TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Hospital Report Manager (HRM), an application that electronically delivers medical record and diagnostic imaging reports from hospitals and specialty clinics across Ontario directly into physicians' and nurse practitioners' (NPs) electronic medical records (EMRs) is providing immediate clinical value for Ontario patients.
Hospital information systems transmit their transcribed reports electronically to HRM. HRM then seamlessly delivers the reports into the OntarioMD-certified EMRs of the recipient physicians and NPs. Physicians and NPs simultaneously receive messages in the EMR inbox whenever a report, such as a discharge summary, arrives. They know within minutes that their patients were discharged from the hospital, which enables them to follow-up with the patients much sooner than waiting for the paper discharge summaries to arrive. HRM is a more efficient method to direct clinical reports to EMRs when compared to hospitals building an interface between their system and every physician's and NP's EMR.
In a recent survey sent to physicians and NPs who are using HRM, 89% of respondents agreed that the timeliness of receiving reports into their EMR has improved with HRM. They have the most up-to-date information on the patient and can continue treatment back in the community. Timely follow-up decreases the likelihood of patients being readmitted to the hospital. 79% of respondents also reported that HRM saves on the costs of printing and mailing/faxing paper reports.
"HRM has been a significant contribution to my ability to provide quality patient care. I am delighted that I can receive hospital reports quickly and accurately. HRM is a safe and efficient system and the flow of the reports directly to physicians is much more efficient. I cannot imagine not having HRM," said Dr. Aaron Harris, a family physician practicing in Toronto.
"HRM has contributed to the efficiency of the primary care practice," noted OntarioMD CEO Sarah Hutchison, "Practices have been able to save time and money in no longer having to manage paper reports and can spend more time on patient care."
Survey respondents (78%) also indicated that HRM's functionality is easy to use. Over 5,300 physicians and NPs are actively using HRM and enriching the patient information in their certified EMRs with the information contained in the hospital/specialty clinic reports. 122 hospitals and 26 specialty clinics across Ontario are currently sending reports via HRM and the goal is to connect all eligible Ontario hospitals by March 31, 2018.
HRM also sends eNotifications to a growing number of physicians and NPs. eNotifications are real-time electronic messages sent from hospitals to OntarioMD-certified EMRs through HRM to notify the physician or NP that a patient has been discharged from the emergency department (ED) or admitted or discharged from an in-patient unit. Currently, about 2,000 physicians and NPs are receiving eNotifications from 24 hospital sites. Results from the HRM survey indicate 75% of respondents believe that eNotifications allow for follow up with patients sooner after their hospital visits.
"My practice has been receiving eNotifications from HRM and it's been a positive experience. I received an ED discharge notification through HRM and the patient was blown away that I was able to follow-up with him so quickly," said Dr. David Kaplan, a family physician practicing in North York.
Any physician or NP using an OntarioMD-certified EMR can connect to HRM to receive reports and eNotifications from participating hospitals and specialty clinics. Please contact report.manager@ontariomd.com for more information on how to enroll in the service or visit www.ontariomd.ca to learn more about HRM.
About HRM
HRM sends reports directly to OntarioMD-certified EMRs within minutes of being transcribed. It solves the problem of busy physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs) or their staff having to manually manage substantial amounts of paper coming in from many sending facilities every day. Instead of opening, scanning into the EMR and filing paper reports, reports are delivered directly into the patient's chart in the EMR. Physicians and NPs receive a notification that reports have arrived and are ready for their review. Patients will no longer have to bring in copies of their discharge summaries or remember details of their hospital visit(s). HRM has improved the flow of patient information from acute care facilities to the community and has enriched certified EMRs with additional information such as eNotifications and Ontario Telemedicine Network Telehomecare reports. HRM is adding enhancements regularly to meet the needs of Ontario's physicians and NPs.
HRM is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. In 2015, HRM was recognized with a Canadian Health Informatics Award for Innovation in Health Informatics for its innovative approach to physician adoption of this useful application and eNotifications are recognized as a Leading Practice by Accreditation Canada.
About OntarioMD
OntarioMD is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). It manages programs and services that connect physician practices that use certified EMRs to more patient data collected outside primary care settings. OntarioMD also supports Ontario's physicians with practical advice from Peer Leaders and experienced Practice Advisors who help them optimize their EMR use to enhance patient care and achieve greater practice efficiency.
OntarioMD receives funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
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Contact Information:
For more information:
Kathy Tudor
Director, Communications & Marketing
OntarioMD
416-623-1248 x5460
katherine.tudor@ontariomd.com
www.ontariomd.ca
