Digital referrals enables providers to exchange, track and manage digital requests via a provincial platform (Ocean), which is integrated with acute/community clinical systems. The Digital eReferrals Library contains all released and near release eReferral content.
- Reduces reliance on fax and paper-based processes, which helps prevent lost or misdirected referrals and data entry errors.
- Improves access to care by making it easier to search for clinics to locate and request a range of health services.
- Streamlines data entry and improves clinical decision support using integrated forms and pre-appointment questionnaires.
- Increases transparency by enabling secure messaging, automated notifications, and data sharing between care providers and patients.
The DRO Program is actively working with EMR and acute care CIS vendors to achieve integration with Ocean. Ocean can also be used without integration through their web portal. Care providers and administrative staff who are using an integrated solution benefit from additional features Ocean has to offer such as auto-population of information from their clinical system into the digital referral.
Current integrated EMR vendors include:
- WELL Health Oscar Pro
- Telus Med Access
- QHR Accuro
More EMR and hospital CIS systems (such as Cerner and Meditech) will be integrated over the next several months.
The
Ocean Healthmap is a visual directory that enables searching for care providers who are using Ocean.
Care providers using digital referrals will be able to publish up-to-date digital referral forms on their clinic’s listing. The number of directory listings accepting digital referrals in BC will grow to include all allied health, community services, and diagnostic facilities as uptake increases across the province.
