April 2026 Digital Health eTips Newsletter
APRIL 2026
Tips and advice on EMRs, AI and digital health tools you can use NOW
From the Chief Medical Officer
Recognizing physicians on National Physicians’ Day
May 1 is National Physicians’ Day across Canada, known as Doctors’ Day in Ontario, a time to recognize physicians and their ongoing commitment to patients, communities and the field of medicine. It also marks the birthday of Dr. Emily Stowe, Canada’s first female physician.
As we approach May 1, OntarioMD (OMD) would like to thank doctors for their dedication to, and advocacy for, what matters most – delivering excellent patient care. Each and every day, we appreciate and respect amazing doctors and offer our support to make technology work better for them.
I encourage you to explore our free services to support you, your colleagues, and staff in delivering the best possible care.
Digital Health Advocacy and Education
There’s still time to register for our Virtual Symposium and two-day Digital Health Conference – Don’t miss these insightful sessions at our Virtual Symposium on April 24, 2026:
- When Your Right Hand Leaves: Using a Staff-Centred Toolbar for Continuity, presented by Dr. Preshanthini Shanmugathasan
- Plant the SEED to Reduce Administrative Burden, presented by Dr. Rebecca Lubitz and Olivera Bosnic, Practice Enhancement Consultant, OMD
- Stop Chasing Information: Let It Come to You, presented by David Fearn, Area Manager, OMD, and Roger Mandjlekian, OMD Clinic Executive Peer Leader
- The Hidden Risks in Your EMR: Why Your Certification Matters More Than You Think, presented by Andrew King, Chief Technology Officer, OMD, and Dr. Kevin Samson, OMD Physician Peer Leader
- eReferral from the Perspectives of Primary Care and Specialist, presented by Dr. David Urbach
Even if you can’t spend the day with us, sign up to watch the recordings later! Don’t miss valuable takeaways for everyone – physicians, specialists, nurse practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals, administrative and clinic staff, and health system decision makers. Ask your OHT to sponsor you! Check out the symposium program.
Upcoming events
Join us at these events where we continue to advocate for support for primary care clinicians, community specialists, and their staff in leveraging technology to enhance patient care and the operation of their practices.
- Healthcare Innovation Showcase, April 29 – Dr. Chandi Chandrasena will participate in a panel on the importance of scaling access to primary care without triggering clinician burnout or fragmenting patient journeys across care settings.
- Burlington PCN Academic Half-Day, April 29 – Hear Jay Kettle, Area Manager, explain how OMD’s Area Managers and broader support services bring real value to Primary Care Networks and Ontario Health Teams.
Ontario Health digital tools for TELUS (and all) EMR users
Earlier this year, TELUS met Ontario Health’s (OH) requirements to connect to a slew of OH digital health tools. If you haven’t signed up for them already, ask for the Digital Health Drug Repository (DHDR) and EMR Contextual Launch services (e.g., Cancer Care Ontario Screening Activity Report and more). Get started by completing the form. If you have previously submitted a request, no further action is required.
DHDR gives you convenient, real-time, secure access from your EMR to information about publicly funded, drugs and pharmacy services, as well as all monitored drugs, regardless of payor, dispensed to your patients.
EMR Contextual Launch services are a set of OH tools you can launch without leaving your EMR. This means a quicker and more seamless process to view much-needed patient data without the need to sign into external portals. Your EMR works with the apps to pre-populate forms such as requests for specialist advice.
DHDR and EMR Contextual Launch services are available to all users of OMD-certified EMRs. Don’t wait any longer to turn on these important services from your EMR!
Using digital health tech for the CPSO QI Program
Are you focusing on efficiencies, for both your clinic and patients, using digital health technology for the CPSO Quality Improvement (QI) Program? Read our latest success story in our Going Above and Beyond series to find out how OMD can help you with that!
Looking for guidance on the use of AI tools, EMRs, HRM or other technologies? OntarioMD can speak to your group, OHT, or PCN based on your needs. Send your request to omd.events@ontariomd.com.
AI Tools: Beyond Scribes
Practical CME-accredited sessions and actionable tips and tricks
Excited about AI, but overwhelmed by the information out there? Whether you’re a family physician or specialist, OMD is your go-to resource for using AI in clinical practice, including more than just AI scribes. Don’t forget to register for our Virtual Symposium on April 24, 2026, for actionable AI insights, including:
- Rise Up: Hope for Technology in Practice, keynote address by Dr. Darren Larsen
- Medico-legal and Privacy Issues: A Year in Review, presented by Ariane Siegel, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, OMD presented by Ariane Siegel, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, OMD
- Enhancing EMR Efficiency for Specialists Using AI-Assisted Referral Summaries, presented by Dr. Hanmu Yan
- Efficient Use of AI Scribe in the Geriatric Population, presented by Dr. Nihal Haque
- From Hype to Workflow: Practical AI in Practice, with panelists, Ariane Siegel, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, OMD, Dr. Usha Parthasarathi, and Dr. Keith Thompson, OMD Peer Leader and Barkaat Ahmad, Clinic Manager, One Health Medical Centre
Looking for more talks on AI? Join us at these upcoming events:
- Northern Constellations Conference, April 30-May 1 – Visit our shared booth with the Ontario Medical Association and OMA Insurance. Listen to Dr. Keith Thompson, OMD Peer Leader, speak about practical applications in AI for office-based practices in rural communities.
- University of Ottawa 75th Annual Refresher Course for Family Physicians, May 7-8 – Dr. Chandi Chandrasena will lead a session on how AI can improve your clinical life. Stop by our booth to learn more or talk about digital health tools to optimize your practice.
- eHealth Conference and Tradeshow, June 14-16 – Andrew King, Chief Technology Officer, and Matthew Leduc, Executive Director, Products, Integrations and Service Management, will deliver a presentation on lessons learned on using AI to interpret health reports.
If you haven’t already reaped the benefits of an AI scribe tool, register for the Ontario AI Scribe Program for time-saving legal due diligence, competitive pricing, and free, comprehensive support. AI scribes hold great value for family physicians and specialists alike, so don’t miss out! Sign up today.
For more information on the Ontario AI Scribe Program, visit the OMD Practice Hub for the Vendor of Record list, program video, and frequently asked questions on the Ontario AI Scribe Program.
Digital Tip From Our Readers
This month’s digital tip comes from Dr. Michelle Greiver, North York Family Health Team.
Modernizing patient encounters in family practice
I have made simple changes, using digital tools, secure email, and AI, to help modernize patient encounters in my community-based family practice. For starters, I have identified tasks related to patient visits into ‘before’ and ‘after’ categories. For example, I use secure email to send patients automated pre‑visit reminders and condition‑specific online questionnaires, so relevant information is available in advance. I also use secure email to send patients tailored, post-visit educational materials. Visits for chronic conditions are organized through interprofessional teamwork, including medical office assistants (MOAs), nurses, and an AI scribe. For example, an AI scribe helps to capture real-time documentation during visits and provide patients with an after-visit summary. These changes have improved efficiency, reduced administrative burden, enhanced patient engagement, and allowed me to focus on my relationship with patients without adding to workloads or the duration of visits.
Family doctors and community-based specialists are at the heart of patient care. OMD spotlights their role in championing innovation and adopting new technologies by showcasing their tips and best practices.
Share your digital tip with clinician colleagues in this section by emailing maria.miceli@ontariomd.com.
OMD Advisor Tip
Now available! FHO+ hourly rate EMR resources
Note: If your hourly rate fee codes were configured before the March 27 update, review the latest guide for setup instructions.
Hourly rate services must be billed based on number of units, not a $0 fee. (ex: 1 hour of direct care = 4 × Q310 15-minute units = $80 ($20 × 4 units)
Refer to the Ministry of Health InfoBulletin for more information.
OMD’s new FHO+ hourly rate EMR-based recommendations and resources provide FHO+ physicians with structured workflows, templates, and guidance for real practice use. A companion calculator is also available to assist with monitoring and reviewing tracked time within applicable billing limits. To access the resources, visit the OMA FHO+ hourly rate page and click “Learn more”within the EMR recommendations and resources box.
Have more FHO+ questions? Don’t miss the session, Implementing FHO+ and Digital Best Practices, at our Virtual Symposium!
OMD Advisors develop useful tools and provide valuable advice to clinicians anywhere in Ontario. They can help you with provincial digital health tools, not just EMRs. Take advantage of these services, at no cost to you, before calling anyone else! Check out the OMD Advisors’ tools, toolkits and other useful resources at OMDEducates.com.
From the General Counsel and CPO
New privacy and security training course with an AI lens
AI tools are becoming part of everyday clinical practice, introducing new considerations for how personal health information (PHI) and other data are handled and protected. To keep up with these changes, OMD has updated its Privacy & Security Training for the Healthcare Sector.
The refreshed course, offered at no charge, is delivered in two parts and explores the considerations for clinicians using AI applications in their practice. New topics include how to ensure generated information is accurate and free of bias, remain accountable for protecting PHI, and be transparent with patients about how AI tools are used in their care. There is so much new information that OMD is now offering 15.25 CME credits for family doctors and specialists. That’s 15.25 credits that don’t cost you anything.
The updated training provides practical, scenario-based guidance to help clinicians navigate new technologies while continuing to meet their obligations under Ontario’s privacy framework. Combined with OMD’s Virtual Care Privacy & Security Training course, clinicians and their staff gain the knowledge needed to adopt new technologies responsibly and confidently. Visit the OMD website to log in and get started or create a new account.
Read more privacy and security tips
HRM Improvements
Reduce report volumes with these quick steps
There are two actions you can take right now to reduce the volume of reports landing in your inbox and to better control which reports are delivered to you through Health Report Manager (HRM®). Check out the new HRM User Bulletin for quick steps to stop eNotifications. The Bulletin also includes an email template to contact sending facilities to stop faxed duplicate copies of HRM reports. Administrative staff can send the emails on your behalf or on behalf of all the physicians in your group.
Your HRM experience is important to us. Don’t hesitate to contact support@ontariomd.com with any questions.
Partner News
Join eReferral Ontario today!
More than 5,000 clinicians and healthcare organizations in Ontario are already sending and receiving eReferrals. Sign up today to reduce your administrative burden and improve the quality and safety of the referral process. Learn more and sign up at eReferral I Ontario Health.
OMD in the News
OMD’s strategy for digitally optimized practices was featured in the Canadian Healthcare Technology magazine article, “Going with the Flow of Information: The Power of Connected Clinics”. Authored by Dr. Chandi Chandrasena, Chief Medical Officer, Simon Ling, Executive Director, Partnerships and Stakeholders, Reza Talebi, Director, Knowledge Translation and Education, and Abbas Zavar, Digital Health Research Lead, the article is the second in a four-part series for the publication.
Need EMR Help?
Your EMR should be a benefit, not a burden. In addition to our OMD Advisory Service and Peer Leaders, OMD has COMPLIMENTARY resources to help you use your certified EMR better. Find out how we can help you.
Join a Community of Practice (CoP)! CoP is a virtual place for EMR, AI, and digital health tool users, including clinicians and office staff, to share their knowledge, discover upcoming changes, ask questions, and learn from vendors and other users. Find out more about OMD Communities of Practice.
Important Reminders
If yopu plan on:
- Moving, joining or taking over a practice
- Changing internet plans or providers
- Changing EMRs
Contact support@ontariomd.com at least two (2) weeks in advance to ensure you continue to receive HRM reports.