Digital Health News

What is changing with the Telus PSS update?

The latest release of Telus PSS (version 5.18) will now automatically calculate the morphine milligram equivalent (MME) score for patients who are currently taking an opioid medication.

Click here for full details on the Telus PSS (version 5.18) update.

What is the difference between MEQ and MME?

If you're familiar with our Opioid Management Toolkit, you may be wondering what the difference is between the tool's ability to calculate morphine equivalent (MEQ) vs. the update from Telus PS Suite that now includes the calculations of MME.

The MME and MEQ both provide equivalent information to the end user. The two terms can therefore be used interchangeably as they offer the same information output.

Telus PS Suite Update

Here is an example of how the MME will appear in Telus PS Suite:

Opioid Management Toolkit

Here is an example of how the MEQ appears in the Opioid Management Toolkit: 

This MEQ information will continue to be displayed in a convenient and easily accessible location, visible alongside screens, information sheets, and other resources that are applicable to the management of opioid prescriptions.

Interested in a demo? To see a demo of the Opioid Management toolkit and/or to learn more about the MEQ calculations, click here to complete the sign up sheet to set up a coaching session.

Did you know? You can download our EMR decisions support tools - at no cost to you - directly from our community portal!

The eHealth Centre of Excellence has created a COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) decision support tool in TELUS PS Suite EMR, incorporating input from Dr. James Milligan, Dr. Mohamed Alarakhia, Julia Hutton (NP), Dr. Neil Naik, and Dr. Kevin Samson. This tool guides clinicians through application of best practices and consistent documentation for COPD, supporting proactive care through informed decision making and appropriate steps to improve patient’s disease trajectory. 

An update to the COPD EMR tool has recently been released and can be accessed through our community portal. A detailed account of the upgrades is included below, as well as a demo of how the tool works.

Upgrades made to the COPD EMR tool:

• Displays patient’s co-morbidities; pulled from patient’s current problem list
• Graphing vitals and Dyspnea Scale results
• Update to the tool layout and design
• Up-to-date guidelines for COPD based on Canadian Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guidelines updated in 2019
• Ability to schedule the next appointment for COPD, with a reminder message
• Ability to bill for various related COPD codes from directly within the tool
• Updated Custom medication plan
• New COPD action plan

In honour of this year’s Digital Health Week, which is happening November 16 – 22, we’d like to recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication and agility that healthcare providers have demonstrated throughout COVID-19, as they’ve incorporated new technologies into their workflows to enable them to continue providing high-quality care to their patients.

As part of Digital Health Week, we’ll be hosting a webcast/webinar that provides a comprehensive overview of how our suite of digital health tools can be used during COVID-19 and beyond.

You’ll have an opportunity to learn more about our innovative EMR decision support tools, virtual visit platforms, Ontario eServices Program (eReferral & eConsult), eCE Automates “bots”, tablets, and ePrescribing, as well as hear from a primary care physician on how these tools have impacted his practice.

Please join Ted Alexander, our VP of Partnerships and Clinical Innovation, for this webinar (with an interactive Q&A session to follow). 

When: Monday, November 16 – 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM

Space is limited, so register below today!

We’re excited to share that our team will be presenting at this year’s AFHTO conference, Tectonic shifts: rebuilding primary care in a new world.

Our workshop is scheduled for October 8th, and will focus on how digital health tools can support identification and planned proactive visits for patients at risk of complications from COVID-19.

At the end of this interactive session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe tools to help clinicians and their offices proactively identify and connect with patients at risk during COVID-19

2. Identify how to link these digital health tools together and embed them into patient care workflows

3. Apply the tools to support the reopening of in-person visits with the reality of practicing in the time of COVID-19

We hope you’ll be able to join us – early bird registration ends today, so click here to register now! For more information on the conference, please visit the AFHTO website.

Are you a primary care physician or nurse practitioner in the Ontario Health West region? If so, we want to hear from you!

We’ve put together a brief survey that seeks to find out how you are currently using virtual visits and digital health tools, barriers you’re experiencing, and how you plan to use virtual care beyond the pandemic. You will also have the opportunity to provide input on the type of supports that would be most helpful to you for integrating virtual care and various digital health tools in your practice (e.g., eReferral, ePrescribing, online booking, etc.).

The survey can be completed by clicking here!

Your feedback will help to shape the future of the digital health landscape in Ontario!

*This study has been reviewed by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board (HIREB) under Project 11389. More information is available here.

In collaboration with the Ontario eConsult Centre of Excellence, the eHealth Centre of Excellence is leveraging the Ocean eReferral Network as part of an eConsult/eReferral Proof of Concept (POC). This POC will work to understand how integrating technologies can support clinical workflows, increase efficiencies, enhance patient care, and improve both provider and patient experience.

Currently, there are 10 specialists in the fields of Cardiology, Endocrinology, Neurology, Orthopedic Surgery, Paediatric Psychiatry, Sports Medicine, and Urology participating in the POC. Within their Ocean eReferral form, there is language indicating that they may respond back to the referral request with an eConsult if clinically appropriate.

Click the image above to view a demo of the POC workflow.

We’re excited to share that this past month, the POC had its first end-to-end eConsult completed through Ocean eReferral (with the previous 9 eConsults proceeding as an eReferral).

Currently, primary care providers can send an eConsult directly to specialists through the OTN Hub. eConsults have been shown to reduce the number of unnecessary referrals, with one primary care provider noting that 8 out of 10 eConsults she conducted to date avoided referrals to specialists.

This timely access to experience-based specialist knowledge means patients do not have to wait to be seen in-person by a specialist, enabling them to stay home and reducing their risk of exposure to COVID-19.

This newsletter issue has been archived.

Please contact communications@ehealthce.ca if you would like a copy, expressing the month and year that you are interested in. 

This newsletter issue has been archived. 

Please contact communications@ehealthce.ca if you would like a copy, expressing the month and year that you are interested in. 

This newsletter issue has been archived. 

Please contact communications@ehealthce.ca if you would like a copy, expressing the month and year that you are interested in. 

Our digital health tools also hit some big milestones! Read more below:

The OTN eConsult platform underwent a big upgrade in November, enabling clinicians to access their local specialty groups more efficiently.

All Community Health Centres (CHCs) in Waterloo Wellington are now using tablets!

We made some great new updates for two of our EMR tools: the palliative care toolkit and our lower back pain tool.

We're looking forward to seeing what 2020 will bring! One thing is for sure: the future of healthcare is here.