2023-11-30

Obtaining CPD Credit for Connect Care Training

Connect Care physician training is currently eligible for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, for self-directed and group learning activities. Credits through the College of Family Physicians of Canada have been offered in the past, however, they are currently unavailable. The CMIO is in the process of reviewing eligibility with the College of Family Physicians of Canada. When there is an update, we will post it here.

More information about available credit types and weights, together with procedures for claiming credits, is provided in a tip sheet, included in the Connect Care Manual:
Categories:

2023-11-24

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:

Categories:

2023-11-23

CMIO Prescriber Drop-in Centres - Updated Hours

With the third full week of Connect Care at the Launch 7 sites coming to a close, the Site Drop-in Centres will close after 18:00 today, November 23. The Virtual Drop-in Centre (virtualhelp.connect-care.ca) continues to be open one more week, until December 1, with slightly reduced hours as of this weekend.  

  • Virtual Drop-in Centre
    • November 23–24: Daily support 08:00–20:00
    • November 25–December 1: Daily support 10:00–18:00
  • Site Drop-in Centres (NLRHC, CRH, MHRH)
    • November 23: Open 10:00–18:00
    • After November 23: CLOSED
If you require support outside these hours, please call the IT Service Desk & Solution Centre at 1-877-311-4300 (#1 for Connect Care) or visit help.connect-care.ca. 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 further information about prescriber launch supports, visit launchhelp.connect-care.ca. 

Categories: ,

2023-11-17

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:

Categories:

2023-11-14

All User Bulletin - PowerMic 4 Issues

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

PowerMic 4 Not Compatible on Thin Clients

Dragon Medical One (DMO) requires a microphone to function. Connect Care provides the PowerMic Mobile (PMM) application as the default microphone solution for prescribers, but some may prefer to use wired/USB microphones. USB microphones are not a standard offering at AHS, and microphone peripherals are the responsibility of the user to purchase as bring your own device (BYOD).

Prescribers across the zones have reported issues with using their PowerMic 4 with an AHS device. While the PowerMic 4 may work on personal devices and some AHS full clients, PowerMic 4 is not currently fully supported on all AHS devices. In particular, they are not supported on AHS thin clients, which are the more common type of workstation in the North Zone. 

The AHS technology teams are currently in the process of testing PowerMic 4. In the meantime, prescribers are encouraged to use other tools such as the PMM app, or a device that is certified as being compatible with all AHS devices, such as PowerMic 3; see the 1-pager for a list of all compatible devices. 

Categories: , ,

2023-11-10

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:

Categories:

Tickets, Tickets, Tickets!

Connect Care Launch 7 has gone well, credit to the clinicians, leaders, trainers, Super Users and many others who have worked so hard to prepare.

Launch success is less about absence of problems and more about rapid attention to problems. In this, Launch 7 is doing extraordinarily well. Most issues are resolved quickly. Many stimulate improvements that benefit entire Connect Care community.

What's left are a few tricky problems. These are context-dependent. When a specific print fails, for example, the fault can be device-specific or, sometimes, an intersect of device, department, function and location.

Cleaning up tricky problems is a group effort. Our technical specialists need users to:

  • Not ignore problems, even those that seem minor. Report by one means or another (if too busy to submit a helpdesk ticket, jot down the particulars in a secure message or In Basket note to a Super User).
    • Reported problems get "ticketed", which means that they are tracked and resolved as fast as possible. 
  • When reporting printer problems, always include any relevant order number.
For more information:
Categories: ,

2023-11-09

Issues with eScription

Some users have reported issues using the provincial eScription services. The in-system dictation system, Dragon Medical One, is strongly recommended for optimal user experience, and the eScription service will be decommissioned in the near future. 

If a clinician has to use eScription and experiences issues, refer to the Insite page for help, or contact IT Solution Center at 1-877-311-4300.

Categories:

Just-in-Time Learning!

Our new Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers are on the steeper part of their learning curve. Help is available!

A powerful way to reinforce basic training, while busy with clinical work, is to consider one or two high-impact tips per day. To that end, we regularly post "Tippies" on the Connect Care Tips channel (tips.connect-care.ca), which contain some simple but impactful suggestions as well as some more advanced tips. 

The easiest way to follow these postings is to subscribe to the Tips blog channel. Also consider subscribing to both the FAQ (questions.connect-care.ca) and the Support (support.connect-care.ca) channels. We answer common questions on the former and provide important news about fixes and enhancements on the latter. 

Categories: , ,

2023-11-08

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 7. Of course, more tickets are expected as clinical volumes ramp up with more outpatient activity. 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: ,

2023-11-05

Launch 7: We are GO!

All Connect Care systems activated on time at 05:00! 

Today, Connect Care welcomes 79 sites from across the province into the family; with this launch, all acute care AHS sites are now on Connect Care! 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 drop-in centres 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 7 prescribers.

Categories: ,

2023-11-04

Countdown Checklist L7: Drop In

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Drop In
This ends our countdown checklist, with conversion of old to new charts well underway today and tomorrow. We hope all goes well Sunday at 05:00 when the new charts become the official record of care!

Of course that's only the start. We'll have a working system but we'll need to grow it, and grow with it, to fulfill its potential.
Informatics specialists, Super Users and physician informatics leads are eager to help. Reach out.
Categories:

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 0: Share and Learn

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Share and Learn
We are down to the final few hours. Any preparations that could be, have been. Now we must turn to one another in a spirit of collaboration.

Super Users are widely distributed. Look for yellow and orange lanyards (prescriber supports; pink caps in the OR). Don't struggle. Ask for help.
Super Users use social media to rapidly share learnings so they can be widely applied... ask them for help. They can also way-find when they are unable to provide immediate help themselves.
Categories:

2023-11-03

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:

Categories:

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 1: You've Got This!

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • You've Got This -- And We've Got Your Back
Physicians, nurse practitioners and other prescribers have dedicated time and energy to preparing for Connect Care Launch 7. You've got this! 
  • There are approximately 1,300 CMIO end users across the North and South Zones who are part of Launch 7: physicians, nurse practitioners, clinical assistants, physician assistants, dentists, residents, medical learners, and nurse practitioner students.
  • 137 CMIO Super Users are deployed across the North and South Zones, for at-the-elbow support totalling over 5,433 hours of scheduled availability. 
  • 1,696 hours of on-site drop-in support and 1,294 hours of virtual drop-in support are scheduled for prescribers during the pre- and post-launch period.
Watch for Connect Care posters in Launch 7 sites, prescriber updates, and the launch support pages in the Manual.
Categories:

2023-11-02

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 2: Catch Up Dictations

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Dictate any pre-launch admission or transfer notes
Launch 7 inpatient facilities are supported for dictation of admission histories, transfer notes, consultation reports and discharge summaries. This is done through the provincial eScription service, with products appearing in the Netcare electronic health record. These dictations will also be available to refer to in Connect Care when it launches.

Succinct initial progress notes become possible in Connect Care if they can refer to an existing digital admission or transfer record and simply note any changes since. The same applies for Consults performed in the coming week for patients expected to still be in-hospital post-launch.
  • Take advantage of eScription to facilitate easier Connect Care cutover this weekend!
Categories:

2023-11-01

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 3: Buddy Up, Team Up

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • 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 7 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.
Categories:

2023-10-31

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 4: Unburden as Possible

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Unburden where and when Possible
Many clinical services have limited abilities to control patient numbers or clinical workloads. However, each Launch 7 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.
Categories:

2023-10-30

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 5: Find Drop-In Centres

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Take advantage of the Prescriber Drop-in Centres
Scheduled in-person drop-in help sessions are available at NLRHC for North Zone and CRH and MHRH for South Zone, just before and for weeks post-launch. These are good for troubleshooting issues related to mobility, personal device, dictation, personalization and workflows, as well as login, role and access problems.

Schedules for the drop-in centres (including dates, times, and rooms) can be found in the Connect Care Manual. Note that locations and times can change. Late-breaking information about the drop-in centres will be posted in the Connect Care Manual (launchhelp.connect-care.ca).
Categories:

2023-10-29

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 6: Follow the Tippies

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Follow Connect Care Tippies
With most Launch 7 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).
Categories:

2023-10-28

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 7: Support Cutover Activities

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Support Cutover Activities
Key for attending physicians, nurse practitioners and trainees anticipating Launch 7 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. 
  • Surgical inpatient: Make sure that work is underway to enter upcoming surgical cases into Connect Care.
  • 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.
  • Complex patients: Consider pre-launch problem list documentation to support easy transition note generation at launch. Please reach out to your Cutover Team at cc.cutover@ahs.ca for the timing of this activity.
  • Long-term care (LTC):
    • October 30–November 4 - Review orders entered into Connect Care for LTC residents to ensure accuracy of medication and non-medication orders. 
    • LTC clinical teams may still be entering care plan information and other clinical documentation, but the majority of orders will be entered by October 28.
Key resources:
Categories:

2023-10-27

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:

Categories:

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 8: Complete Login Lab

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Complete CMIO Login Lab
It is essential that all Launch 7 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:
Categories: ,

2023-10-26

Problem Power - Tips and Training about Problem Lists

Connect Care Problem List management can seem daunting at first. With a little familiarity, however, problem skills can improve the Connect Care user experience, while reducing information burdens and increasing patient safety.

Consistent problem list management is a Connect Care minimum use norm. It is also a prerequisite for problem-oriented charting, which further promotes efficient and effective clinical documentation.  

In tandem with Launch 7, the "Problem Power" tips series (problemlists.connect-care.ca) will re-post daily. Short tips illustrate little things that can make problem list management easier and more impactful.

A full list of all Problem Power tips, in order, is maintained in the Clinician Manual:

Categories: , ,

Between the Charts: CMIO Newsletter for Prescribers

We're happy to announce that we have started a monthly newsletter for prescribers, called "Between the Charts". This newsletter will summarize 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 first issue is now out, available at the below link. Each new issue will be announced here, and an archive will be made available 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: ,

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 9: Check In Basket

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Check In Basket
Launch 7 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.
Categories:

2023-10-25

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 10: Anticipate Computerized Prescriber Order Entry (CPOE)

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • 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 all 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 7 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:
Categories: ,

2023-10-24

All User Bulletin - PowerMic Mobile App Issue

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

PowerMic Mobile App Issue

We are currently experiencing issues with the Android version of the PowerMic Mobile (PMM) app. Android users are reporting that they are unable to successfully connect their PMM to Dragon Medical One (DMO).

A workaround has been developed - see the Support post for more details. If you continue to experience this issue, please contact the Service Desk (1-877-311-4300) for support. 

Categories: , ,

Ambulatory Tips, Tricks, and Traps - Launch 7 Prescriber Support Session

The ambulatory component of basic Connect Care training for prescribers who also provide acute care is necessarily streamlined. However, some prescribers with a significant ambulatory workload may feel like they have not had sufficient exposure to the ambulatory tools and workflows in Connect Care via basic training to be comfortable navigating the Connect Care clinical information system during a busy clinic come launch. To help these users, the CMIO will be hosting an additional ambulatory support session. 

This 1-hour Zoom session is an opportunity to see ambulatory workflows in action, to hear advice from providers who have been using Connect Care in busy outpatient practices, and to ask questions – all in anticipation of your first day in clinic on Connect Care. To join, click the Zoom link below; if you are unable to attend, a recording will be posted here.

Note that there are also still a few upcoming support sessions for Launch 7 prescribers regarding therapy plans (October 27 and 31). These sessions demonstrate the process of ordering therapy plans, and will prepare you for entering orders post-launch and when asked to review converted legacy orders prior to launch. For more information on the therapy plan support sessions, see this post.

Categories: , , ,

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 11: Anticipate Acute Cutover

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Anticipate Acute Cutover
Cutover for 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 should anticipate, and mobilize resources for, seven key tasks as part of cutover processes:
  • Pre-Launch (October 31–November 4)
    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 November 2 for acute care teams, November 3 for critical care and rural teams. Ensure the orders are predictive of the patient needs as of November 5 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, nothing is needed for this step.
    4. Create list of all patients the team is following by November 4 at 23:00, to ensure smooth creation of provider specific and specialty lists.
    5. Summary Migration to the Hospital Course field and Problem List entry on November 3 and 4. Note this step can also be done post-launch, if teams are not able to do ahead of launch. 
    • Reminder: All team members should be logged out of the legacy and Connect Care systems by November 4 at 23:30, and remain out of the system until November 5 at 05:00.
  • Post-Launch (November 5)
    1. Create provider specific and specialty lists by finding their patients on the individual units throughout the hospital. Once patients are located, attach your service provider team to the patients Current Encounter Treatment Team.
    2. 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.
The following resources can help prescribers prepare for acute cutover activities (for long-term care/Continuing Care activities, see this post):
Categories:

2023-10-23

Important Updates to Referral Workflows

As of October 27, 2023, updates will be made to outpatient referral orders in Connect Care, including a requirement in the order composer for referral reason details to be entered in the "Comments" section. Details of the enhancements are described in a Support posting.

The change could affect prescribers who have already saved personalizations of referral orders. Any saved personal defaults for the Comments field in specific referral orders will need to be redone. Users with Order Sets and Smart Sets with customized documentation in the Comments section of the referral orders can save their current customizations and re-enter these after the October 27 change. Customized referral orders in preference lists are not affected. 

Why are we making these changes? 

Referral triage and management are key to ensuring timely access to services. We have received important feedback from prescribers that both order and receive referrals. Many referrals are being entered that do not have enough clinical information to be useful. For those receiving referrals, the information that they require to make triage, scheduling, and treatment decisions is not always available to them in a useful format. 

A group of prescribers with representation from surgical and medical specialties, as well as primary care, were consulted about improving referral management. Additional enhancements are planned in the future.

Categories: ,

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 12: Know Where to Get Downtime Help

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • 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 early 2024, so there will be plenty of time to prepare.
Categories: ,

2023-10-22

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 13: Identify Launch Supports

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • 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 7 Virtual Drop-in Centre and the North (NLRHC) and South (CRH and MHRH) Zone in-person drop-in centres.
Categories:

2023-10-20

All User Bulletin - Internet Security Certificate Update

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

Internet Security Certificate Update - Personal devices may require user action

On October 19 and 20, 2023, AHS IT Identity and Directory Services will renew its Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate servers. This PKI service manages electronic security certificates and unique electronic keys that verify end users, devices, systems and servers throughout AHS and its affiliates. AHS devices and personal devices enrolled in the AHS Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program will not be impacted, but personal devices not enrolled in BYOD may be impacted and require user action.

  • AHS devices and personal devices enrolled in BYOD: No action is required by users if their computer or mobility device is enrolled in BYOD. PKI certificates will be automatically updated.
  • Personal devices not enrolled in BYOD:
    • Android devices: Will not be impacted, with the possible exception of Google Pixel devices. Google Pixel users experiencing issues following the PKI update should call the IT Service Desk (see memo for more details).
    • Windows and Apple devices: May be impacted with this change. Users may see warnings to the effect that a security certificate cannot be verified, and will then need to follow a few simple steps to restore AHS Restrict wireless connectivity following the PKI update (see memo for more details).

For instructions for affected Google Pixel, Window, and Apple device users on what actions may be required on or after the PKI update is completed, see the memo.

Categories: , , , ,

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 15: Get Ready for Interfacility Transfers

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Get Ready for Interfacility Transfers (IFTs)
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.
  • Keep Calm and Navigate: Navigators help prescribers navigate multi-step workflows where it is otherwise easy to forget key requirements. The below navigators support patient movement.
    • Interfacility Transfer (IFT) Navigator: If your patient is being transferred to another facility and is not expected to return.
    • Leave of Absence (LOA) Navigator: If your patient is being transferred to another facility and is expected to return (or you're not sure).
    • Transfer Navigator: If your patient isn't leaving your facility but is being transferred to another department.
    • Discharge Navigator: If your patient is leaving your facility and is not going to another healthcare facility.
For additional information, including tip sheets and demos on specific workflows (e.g., ED vs. specialty consults), see the Connect Care Manual. The below linked infographic is also a handy visual guide on which Connect Care navigator to use for movement of admitted patient.
Categories:

2023-10-18

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 17: Confirm Dual Roles

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • 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.
Categories:

2023-10-16

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 19: Check Provider Registry Entry

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • 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.
Categories:

2023-10-13

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:

Categories:

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 22: Confirm PRD Access

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • 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 7 users who somehow got missed in access provisioning. Do not expect access if OOBB (InfoCare) or EUPA is not complete.
Categories: ,

2023-10-11

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 24: Take Action to Receive Results to your Community Clinic

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • 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 
A recent audit shows that nearly half of providers are 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:
Categories: ,

2023-10-06

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 29: Confirm Connect Care Access and Login Role

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Confirm Access and Role(s)
Do you, or could you, have clinical duties November 5, 2023 or following at a Launch 7 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 7 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:
Categories: ,

2023-10-04

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 31: Get Ready for OBIX (Perinatal Interface Software)

Continuing a list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • Complete OBIX Training
OBIX Perinatal Interface Software is a provincial bedside solution which automates the delivery of fetal health information from the electronic fetal monitor (EFM) to the electronic health record (EHR) in Connect Care. On November 5, 2023, all Labour and Delivery (L&D) and non-L&D sites that have an EFM and are launching Connect Care will implement OBIX. The implementation of OBIX Perinatal Interface Software allows electronic sharing of the fetal heart rate (FHR) from the EFM to the Connect Care EHR for obstetrical patients, and makes this information available at bedside, on central monitors and via devices at other locations in Alberta. As it expands throughout Alberta, the provincial OBIX network supports better outcomes for maternal and newborn patients in Alberta. 

OBIX training will allow providers to become familiar with the interface. The training is additional to Connect Care launch training, is delivered entirely online, and takes about 30 minutes for physicians, medical learners and nurse practitioners. You should have already received an email (on September 18, 2023) to your AHS email from OBIX Perinatal Online Education and Training (P.O.E.T.) with instructions for how to access your OBIX training. To be prepared for the launch, please complete your OBIX training as soon as possible. For full access to OBIX at launch, complete your training by October 27, 2023.

Care can still be provided prior to completing OBIX training by managing the patient in Connect Care and viewing EFM records at the bedside or on OBIX central monitors. Prescribers who have not completed OBIX training will only be able to view the tracing at the bedside or from OBIX central monitoring locations; once they have completed OBIX training, they can view the tracing from devices elsewhere in the hospital, at other sites, or remotely.
Categories: ,

2023-10-03

Connect Care Staff and Prescriber Engagement Session - Follow-Up

As previously posted, AHS recently hosted a session for AHS staff and prescribers to discuss the findings of the Connect Care satisfaction survey conducted earlier this year, and to hear thoughts on the actions that are being taken to address the feedback received through the survey.

For those who were not able to attend, or for those wanting to revisit the discussion, both a recording of the session and the slide presentation are available. Below is also an outline of the key themes captured at the session:

  • Decision Making
    • Empower Clinical System Design (CSD) groups and councils to be more to implement workflow redesigns
    • Integrate multidisciplinary care team access and alignment with scope of practice, community provider access
  • Optimization
    • Improve ticket response times
    • Enable specific workflows to improve efficiency
    • Improve consistency and ease of referrals inside and outside of AHS
    • Create a more user-friendly Medical Administration Record (MAR)
  • Education
    • Provide more training and access for administrative staff to support providers
    • Provide greater support and education for optimization in specific care areas
    • Improve broader understanding as to how different care areas intersect in Connect Care
    • Provide additional support needed for ongoing staff training and education through clinical nurse educators where there is capacity to do so
  • Support & Communication
    • Include administrative staff in surveys to get an understanding of their experience using Connect Care
    • Provide more ongoing support at the elbow or through regular scheduled interactions
    • Provide more downtime support
    • Expand the use of reminder emails, texts or phone calls

AHS will continue to have open dialogue with AHS staff and prescribers on the findings of the Connect Care satisfaction survey and next steps, including through future sessions. We will post information on these sessions here, once they are confirmed.

If you have feedback regarding the themes listed above, or any other questions or comments about your experience with Connect Care, please email ConnectCare@ahs.ca.

Categories:

2023-10-02

Countdown Checklist L7, T-minus 33: Get Ready for Billing Workflows

Continuing our list of essential actions for Connect Care Launch 7 prescribers readying for launch November 5, 2023...
  • 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 advancedpracticenursing@ahs.ca.
Categories: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)