Proof of Concepts
OntarioMD works with EMR vendors, clinicians and other partner organizations on Proof of Concepts to define and evaluate emerging EMR functional and EHR integration requirements. The outcomes from these Proof of Concepts inform future EMR Specifications to be published by OntarioMD.
OntarioMD recognizes that EMR vendor innovation is an essential component to Proof of Concept development, and values its partnership with the EMR vendor community. All EMR vendors with
OntarioMD-certified EMR offerings will be selected to participate in Proof of Concepts through an invitational Request for Service (RFS) process. OntarioMD also values participation of its practicing physician community to provide first-hand insight, experience and guidance in demonstrating the clinical and practice value of its Proof of Concepts. Practicing physician members from the community are selected to participate at various stages throughout the lifecycle of the Proof of Concepts. Their selection varies and can leverage physician representatives from the community (family physicians and specialists), members of the OntarioMD
Peer Leader Program, and/or physicians who are clients of the participating EMR vendors.
Digital Health Drug Repository and Digital Health Immunization Repository EMR Integration
Clinicians are tasked with juggling a high number of patient interactions and practice priorities in a limited amount of time. That's why OntarioMD is focused on integrating as many clinically valuable practice tools into primary care providers EMRs as possible. In 2019, we began a partnership with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, eHealth Ontario and OntarioMD-certified EMR vendors to integrate EMRs with the Digital Health Drug Repository (DHDR) and the Digital Health Immunization Repository (DHIR).
The
DHDR and DHIR are provincial resources that offer valuable real-time access to dispensed
drug and pharmacy service and immunization information, as well as the ability
to submit immunization information according to the provincial immunization
schedule for public health purposes. Giving clinicians access to these
repositories through their EMR means they won’t need to open multiple windows
and log in to multiple resources – simplifying their workflow and saving them
time they can use to focus on patient needs.
The Road to a Provincial Integration Solution
OntarioMD is taking a phased approach to create an EMR-integrated solution that works for clinicians across the province. We're currently conducting a Limited Production Release, with four initial OntarioMD-certified EMR offerings, with the goal of connecting clinicians to the DHDR and DHIR starting in Summer 2020. The four EMR offerings are:
- Indivica
- OSCAR EMR
- QHR Technologies
- YMS
Many System Benefits
The work being done to integrate the DHDR and DHIR will enable clinicians to use their EMR to:
- View all dispensed, monitored drugs (narcotics and controlled substances), including opioids;
- View publicly-funded drugs dispensed in Ontario, including those paid for by the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program;
- View publicly-funded pharmacy services, such as the MedsCheck Program medication reviews and pharmacist-administered influenza vaccines;
- Submit data related to patients' immunizations they have administered;
- Retrieve data related to patients' immunizations administered from other institutions such as schools, public health units and hospitals; and
- Forecast upcoming required immunizations according to the provincial immunization schedule.
For more information on OntarioMD's DHDR and DHIR EMR Integration initiative, please contact us at info@ontariomd.com