Digital Update

Artificial Intelligence: The Time has Come 

On Nov. 28th the Mid-West Toronto Family Practice Network hosted a webinar to respond to your interest regarding how to incorporate AI into office practice. A panel of three family physicians, Dr. Noah Crampton, Dr. Nadia Alam and Dr. Mohamed Alarakhia, and one lawyer, Ms. Ira Parghi   provided some context reviewing the practical, ethical and legal implications of including this new technology. Evaluations were generally positive with the caveat that attendees would have appreciated more time to watch demonstrations of the various platforms. As a follow-up, we have planned another event with practical demonstrations of a few AI office tools. Stay tuned for an invitation to register for this Family Practice Network event on March 7th, 5pm -6pm. 

AI Scribe Evaluation Recruitment Information: Tell us what you think about using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scribes in Primary Care Practice 

Women’s College Hospital is conducting an evaluation to understand how the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) scribes in primary care practices impacts provider burnout and time spent on administrative tasks. The results of this evaluation will support decision making at Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health.  You will be offered an honorarium for participating.   

The hospital is looking for primary care providers to participate in a 45-minute interview (phone or video call) regarding your thoughts, concerns, and/or experiences with AI scribes.  

If you want your experience and views included in provincial decision making, we invite you to participate in our study. Your participation is voluntary.   

You can reach out to Emily Ha, the Women’s College Hospital project lead: Emily.Ha@wchopsital.ca if you have any questions or to indicate your interest. 

OCEAN e-Services

Many family physicians have started using Ocean e-services to refer patients through ereferral and consult with specialists through econsult. Here are a few new and noteworthy clinics available on Ocean e-referral: 

  • Women’s College Hospital’s Gynecology and Endocrinology Clinics  

  • University Health Network’s 20 Neurology clinics specializing in Epilepsy, Memory, Movement Disorders, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Neurofibromatosis, Neuromuscular, Stroke, and more! 

  • Kindercare Pediatrics (Allergy, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Urology, Endocrinology, Rheumatology and more!)   

Stay tuned for more exciting highlights in the Toronto Region Deployment Team monthly newsletter. If you’re not already receiving the newsletter, you can subscribe here. 

If you are not currently using Ontario’s Funded eReferral and econsult programs, here is some information about these programs: 

Ocean eReferral offers: 

  • Dynamic and growing directory of specialists and diagnostic imaging services, with the most up-to-date referral forms 

  • Integration with Telus PSS, Oscar PRO and Accuro, enabling accelerated referral form completion.  

  • Real-time status updates on referrals available for your team 

  • Automatic email notifications to your patients, including referral status updates and appointment reminders. 

eConsult offers:

  • Ability to virtually consult over 120 specialty services province-wide.

  • Rapid response times (on average within 1-2 days)

  • Reduced need for in-person specialist visits, cutting down on patient travel and wait times.

Interested in eReferral? Complete this form

Want to send eConsults? Complete this form

Ready to receive eConsults? Complete this form

Note: If you're interested in multiple - just fill out one form, and our team will set you up with the rest!

Once submitted, a dedicated deployment team will reach out. They'll guide you through the onboarding process, ensure smooth EMR integration, and offer training for both you and your administrative team. Best of all? This service is of no cost to you!