cancer, Population and Public Health, Indigenous Health, Mental Health & Addiction, Continuing Care, Primary Care, Lab, and DI.

The PMILs will be seasoned physicians within the province of Alberta who understand the complexities of large-scale transformational change, are committed to continuous quality improvement, and can contribute to the innovation, integration, and consistency of patient-centered clinical care. The successful candidates would report to the assigned Physician Design Leads for their clinical program and the Chief Medical Information Officer, and will work closely with a number of teams within the Chief Medical Information Office, Clinical Operations Informatics Office, and Information Technology.

The posting will remain open until suitable candidates are found. 

For a full description of the position and to apply:

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 23: Take Action to Receive Results to your Community Clinic

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Take Action to Receive Results to your Community/ Non-AHS Clinic(s)
Community providers throughout Alberta who order general lab, microbiology tests, pathology, and all other specialty labs, diagnostic imaging (DI), or who submit specimens for testing, need to take action. Every requisition given to a patient seen outside of AHS or sent with a specimen from a non-AHS site (including microbiology, pathology and specialty tests) needs to contain: 
  • Authorizing provider’s full name
  • Clinic name
  • Address
  • Submitter ID (for labs)
  • Department ID (for DI) 
  • Provider ID for the authorizing provider
  • All pertinent clinical information 
An audit in the latter part of 2023 showed that nearly half of providers were not using the provider, submitter, and department IDs on their requisitions. When the IDs are not used, delivery of results to your EMR or clinic fax/mail may be significantly delayed. Provider, submitter and department IDs, and can be found at provideridlookup.ahs.ca

For more information:

2024-10-07

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 25: Confirm Connect Care Access and Login Role

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Confirm Access and Role(s)
Do you, or could you, have clinical duties November 2, 2024 or following at a Launch 9 site?

If so, it is essential that you confirm that you have access to the AHS Network (insite.ahs.ca), to the Unified Access Portal (myapps.ahs.ca) and to Production (PRD) Connect Care. A successful PRD login (using your AHS username and password) is just the start. It is also important that a PRD login opens a Connect Care environment appropriate to one's roles and duties. Best to sort out any problems now, well before launch.

A "virtual login lab", which occurs during personalization training, allows Launch 9 clinicians to confirm that they have access to the right tools in the right way. Follow these steps (in order):
  • Complete basic training, the associated end-user proficiency assessment (EUPA) and On Our Best Behaviours (InfoCare privacy training).
  • Login to myapps.ahs.ca with AHS network (HEALTHY) login credentials and launch Connect Care production (PRD).
  • At the Hyperspace login screen, enter your AHS username and password.
  • If multiple "jobs" are presented (multi-role physician), complete the rest of this process for each in turn.
  • When asked for a "Department", choose the appropriate zone virtual clinical department (e.g., Edmonton Zone Cardiology, Edmonton Zone Pediatrics). 
    • Note: Only a few specialties use a physical department for login - see the Manual for the list of exceptions.
  • Once opened into Hyperspace, use the search function (top-right corner), type "CMIO" and jump to the "CMIO Login Labs Info" activity. Alternately, select the top-left "Epic" button, then "Help", then the "CMIO Login Labs Info" submenu item.
  • Examine the information provided and complete the linked survey to indicate whether the physician roles and templates appear correct.
For more information:

2024-10-04

On Other Channels...

Thank you for continuing to check the Connect Care update blog for prescribers (ideally, subscribe to multiple channels; see instructions). Recent additions to this blog and its various channels are listed below. Reminder that a camera icon in a blog post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 28: Get Ready for Billing Workflows

Continuing our list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Learn about Billing Workflows in Connect Care
A previous item introduced the “Service Codes” activity available in patient charts opened in Hyperspace, which allows prescribers to integrate Professional Billing into clinical workflows. Watch this short, animated video to understand the advantages of this workflow over traditional paper billing documentation. Documentation via the Connect Care mobile apps, Canto and Haiku, uses workflows similar to Service Codes. 

The Alberta Health Information Act permits prescribers to use personally identifiable health information for the purposes of getting paid for services. Traditionally, medical staff at AHS, Covenant Health and other publicly funded facilities would print this protected patient information from legacy electronic medical records (EMRs), and then make notes on the printout about health services charges to be submitted to Alberta Health or other payer. When using Service Code Capture and Professional Billing, patient and billing information is fully secure, and kept private throughout the workflow. For more information, please contact ServiceCodeCapture@ahs.ca; for NP-specific billing questions, contact Provincial NP Services at prov.npservices@ahs.ca.

2024-10-02

Order Sets - Order-Related Clinical Decision Supports

While we will highlight new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions in our Support channel if the change has a wide impact on prescribers, often changes are not flagged when the change is intuitive and does not require a new skill to be developed.

One such change could include a new or updated order set. Order sets (or "SmartSets" in outpatient contexts) are organized collections of information, tools and orderables that address a specific health condition or management challenge. They are one of the types of protocolled orders available in Connect Care that combine documentation, decision and inquiry-support for a more efficient and error-free ordering workflow. Clinicians are helped with uncommon health problems when, for example, the most relevant intervention orders are complemented by digests of relevant evidence-informed guidance. 

Our build teams do their best to make order sets as intuitive as possible. So, while it is a good idea to bookmark or subscribe to the Support channel to receive notice of updates in Connect Care, often, in the case of new/updated order sets, the "what you need to know" is simply to use the order set and follow the guidance embedded directly in that order set.

2024-09-27

On Other Channels...

Thank you for continuing to check the Connect Care update blog for prescribers (ideally, subscribe to multiple channels; see instructions). Recent additions to this blog and its various channels are listed below. Reminder that a camera icon in a blog post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 35: Meet the Connect Care Concierge

Continuing our list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Meet Your Connect Care Concierge! 
A unified intake portal for Connect Care user support, the "Concierge", is at your service!

Check it out and familiarize yourself with methods for seeking help when you need it.

A unified intake process allows user needs to be captured, channeled and tracked. All users, Super Users and helpers can enter requests and suggestions. The Connect Care “Concierge” service offers a single point of capture for help, feedback and requests (help.connect-care.ca is easy to remember).

2024-09-26

Between the Charts: CMIO Newsletter for Prescribers - Issue 11 Now Available

Our monthly newsletter for prescribers, called "Between the Charts", summarizes key news items, Epic system updates, efficiency tips and extras that will help prescribers optimize their Connect Care user experience, all in two pages. The next issue is now out, available at the below link! This issue includes information on:

  • New general Personalization training sessions
  • Upcoming downtime on October 10
  • Heparin infusion order panel improvements 
  • Clinical Optimization – Continuous Improvement Sprints
  • Upcoming auto-expiry of additional In Basket message types
  • Upcoming update for Dragon Medical One's DragonBar
  • Complex Therapy Plan tab
  • How to avoid problems with community referrals and consults
  • Epic's Physician Builder courses
  • And more!

The previous issues can still be accessed, via the archive in the Connect Care Manual. 

If you have any feedback on this issue or have a suggestion for content you'd like included in a future issue, please send us an email.