2025-02-18

Phased Replacement of IMPAX Viewer - Edmonton Zone Next

As previously posted, Provincial Enterprise Imaging (PEI) is replacing the IMPAX system as the new Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS). The next phase of implementation will be in Edmonton Zone, on March 4, 2025. With PEI implementation, OrthoView will also replace MediCAD as the orthopedic templating software. 

  • PEI Implementation
    • After PEI implementation, medical staff will view diagnostic images and reports via the XERO Viewer in Connect Care.
    • Before zone implementation, staff who need PEI access will be invited to complete the required training through MyLearningLink. 
    • Training is required to access the system. If you need access to PEI and have not received your training invitation for the Edmonton Zone implementation, please contact ProvincialEnterpriseImaging@ahs.ca. 
  • OrthoView Implementation

    • OrthoView is an advanced orthopedic planning tool integrated within PEI.
    • Live OrthoView sessions are scheduled for February 20, 25, 26, and 27. Register here.
    • Training for OrthoView is available upon request. If you require OrthoView training, please contact ImagingAppsSupport@ahs.ca.

The remaining zones will implement PEI in April/May; for more information, see the posters. Reminders for the remaining zones will be posted here closer to their respective implementation dates.

Categories: , ,

2025-02-14

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Categories:

2025-02-07

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Categories:

2025-01-31

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Categories:

2025-01-30

Between the Charts: CMIO Newsletter for Prescribers - Issue 14 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:

  • eDelivery routing method now available for more types of clinical information
  • Cleanup of pharmacy records (action may be needed)
  • New "Ambulatory Referral to Oncofertility" order
  • Health insurance status info now in prescriber billing tools
  • Bulk management of therapy plans
  • Proper use of Secure Chat for provider-to-provider communication
  • Physician Master Builder opportunities
  • How to report an adverse event following immunization (AEFI)
  • New Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) System Alert Management Policy
  • Respiratory Therapy ordering and referral tips
  • 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.

Categories: ,

2025-01-24

Phased Replacement of IMPAX Viewer - Central Zone Next (New Date)

As previously posted, Provincial Enterprise Imaging (PEI) is replacing the IMPAX system as the new Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS). The next phase of implementation will be in Central Zone; following an initial delay due to technical issues, implementation has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 28, 2025. AHS and the vendor determined the root cause of the issues and are confident they are resolved, and the updated system will significantly enhance user experience. With PEI implementation, OrthoView will also replace MediCAD as the orthopedic templating software. 

  • PEI Implementation
    • After PEI implementation, medical staff will view diagnostic images and reports via the XERO Viewer in Connect Care.
    • Before zone implementation, staff who need PEI access will be invited to complete the required training through MyLearningLink. 
    • Training is required to access the system. If you need access to PEI and have not received your training invitation for the Central Zone implementation, please contact ProvincialEnterpriseImaging@ahs.ca. 
  • OrthoView Implementation

    • OrthoView is an advanced orthopedic planning tool integrated within PEI.
    • Training for OrthoView is available upon request. If you require OrthoView training, please contact DIBusinessSupport@ahs.ca.

The remaining zones will implement PEI between March and May 2025; for more information, see the posters. Reminders for the remaining zones will be posted here closer to their respective implementation dates.

Categories: , ,

Document & Results Routing Optimization – eDelivery Routing Changes and Downtime January 27, 2025, 00:30-02:30

On Monday, January 27, 2025, the next implementation stage of the Connect Care Results Routing Optimization project will take place. This stage will improve the electronic delivery of some results and clinical documents to healthcare providers by making "eDelivery" (i.e., the system responsible for electronically delivering clinical information to community clinic electronic medical records [EMRs]) available as a routing method in Connect Care for more types of clinical information. 

This change will impact all providers who have eDelivery, whether they work solely in the community or in the community and at AHS (“mixed-context providers”), by reducing duplicative delivery. In addition, Connect Care prescribers will see the new eDelivery delivery method when authoring a summative document/note or other communication where the delivery method can be chosen, and should be aware of the appropriate action (see the "What you need to do" section below). 

While the change is being implemented on January 27 from 00:30 to 02:30, impacted Connect Care orders and results will be queued and downtime and recovery procedures should be followed as needed. The orders/results will be transmitted when service is restored.

Summary of changes

  • Reduced duplication: This change resolves most duplication with eDelivery. Clinical documentation and results will, in most cases, be sent to a single location and via a single delivery method, based on the best available system information and on user entry or provider preferences.
  • Expanded eDelivery: This change will expand eDelivery to send more letters to EMRs.
  • More consistency: Clinical information will more often be delivered to providers based off the preferences they have provided. 
  • Impacted users:
    • All users who enter providers for routing of DI, cardiology, endoscopy, or letters including DI, endoscopy, and cardiology clerks; endoscopists
    • All users who author letters including physicians
    • All users who receive patient results and use the patient care team to receive results for their patients
  • Included clinical information:
    • Diagnostic imaging results
    • Cardiology results (excluding ECG)
    • Endoscopy reports/results (e.g., colonoscopy report)
    • Letters (e.g., consult letter)
    • Shared summative documents/notes (e.g., discharge summary)
  • Excluded clinical information:
    • Lab and ECG result delivery are expected to be added to this optimization later in 2025.
    • Community DI (e.g., Mayfair, MIC) and other community services deliver their own results and are not impacted.
    • Appointment/scheduling and referral notifications from Connect Care are not impacted. 
    • EMR eNotifications for patient admissions/visits are not impacted.

What you need to do
  • Do not override the default communications delivery method: Connect Care users will see a new “eDelivery” delivery method in workflows where the delivery method can be chosen (click the camera icon below to see a screenshot). Users should select the appropriate provider and correct location (if known) in these workflows; however, they should avoid selecting the delivery method (i.e., overriding the default) unless necessary. Now that the system has address-level delivery methods and can better support eDelivery, system defaults are preferred in most cases, as these better align with provider preferences.
  • Add/update your Patient Care Team location: Physicians and clinicians may wish to add/update their membership on patient care teams using the "Care Teams" activity to direct information to an alternate location; the preferred location on the care team is used for routing. See the tip sheet for details.
  • Get support: Providers are asked to call the AHS Provincial Service Desk (1-877-311-4300) if they have not received clinical documents and results as expected (have your PracID available).
Categories: , , , ,

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Categories:

2025-01-17

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last few weeks. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Categories:

2024-12-20

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week; this is our last digest for 2024. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Categories:

2024-12-18

Email Subscription Service Ending for Connect Care Clinician Blogs

Effective end of this month (December 31, 2024), we will be discontinuing our current email subscription service for all our Connect Care clinician blog channels. At this time, we do not have an alternate email subscription service available, but will continue to look for an appropriate service that meets our readers' needs. 

In the meantime, the blog channels do each support “subscribing” to their RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, for those who use newsfeed readers - see the tip sheet for more information. For others, perhaps consider bookmarking the main Bytes channel (bytes.connect-care.ca) and checking in on Fridays and the end of each month. Digests of new blog posts across all Connect Care clinician blog channels are published most Fridays on Bytes under the title "On Other Channels". Also, our monthly prescriber newsletter, Between the Charts (news.connect-care.ca), highlights key blog posts from the previous month; issues are typically published in the last week of each month, and a notice is published on Bytes as soon as the next issue is available. Both of these updates are gathered under the tag "Updates", and can be directly bookmarked via ahs-cis.ca/cmioupdates.

Categories:

2024-12-13

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Categories:

2024-12-06

CMIO Prescriber Drop-in Now Closed

As we approach the end of the fifth week of Connect Care at the Launch 9 sites, the CMIO Virtual Drop-in Centre has now closed. Though the launch support period may have ended at your site, that is not the end of Connect Care support available for prescribers. 

It is expected that new users will continue to have questions as they encounter situations perhaps not covered in basic training, or when returning to a workflow they need a refresher on, or when there is an opportunity to dive into some of the more advanced tricks and tools available to get the most out of the Connect Care clinical information system (CIS) and make your user experience smoother. There are a number of post-launch supports in place for these reasons. 

  • If you are experiencing a problem that has possible immediate patient care impact, call the IT Service Desk & Solution Centre at 1-877-311-4300 (#1 for Connect Care). The Service Desk is able to provide high-level workflow and training support; urgent issues will be escalated to an on-call CMIO training team member.
  • For all other issues, take a look at this FAQ to discover the best post-launch resource to use for help.
Don't struggle - ask for help. A solution is likely just a call or click away.

Categories: ,

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view.  

Categories:

2024-11-29

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view.  

Categories:

2024-11-28

Between the Charts: CMIO Newsletter for Prescribers - Issue 13 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:

  • Launch 9 accomplishments and remaining prescriber Virtual Drop-In Centre hours
  • Airway alerts on Storyboard
  • Expanded access to improved transition planning and Exceptional Care Plan improvements
  • Ordering partial patch doses coming soon
  • Referral Order vs. Recommendation
  • Variables that may cause a delay in viewing images after completion of an imaging investigation
  • How to report broken resource links
  • Publication schedule for holiday season
  • 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.

Categories: ,

2024-11-27

Seeking Site Medical Informatics Leads (All Zones)

Alberta Health Services is seeking passionate leaders to fill multiple available positions as Site Medical Informatics Leads (SMILs) in the North, Edmonton, Central, Calgary, and South Zones. 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:

Categories:

2024-11-25

All User Bulletin - Microsoft SharePoint File Collections Upgrade and Reporting Broken Links

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

Internet Links to SharePoint Assets - Reporting Breaks
Users of Connect Care blogs (blogs.connect-care.ca) and the Clinician Manual (manual.connect-care.ca) may find broken resource links in the coming weeks as Alberta Health Services updates its instance of Microsoft SharePoint, where many resources are stored.

The CMIO portfolio has been careful to employ stable links that should survive the upgrade. We do not anticipate significant problems. Nonetheless, users can help by reporting any broken links, or other improvement requests, to the CMIO Editorial Board at:
Categories:

2024-11-22

Document and Results Routing Preferences for Mixed-Context Providers

Mixed-context providers (providers who work at AHS using Connect Care and in the community using another legal record of care) are able to receive results at multiple locations and by multiple methods including Connect Care In Basket, Fax, and eDelivery (electronic delivery direct to their EMR InBox). Delivery methods consider who (provider), where (location/address for each provider) and how (delivery method for each location/address). With this information, documents and results can be more consistently delivered to the right location (where the provider sees the patient). We call this approach to document and results routing “address-level delivery.”

The provider’s record in Connect Care lists the locations/addresses they work at and, for each location, the preferred delivery method for that location. Mixed-context providers may have location listed on their record in Connect Care that are locations that use Connect Care; providers may prefer for those locations to have a preferred delivery method of “In Basket”.

How does Connect Care route clinical information? 

Where and how clinical information is routed for mixed-context providers depends on what is on the provider’s record in Connect Care and on in-system user workflow (e.g., ordering department in Connect Care, type of information, selections by staff transcribing orders). Where and how the information is delivered is evaluated in this order:

  1. When a Connect Care user chooses the address and delivery method as part of their workflow, that will be used instead of a system default or preferences.
  2. If a provider is listed on the patient’s care team in Connect Care as the patient’s primary care provider (PCP), the location at which they see the patient will be used.
  3. If a location is not known, the provider’s primary/default address will be used.

How do I change my provider information or primary address?

You can request that your delivery preference be changed to your Connect Care In Basket by contacting the AHS IT Service Desk:

  • Call 1-877-311-4300, option 1, option 1.
  • Let them know you want to change your delivery preference to Connect Care In Basket for all AHS locations and whether you want your primary/default to be changed to your Connect Care In Basket.
  • Provide mailing address/phone/fax for that location.

For additional changes, a missing location, or if your clinic wishes to set up eDelivery to an EMR, complete the Provider Set-Up in Health Information Systems form.

For more information about Connect Care address-level delivery, see the FAQ:

Categories:

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view.  

Categories:

2024-11-18

BBHR: Exceptional Care Plan Improvements

Building a Better Health Record (BBHR)

As part of our documentation quality improvement initiative, we promote practical ways for clinicians to provide clear and actionable communication at transitions of care.

Improvements to Exceptional Care Plan Tools

Some patients suffer from chronic or recurring conditions that may present in settings where staff are unfamiliar with a patient's specific treatment requirements. Examples include rare bleeding disorders, complement deficiencies, and complex metabolic disorders, as well as multi-emergency department users requiring a consistent approach to management that may differ from typical practice.

Clinicians managing such patients may have devised individualized treatment plans that work best for a particular patient with a particular health condition. These "Exceptional Care Plans" (ECP) are documented in Connect Care using a workflow that ensures that the existence of the plan is highlighted for others.

ECP workflows have been enhanced to streamline and simplify the work of creating, updating, inactivating, reviewing and sharing for authorized providers. Workflow descriptions, tips and demonstrations are updated:

Categories: ,

2024-11-15

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view.  

Categories:

2024-11-08

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view. 

Categories:

2024-11-07

Improving Issue Reports and Help Desk Interactions

Problem reports (help.connect-care.ca "tickets") have been well within expectations so far with Connect Care Launch 9. Of course, more tickets are expected as clinical volumes ramp up. The good news is that tickets are resolved quickly, with critical tickets resolved within minutes to hours.

Helpdesk tickets route most efficiently when the user provides clear information at the right level of detail. See our tips for impactful issue reports:

Categories: ,

2024-11-05

BBHR: Expanded Access to Improved Transition Planning Tools

Building a Better Health Record (BBHR)

As part of our documentation quality improvement initiative, we promote practical ways for clinicians to provide clear and actionable communication at transitions of care.

Expanded Access to Improved Transition Planning Tools

Connect Care provides a set of integrated supports that can help clinicians anticipate and plan for a patient's discharge from hospital. Designed to facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration, the Transition Planning Package improves communications within and across encounters.

Recent enhancements expand access to a common set of standardized discharge planning tools for all participating disciplines, including transition coordinators, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, recreation therapy, psychology, spiritual care, respiratory therapy, speech language pathology, dietetics and social work. Care teams can customize the planning tools to adjust which discipline "readiness" statuses are tracked. A new rich text field allows teams an easier way to capture and continually update narrative planning considerations that arise in Rapid Rounds and are helpful to track.

In addition to full access to Rapid Rounds supports, all team members can view and interact with a patient's transition plan through an inpatient chart sidebar, summary activity index and/or summary activity "patient story" display. All have been enhanced in response to user feedback.

Finally, the current and discharge target "safe handling status" (SHS, a simple measure of requirements for things like patient transfers, correlating with functional mobility required for discharge readiness) is now incorporated into Connect Care transition planning tools. A SHS column can be added to Rapid Rounds (and other) patient lists. SHS current and target status is incorporated into the integrated readiness ("traffic lights") tool as well as chart sidebar, storyboard and other planning reports.

Categories: ,

2024-11-04

Phased Replacement of IMPAX Viewer - Starts November in North Zone

Provincial Enterprise Imaging (PEI) is replacing the IMPAX system as the new Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS). Implementation of PEI will be phased, starting with North Zone on November 12, 2024. The remaining zones will implement PEI between January and May 2025 (see this poster for a timeline). Note that, for North Zone's implementation, OrthoView will also be replacing MediCAD as the orthopedic templating software.

  • PEI Implementation
    • PEI is replacing the IMPAX system. PEI integrates into Connect Care and will help streamline workflows by providing convenient access to imaging data and reports.
    • After PEI implementation, many medical staff will view diagnostic images and reports via the XERO Viewer in Connect Care.
    • Training for PEI is through MyLearningLink. Medical staff who require PEI access will be given training information before implementation in their zone. 
    • In scope roles for access include radiologists, emergency prescribers, and orthopedic surgeons. For other prescribers who believe they may need access to PEI, please contact ProvincialEnterpriseImaging@ahs.ca. 
  • OrthoView Implementation (North Zone)
    • OrthoView will replace MediCAD. OrthoView is an advanced orthopedic planning tool integrated within PEI.
    • Training for OrthoView is available on request. For any prescribers who require training, please contact DIBusinessSupport@ahs.ca.  

For more information, see the posters. Reminders for the remaining zones will be posted here closer to their respective implementation dates.

Categories: , ,

2024-11-02

Launch 9: We are GO!

As of 05:00 today, Connect Care welcomes 155 sites from across the province into the family; with this launch, Health Link and Correctional Health facilities are now on Connect Care, as well as additional Population and Public Health programs, and Continuing Care sites including Home Care, CapitalCare facilities and Covenant Health sites! The first few days will be intense, but with lots of help at hand we are confident that progress will be fast. 

Prescribers, please make use of the Virtual Drop-in Centre and other launch supports (launchhelp.connect-care.ca). Watch this channel for any updates, as well as the Support channel for information on "hot topic" common issues that have been flagged for Launch 9 prescribers. A Launch 9 Updates section in the Connect Care Manual also flags the largest system updates and workflow changes to be aware of (for prescribers in all launches).

Categories: ,

2024-11-01

On Other Channels...

Below is a digest of new blog posts across all the Connect Care clinician blog channels in the last week. For more info on the blogs, click here. Note: A camera icon in a post on any of our channels indicates that there is an accompanying screenshot - just click the icon to view.  

Categories:

2024-10-31

AHS Digital Scribe Project

An exciting Quality Improvement project is about to launch in three emergency departments within AHS. Starting November 5, an artificial intelligence (AI) digital scribe application is going to be trialed by a small group of emergency physicians at the University of Alberta Hospital, the Royal Alexandra Hospital, and the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre (RDRHC). 

The project is a collaboration between AHS, the University of Alberta, and the Canadian Medical Association. Created initially by RDRHC emergency physician Dr. Mike Weldon with subsequent development by an in-house AHS team, the app, called AHS Digital Scribe, records and transcribes conversations between doctors and patients, and translates relevant details into medical notes. Once they review the notes, physicians can then copy and paste that information into Connect Care. The patient data are kept private and secure, within AHS. 

The hope is that the AHS Digital Scribe will reduce the administrative burden on physicians, while improving the care experience for both patients and their healthcare providers. With this technology, providers can hopefully focus more on direct patient care than on typing or dictating notes. 

Initially, there will only be a small number of physicians in each designated emergency department using the digital scribe technology, but the intention is to increase the number over the coming months. We want to gather their feedback to better understand how this works in our healthcare environment and the impact it has on the clinician and patient experience. If it is shown to be successful, we will investigate the feasibility and cost of a larger project that could be integrated with Connect Care.  

More information on the AHS Digital Scribe project is available at the Canadian Medical Association site: University of Alberta | CMA. It’s expected the 2-year pilot will be complete by June 2026.

Categories:

Between the Charts: CMIO Newsletter for Prescribers - Issue 12 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:

  • Prescriber Virtual Drop-In Centre for Launch 9 and Arthur Child prescribers/consultants 
  • Workflow updates for all launches due to Launch 9
  • Daylight Savings Time on November 3
  • MyAHS Connect access changes and referral information
  • Simplified discharge dispositions for IFTs
  • H&P lookback setting extended
  • Op Notes in Prep for Procedure navigator 
  • Advanced Care Planning/Goals of Care Designation updates
  • E0 Case Scheduling workflow updates for all STAT surgical cases
  • SMAT changes in pediatric/neonatal order sets coming soon
  • AHS Digital Scribe Project
  • 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.

Categories: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)