What you need to know
The Connect Care clinical information system needs routine maintenance for optimum performance. To accomplish this, Connect Care will undergo scheduled updates and a downtime on Thursday, November 19, 2026, between 00:30 and 04:30. On this occasion, all Connect Care production systems are affected and will be unavailable during the downtime, including Hyperspace, Transfusion (WellSky), Content (Quanum), Mobility (Haiku and Canto), MUSE and ECG Web, MyChart, and the Link Provider Portal. This downtime window is specifically for the Fall 2026 Upgrade; more details below.
- If you need to view and print patient information during the downtime, please use North BCA Web (try first) or South BCA Web; if both North and South BCA Web access are not available, please call the Provincial Solution Centre at 1-877-311-4300.
- PRD SRO (the read-only copy of the production environment) will be available during this outage; PRD SRO is accessible from any computer regularly used for documenting in Connect Care. Netcare also remains available.
- The environment that controls information flow between clinical systems, the Regional Integration Engine (RIE), will also be taking a scheduled downtime on November 19 between 00:30 and 02:00.
- Cogito, the Connect Care Reporting tool, will also be unavailable prior to and during this downtime, from November 18 at 23:30 to November 19 at 05:30.
- Note there are also limitations on managing personalization settings before (and during) this period due to the transparent lockdown, previously posted about here.
The Fall 2026 Upgrade includes changes to most Connect Care applications and key changes in Medication Management and Medication Reconciliation, Therapy Plans, and Transfusion Medicine. Information on most of the changes will be summarized in the “What’s New” feature available directly in Connect Care, and users can preview the upgraded applications in the PLY/PLY2 environment starting November 10. A few additional changes will be going live at the same time, including: wound images in MyChart, Obstetrics changes (launch of Obstetric Complex Medical Plans, intelligent RhIG panels), DI Preprocedure Adult order set updates, and spinal cord injury navigator updates. For more details on both key and additional changes, see the Connect Care Manual.
What you need to do
BEFORE DOWNTIME
- Complete orders and documentation in the chart before downtime begins.
- Stop using PRD for orders 15 minutes prior to downtime, as they may not be processed.
DURING DOWNTIME
- Check with Unit Clerk/Charge Nurse to confirm processes for ordering, documentation, and patient movement.
- Use paper documents provided in clinics and inpatient units, with forms appropriate for orders and/or charting.
- Postpone, if possible, routine orders or documentation until after downtime. This will limit amount of data entry and reconciliation required post-downtime.
- Orders: Use paper order sheets for essential orders during downtime.
- Documentation: Use paper forms for essential documentation for procedures or intervention results and reports.
AFTER DOWNTIME
- Prescribers are responsible for the following activities for any patient admission, transfer, or discharge:
- Updating the problem list
- Completing medication reconciliation
- Entering admission, discharge, or visit diagnosis
- Prescribers receiving In Basket messages about missing chart elements should follow the link to the missing chart element and, for non-ED prescribers, enter “.DOWNTIME” (SmartPhrase) to complete the chart element, indicating that content is available elsewhere in the chart. For ED prescribers, use the SmartPhrase ".DTNOTE".
Where you can find more information
For essential information on downtime procedures, see the 1-page tip sheet. For additional information, see the Connect Care Manual:
