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:

2024-10-08

Connect Care Scheduled Downtime - Thursday October 10, 2024, 00:30-04:30

What you need to know

The Connect Care clinical information system needs periodic maintenance. The next scheduled update will occur Thursday, October 10, 2024 between 00:30 and 04:30. On this occasion, all Connect Care production systems are affected, including Hyperdrive, Mobility (Haiku/Canto), MyAHS Connect, and the Link Provider Portal, as well as Connect Care ancillary systems, including Transfusion (WellSky).

  • PRD SRO will be available during this downtime. PRD SRO is accessible from any computer used for documenting in Connect Care regularly. Netcare also remains available. 
  • If you need to view and print patient information during the downtime, please use North BCA Web or South BCA Web; if both North and South BCA Web access is not available, please call the Provincial Solution Center at 1-877-311-4300. 

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 or eScription 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:

2024-10-07

Connect Care Fax Application Outages - October 9 and 11, 2024, 05:00-06:00

Outbound faxes sent directly from Connect Care (including eFaxed prescriptions) are handled by the RightFax application. RightFax will be unavailable on Wednesday October 9, 2024, from 05:00 to 06:00, and Friday October 11, 2024, from 05:00 to 06:00, in order to accommodate a software upgrade. 

  • Connect Care will still be available, but faxes will not be transmitted from Connect Care during these times.
  • Any electronic faxes created in Connect Care during these times will be queued and transmitted once the downtime is complete. 
  • Traditional fax machines are not affected by these downtimes. Please use traditional fax machine for time-sensitive faxing during these outages.

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.

Seeking Digital Health Provincial Physician Design Leads

Alberta Health Services is seeking passionate leaders to fill multiple available positions as Digital Health Provincial Physician Design Leads (PDLs). The PDLs will lead and oversee the strategic direction and execution of digital transformation in health care across the province. This senior leadership role combines clinical expertise with digital health vision to shape and guide the future of clinical information systems through:

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

The PDLs 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 Chief Medical Information Officer and 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:

How to Avoid Problems with Community Referrals and Consults

Reminder that most community providers do not have access to Connect Care, and therefore they are unable to send referrals to AHS sites via Connect Care or view information on Connect Care. To avoid  problems with community referrals and consults, prescribers at AHS sites should:

  • Accept incoming referrals regardless of the modality of transmission (e.g., fax, mail, Connect Care). Not all community providers have access to send referrals via Connect Care, and it is not a requirement for them to do so to make referrals to AHS sites.
  • Avoid saying “see Connect Care” in outbound documentation including summative notes. Not all community providers have access to view the information in Connect Care, and they may log a ticket if they are told to do so. There are tools in Connect Care that make it easier to share information externally - see the memo for details.

2024-09-23

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 39: Check AHS Security Profile

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Update Your AHS Security Profile
This task anticipates future calls to the AHS IT HelpDesk or Connect Care Solution Centre. Among other things, prescribers may need help with login credentials or remote access Tokens.

HelpDesk must confirm the identity of callers. This is done with a security profile, including special questions and answers, that the prescriber can set up independently, as explained in the Connect Care Manual.

All Launch 9 prescribers are asked to check and possibly update their security profile: Upon authenticating to the IAM user section, look for a "Update Security Questions" in the bottom-left column. You will set a secret word and answers to a series of security-prompt questions. Remember the answers! (Note: You must have a Token for external access or do this from within AHS networks.)

2024-09-20

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 42: Complete and Close Legacy Charts

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Complete and Close Legacy Charts
Incomplete charts at Launch 9 sites need physician attention pre-launch. Moving to a new clinical information system (CIS) is hard if pre-existing records are not tidied up.

Physicians must attend to ALL incomplete Launch 9 AHS health records by November 1, 2024. This includes outstanding dictations and signatures for inpatient and day surgery health records, not just those that are overdue. 

After 05:00 on November 2, 2024, records will be completed through the Connect Care CIS rather than external dictation or eScription. Any outstanding incomplete records that exist at cutover will not be transitioned into Connect Care. Any incomplete health records on inpatients discharged on/after November 2, 2024 will be completed in Connect Care. 

Physicians can contact Health Records at the Launch 9 sites Monday to Friday 07:45–16:00 to obtain a list of incomplete charts requiring attention.   

2024-09-16

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 46: Get Ready for Mobility

Continuing our list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Get Ready for Mobility and Speech Recognition
Connect Care mobile apps (Haiku, Limerick and Canto) allow access to the patient chart on personal devices anywhere there is Internet access. Dragon Medical One transforms Android or Apple smartphones into transcription devices for dictation directly into the medical record. 

AHS uses the "Workspace ONE" application to distribute these clinical applications to mobile devices, while ensuring the devices work with Connect Care to protect patient information.
  • Haiku – Connect Care for iPhones or Android smartphones.
  • Limerick – Installs on Apple Watches and works with Haiku alerting functions.
  • Canto – Connect Care on iPad tablets.
  • PowerMic Mobile – Installs to iPhones or Android smartphones for speech recognition (allowing in-system dictation and voice commands to Connect Care).
Mobile apps have proven very popular with prescribers. They simplify anywhere/anytime access to lists, patient information, dictation, notes, orders and communications. Clinicians will want to set these up as soon as basic training is complete:

2024-09-13

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 49: Complete Basic Training

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Complete Basic Training
All Connect Care users must demonstrate basic proficiency (based on basic training) before gaining access to the Connect Care clinical information system (CIS) and undertaking personalization and mobility training.

The EUPA ("End User Proficiency Assessment") is used to assess basic proficiency. It becomes available in MyLearningLink (MLL) with basic training registration, and is to be completed after basic training is complete. The assessment is done online. It is not hard and is "open book" alongside a Connect Care environment (practice in PLY, check EXAM while assessment is in progress) with access to training guides. To prepare, practice in addition to basic training is recommended.

Don't procrastinate! It is better to take the EUPA, not get the needed 80%, and then re-take. Delaying only keeps one from progressing to personalization. And there is no access to the full production CIS unless both On Our Best Behaviours (OOBB; Privacy & Confidentiality Training, InfoCare) and EUPA are complete (note that it may take up to 12 hours after passing the EUPA to gain access).

After completing the EUPA, check to see if it shows under your "Completed" tab in MLL. If not, don't worry! Use the following link to affirm that you have completed, and you will be moved to pass.

2024-09-11

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 51: Consider UserWeb Access

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • (Optional) Register for UserWeb Access
While Epic Systems software is but one part of the Connect Care clinical information system, it provides essential database, integration, and all user interface functions. 

Understanding the Epic ecosystem can make a difference to Connect Care users who wish to become a resource to their peers (e.g., Super User). A wealth of information is available through Epic's "UserWeb". 

Connect Care Manual and blog postings may reference UserWeb resources, available only to those with UserWeb login credentials. These are easy to obtain (be sure to use your AHS email when registering):

2024-09-09

Connect Care Scheduled Downtime and Fall Upgrade - Thursday September 12, 2024, 00:30-04:30

What you need to know

The Connect Care clinical information system needs periodic maintenance. The next scheduled update will occur during downtime on Thursday, September 12, 2024, between 00:30 and 04:30. On this occasion, all Connect Care production systems are affected, including Hyperdrive, Transfusion (WellSky), Content (Quanum), Dictation (Dragon Medical One), OBIX, MUSE and ECG Web, MyAHS Connect, and the Link Provider Portal. The environment that controls information flow between clinical systems, the Regional Integration Engine, will also be taking a scheduled outage during this time (from 00:30 to 02:00). 

  • PRD SRO (the read-only copy of the production environment) will be available during this outage; PRD SRO is accessible from any computer used for documenting in Connect Care regularly. Netcare also remains available. 
  • Note there are also limitations on managing personalization settings before (and during) this period due to the transparent lockdown, previously posted about here
  • As the Regional Integration Engine will be down, resulting/messages from systems integrated with Connect Care such as WellSky (Transfusion Medicine) and AegisPOC (Point-of-Care Testing) will be queued and automatically update at the end of the outage.

This downtime window is specifically for the Fall 2024 Upgrade, with changes to most Connect Care applications. These changes are primarily enhancements and will affect all prescribers using Connect Care. General summaries of the change impacts for Ambulatory and Inpatient Orders are available in comprehensive slide decks linked below, with additional slide decks detailing track-specific changes. These slide decks include links to tip sheets hosted by Epic; users will need to have an Epic account to view them. In addition, a tip sheet details changes specific to Mobility (Haiku/Canto). All these resources are also linked to from the 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 or eScription 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:

Consult Order Optimization Project - Adult Medical (Part 2) and Critical Care Consult Orders

As previously posted, the Consult Order Optimization Project seeks to ensure that inpatient consult orders only exist in facilities where that service is provided using the consult order process. The last phase of the project goes live Tuesday, September 10, 2024, and focuses on Adult Medical (part 2) and Critical Care consult orders.

  • Where a consult order does not exist within a facility: 
    • For non-urgent consults or those for telephone advice only, consider calling/paging directly using the Regional On-Call Application (ROCA) or local call schedule information.
    • For urgent consults or for patients requiring inter-facility acceptance/transfer, use the Connect Care RAAPID Service Request Order. No phone calls are required, unless the patient condition changes.
    • For hyper-emergent situations requiring the most expeditious consult or transport, call RAAPID by phone directly (do not use Connect Care RAAPID Service Request Order).
  • If you detect any errors in the list of affected orders found in the zonal PowerPoint presentations linked below (i.e., a missing order or an order present that should not be), please submit a ticket or call Help Desk 1-877-311-4300. 
    • Please specify which consult order and whether you are the consultant that responds to that consult order or the attending, ED physician or other clinician requesting that service for your patient.

For more information: 

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 53: Get Ready for Billing

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Get Ready for Billing with Connect Care
In getting ready to launch, you have likely heard that Connect Care can do billing. While true, access to full billing management in Connect Care, i.e., Resolute Professional Billing, is limited to the cohort of physicians who have a pre-existing billing arrangement, as well as all nurse practitioners (NPs), once their site launches Connect Care. Most prescribers then will not use Resolute, but can use the "Service Code Capture" activity in Hyperspace to assemble the information needed to support a billing claim.

The table below highlights the difference between billing from within Connect Care (i.e., using Resolute) and using Service Code Capture to submit claims from outside of Connect Care, just like you do now. Contact servicecodecapture@ahs.ca with questions; for NP-specific billing questions, contact Provincial NP Services at prov.npservices@ahs.ca.

Submitting Claims Outside of Connect Care with Service Code Capture (SCC)

Submitting Claims Through Connect Care with Resolute Professional Billing

Available to any prescriber documenting in Connect Care.

Not an option for most prescribers who use Connect Care due to Alberta Health directive. Includes all NPs.

No change to the billing software prescribers or their billers use. No change in who prescribers engage to assist with billing for their services.

The Professional Billing Office (PBO) has full-time billing specialists.

Several Alberta billing software vendors and private billing services have built functionality to support importing of SCC data into their systems.

AHS will send bills to all third-party payers and collect payments.

Payments flow directly to prescribers’ bank accounts.

Any payments billed by AHS are payable to AHS, so there is a delay in payment disbursement.

Prescribers have full control over billing decisions and effort taken to collect payments.

All self-pay patients are billed by AHS and decisions about payment collection are according to AHS Finance policy.

2024-09-06

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 56: Register for Personalization Training

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Confirm REGISTRATION for PERSONALIZATION
Successful personalization of the Connect Care clinical information system has a big impact on prescriber success at launch. It is very important to take advantage of personalization workshops pre-launch. Among other things, these introduce many tips that make Connect Care use both efficient and enjoyable.

Personalization training begins September 26. Make sure that you are already registered or take advantage of self-registration via MyLearningLink (supported on a first-come-first-scheduled basis).

Personalization objectives, prerequisites and preparation are all described in the Connect Care Manual.

2024-09-04

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 58: Plan Meeting Adjustments

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Adjust Meeting Schedules in your Clinical Area
A prior item encouraged advance planning for clinical service impacts at the time of Connect Care launch. Similar planning is needed to adjust clinical business and other meetings to fit with launch needs.

Many Connect Care launch-related meetings fill the weeks just before and after launch. Some of these are prescriber-focused, including daily meetings to capture emerging issues, assign resources and review remedies. There are lots of opportunities for prescribers to have input.

Given inevitable launch demands, it is recommended that all non-essential other meetings be deferred to protect the week before and at least 3 weeks after the launch date.

This is a good time to look ahead at meeting schedules for October 28–November 28 and identify sessions that could be cancelled or rescheduled.

2024-08-30

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 63: Get Ready for Patient Movement

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • (Optional) Register for the Patient Movement Fundamentals
Patient movement, or how to move a patient from one location to another using Connect Care as a tool, is cited as one of the most confusing concepts to grasp at launch.

The week of September 16–20 includes 1-hour Patient Movement Fundamentals readiness sessions on Facility Living workflows. Each session will cover the same content. Click the relevant link below to register for a session, or email the Patient Movement team.
Further patient movement resources are linked below.

2024-08-29

Between the Charts: CMIO Newsletter for Prescribers - Issue 10 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:

  • Fall Connect Care upgrade and downtime
  • Optimization Training classes in September
  • New Connect Quality project on improving Problem List use, to meet CPSA's Standards of Practice Quality Improvement requirement
  • Enhancement to Admission and Discharge navigators
  • Upcoming Glucometer Overview column in Patient Lists
  • Sorting Patient Lists by location
  • Upcoming admission and discharge In Basket notifications
  • Adding on additional lab tests
  • Address-level document and results delivery for mixed-context providers
  • 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.

2024-08-28

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 65: Plan Workload Adjustments

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Understand Prescriber Workload Adjustments for your Area
It is not a given, or often possible, that clinical service levels decrease at Connect Care launch. A number of strategies can maximize prescriber productivity, clinical service resilience and capacity for change.

Be sure to ask your clinical leaders (division, department, section, specialty, clinic, ward, NP manager, etc.) about plans to adjust prescriber availability and support in your area at launch. Discuss and confirm understandings at planning meetings.

Also anticipate your role in making things better for your team. Usually your best contribution is to take training seriously, especially personalization training, and to take the time to practice in the system after training. This decreases the likelihood that you will burden colleagues or slow clinical service around the time of launch.

See our Byte about workload planning for more information.

2024-08-26

Countdown Checklist L9, T-minus 67: Report Wireless Gaps

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 9 prescribers readying for launch November 2, 2024...
  • Report Wireless Coverage Gaps
As part of launch readiness efforts, the wireless networks in Launch 9 sites are upgraded to clinical-grade (high-density, high-performance) WiFi. Teams have walked the facilities to confirm that connectivity is universally present and up to the needs of providers and patients.

Coverage seems to be complete. Please help the wireless team by checking for AHSRESTRICT wireless networking signal and stability in all your clinical work areas. Please report any gaps or other challenges with WiFi at your site to IT Service desk (1-877-311-4300), providing details of the day, time and specific location of the problem.