March 2026 Digital Health eTips Newsletter

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Attend our symposium to reclaim hours with time-saving tips 

If you want to know how to use technology as a tool for relief rather than as a drain, you must attend our Digital Health Virtual Symposium on April 24, 2026. Learn how to get the most out of tools you already use or may be considering through practical sessions and actionable tips from digital health leaders and innovators. This online event has something for everyone on the frontlines of clinical practice – from AI and workflow optimization to privacy, security and patient management. 

Don’t miss the keynote address from Dr. Darren Larsen on high-value technologies to support your practice or the FHO+ billing session for guidance on what is and isn’t changing, what to bill, and what to avoid. (To hear more from Dr. Larsen and I, watch the video of the Breaking Silos in Canadian Healthcare podcast.)

Lock in the symposium early bird rate by registering by March 31. Save even more by bundling your registration with our in-person Digital Health Conference this October!

Don’t worry if you can’t attend or can’t attend for the whole day – recordings will be available after the symposium. Just register! I guarantee that you’ll learn something useful!

Have a great digital health idea, groundbreaking research, or timesaving hack for peers? Submit an abstract for our in-person conference in October – but only until March 20. We’re looking for practical examples from clinics using digital tools to improve workflow, create capacity, or support patient care. This could include how EMRs, AI tools, or new clinic processes are used to make daily work easier or more efficient. Please note the call for abstracts is not for vendors to promote products.

Helping to shape the future of AI with your input 

Excited about AI, but overwhelmed by the information out there? OMD is your go-to resource for using AI in clinical practice, including more than just AI scribes. From inbox assistants to clinical decision support (CDS) tools, here’s what we’re working on: 

• A province-wide survey to collect clinician insights on the use of AI – from scribes to CDS tools and more – in community practice. Open to clinicians and clinic staff across Ontario from February 17 to March 6, the survey generated tremendous interest, with over 1,600 responses. Results will be shared at provincial and national levels to inform policy, funding, and implementation decisions and ensure that clinicians have a seat at the table on how AI is evaluated, governed, and adopted in clinical practice. Stay tuned for more details. 
• A proof-of-concept project for clinical decision support tools. Led by Ontario Health, in partnership with OMD, the Centre for Effective Practice (CEP), and Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV), this initiative will study how AI-enabled CDS tools can support primary care clinicians, with a focus on usability and workflow integration. 
• A rapid study on AI inbox assistant solutions. In partnership with the Ontario Medical Association, OMD is exploring the impact of these tools in reducing administrative burden, improving workflow efficiency, and supporting the management of incoming clinical and administrative information for primary care clinicians. 

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. 

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.

OMD Peer Leaders comprise a network of over 50 physicians (family doctors, specialists), nurse practitioners, nurses and clinic managers. As expert users of OMD-certified EMRs and other digital health and virtual care tools, they work with our Advisory Service Team to help you with your EMR and digital workflows.

Securing email and virtual patient consent with Ocean 

Watch the video from Dr. Sharon Domb, a family physician in Toronto, to hear about how to get email and virtual consent from patients through Ocean.

If you’d like advice from a Peer Leader that is tailored to your clinic, please contact peer.leader.program@ontariomd.com. Discover what our Peer Leader Program and Advisory Service can do for you. 

The physician’s compass: Navigating quality improvement for CPSO

The OMD Advisory Service Team supports physicians in developing meaningful and achievable practice improvement plans every step of the way. From identifying areas for clinical enhancement to exploring data-driven insights or setting wellness goals, our team provides personalized guidance tailored to the unique context of your practice. We help translate insights from CPSO’s QI Program into actionable strategies, ensuring goals are SMART, evidence-based, and aligned with best practices. Through this collaborative approach, physicians gain the confidence and clarity needed to drive sustainable improvements in patient care and professional fulfillment. Contact support@ontariomd.com for assistance.

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! Contact support@ontariomd.com for assistance.

Navigating medico-legal risks in the age of AI

It can be challenging for physicians to keep pace with rapidly changing healthcare technology, especially with the use of AI in clinical practice. Yet many physicians use digital technologies every day to provide exceptional patient care. It’s crucial to know the legal, privacy, and security risks of using these technologies and how to address them. 

At the OMD Educates: Digital Health Virtual Symposium on April 24, I’ll discuss the emerging medico-legal and privacy issues associated with using these tools in clinical settings, accounting for the current Canadian legal and regulatory environment and the recent guidance from the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario on AI scribes. Register now to hear these insights.

Read more privacy and security tips.

Ontario Health applauds HRM improvements 

Check out Ontario Health’s article on HIRAC Co-Chair Dr. Raj Girdhari, who talks about his work on the Patients Before Paperwork initiative and how OMD tools, like HRM, and other projects support it.

Reducing duplicate and faxed reports

Are you getting the same reports from HRM and by fax? Contact the sending hospital to ask them to stop the faxes! Visit our sending facilities page to find the hospital’s email and use our handy email template to make the request.

Your HRM experience is important to us. Don’t hesitate to contact support@ontariomd.com with any questions.

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.

Upcoming events

• Register for our Virtual Symposium and two-day Digital Health Conference – There’s still time to take advantage of early bird pricing – but only until March 31! These events offer valuable learning for everyone – physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals, administrative and clinic staff, and health system decision makers. Ask your OHT to sponsor you! Check out the program for the Virtual Symposium.
• NOW Extended! Call for Abstracts is March 20. We’re looking for practical examples from clinics using digital tools to improve workflow, create capacity, or support patient care. This could include how EMRs, AI tools, or new clinic processes are used to make daily work easier or more efficient. Please note the call for abstracts is not for vendors to promote products.
• Digital Health Canada Webinar Wednesday, March 25 – Ariane Siegel, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, will join the panel, “Is AI-CDSS ready for the primary care exam room?” to discuss the market landscape, clinical needs, and legislative context.
• Durham OHT event, March 27 – Hear the OMD Advisory Service Team talk about the various digital health supports available for primary care. Contact Shannon Bourke to register.  
• McMaster University Department of Family Medicine Faculty Retreat, March 27-28 – Ariane Siegel, General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer, will speak about AI in health care joining Dr. Kevin Samson, OMD Peer Leader, Cynthia MacWilliam, Executive Director of Client Services and Engagement, and Simon Ling, Executive Director, Partnerships and Stakeholders
• Mississauga Health Primary Care Digital Summit, March 31 – Join Dr. Chandi Chandrasena as she talks about digital health initiatives impacting primary care in Mississauga.
• Burlington PCN Academic Half-Day, April 29 – Hear OMD Area Manager, Jay Kettle, discuss OMD’s support services for physicians. 
• Northern Constellations Conference, April 30-May 1 – Visit our shared booth with the Ontario Medical Association and OMA Insurance or listen to Dr. Keith Thompson, OMD Peer Leader, speak about practical applications in AI for office-based practices. 
• University of Ottawa 75^th Annual Refresher Course for Family Physicians, May 7-8 – Dr. Chandi Chandrasena will lead a session on how AI can improve your clinical life. 

Attention TELUS EMR users

You can now ask for the Digital Health Drug Repository (DHDR) and Contextual Launch services such as Cancer Care Ontario Screening Activity Report and more) Get started by completing the form. If you have previously submitted a request for DHDR, no further action is required.

DHDR gives you convenient, real-time and 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.  

Contextual Launch provides access to a set of Ontario Health tools 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 and your EMR works with the apps to pre-populate forms and requests for specialist advice.  

Looking for some guidance on the use of AI tools, EMRs, HRM or other technologies? OntarioMD can come and speak to your group, OHT, or PCN. Send your request to omd.events@ontariomd.com.

• Hear Robert Fox, Chief Executive Officer, share his insights with Healthcare IT Today on what ails healthcare technology in moving forward as one system. 
• Read OMD’s strategic foresight in “Building Bridges: A Multi-Pronged Strategy to Modernize Primary Care Clinics and Advance Interoperable Healthcare”, a research article authored by Dr. Chandi Chandrasena, Chief Medical Officer, Simon Ling, Executive Director, Partnerships and Stakeholders, and Dr. Abbas Zavar, Digital Health Research Lead.
• Watch the video of the Breaking Silos in Canadian Healthcare podcast with Dr. Chandi Chandrasena, Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Darren Larsen, digital health system leader and keynote speaker for the Digital Health Virtual Symposium as they discuss administrative burden, AI scribes and more!
• Read the Canadian Healthcare Technology article, “The AI we get may not be the AI we need”, authored by Dr. Jane Purvis and Dr. Chandi Chandrasena, on why physician-led governance on AI is essential.

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 to save you time and frustration. OMD develops tools and suggests helpful workflow improvements in our EMR Lab. 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.

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 If you 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.

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