At OntarioMD, we talk frequently about how we add value to the health care system by helping physicians and stakeholder partners realize digital health’s tremendous potential to improve efficiency, reduce wait times, and improve population health management and patient outcomes. That’s a key focus of our 2017-2020 Strategic Plan, and is interwoven in everything we do.
But what does this mean in practice, exactly? It means that each offering under OntarioMD’s products and services umbrella – whether it’s something developed in-house like Health Report Manager, or a product like eConsult that our head office staff and field teams deploy on behalf of one of our partners – needs to meet these objectives. And it means that the primary care providers that look to OntarioMD as a trusted advisor are confident we’ve done the work needed to ensure the products and services we bring to their practice will help them with patient care and practice efficiency.
Our ongoing work on the EMR Quality Dashboard initiative is a prime example of the rigorous testing and analysis we apply to ensure our offerings aren’t simply digital health tools, but innovations that integrate and add value to the system. We launched a proof of concept in 2015 to demonstrate how user-friendly dashboard tools use real-time EMR data for improved clinical outcomes and practice efficiency. In phase 1 of the proof of concept, we worked with vendor partners TELUS Health and OSCAR EMR, physician advisory board members and other health care sector stakeholders, to develop a framework that would allow clinicians to view their patients’ data measured against a range of widely-accepted health indicators, and to take immediate action by identifying patients in need of follow up.
We’ve since expanded both the number of health indicators incorporated into the dashboard and the number of participating clinicians. Today, more than 400 clinicians from across the province are participating in the proof of concept. Their feedback and experiences will be reflected in a benefits evaluation after phase 2 ends in December. But we already know that by using the dashboard to view their patient population data across indicators for conditions including smoking status, cancer and diabetes, participating clinicians can see and quickly respond to preventive care trends among their population.
They can also easily see where the data in the EMR appears to not match their patient care experience. For example, if the Dashboard shows that smoking status isn’t recorded for most patients, but the clinician knows it is, they can then take action to make sure the information is stored in the right place. An EMR’s potential can only be tapped into if data is being entered effectively.
In recognition of the importance of change management and ongoing support in the adoption of new tools, this initiative has incorporated the expertise of OntarioMD’s EMR Practice Enhancement Program (EPEP) practice advisors. They are deploying the Dashboard to all participating clinicians and supporting them in getting the most out of the tool. The EPEP process involves first analyzing a practice’s workflow and EMR data and then working one-on-one with clinicians to improve their data quality so that the patient information in their EMR can be effectively used for better patient care. When paired with a digital health innovation like Dashboard, that’s a powerful combination that can lead to better patient care for all.
We’re currently working on a business plan for the eventual province-wide availability of the Dashboard that will ensure that clinicians on all EMRs have access to both the tool and, crucially, the data quality support offered by OntarioMD’s EPEP team.
For more information on OntarioMD’s EMR Quality Dashboard initiative, please visit https://www.ontariomd.ca/products-and-services/proof-of-concepts or email us at emrdashboard@ontariomd.com. To talk to an advisor about the quality of your EMR data or about any digital health tool, contact OntarioMD at support@ontariomd.com.