The adoption of clinical management systems and electronic medical records (CMS/EMR) continues to be a hot topic in health care, with more and more physicians joining the discussion.
Despite low adoption of CMS/EMR systems by primary care physicians in Ontario — due to limited funding and the lack of external eHealth applications (ie, access to eReferrals, lab ordering/results, diagnostic imaging, and drug information) — current funding-eligible CMS/EMR solutions offer many clinical advantages.
Benefits afforded by CMS/EMR solutions include improved chronic disease management, health screening, patient care, and chart organization.
For those physicians already considering the introduction of a CMS/ EMR system into their practice, trepidation surrounding information technology (IT) integration often begins with the product selection process. With so many things to consider, from the input of patient data into the system, to the shift in practice workflow and the large number of OntarioMD-certified CMS/EMR offerings available, many physicians are looking for guidance to begin their IT journey, and assistance when they reach critical decision points.
OntarioMD is aware of the issues facing physicians, and has been creating programs and initiatives to support those considering the adoption of a CMS/EMR solution, as well as those already using this technology.
The following highlights some of the ways that OntarioMD is helping physicians simplify the selection and adoption of CMS/EMR solutions.
Numerous physicians have expressed the opinion that talking with their peers about CMS/EMR implementation is an important part of the evaluation process. As a result, OntarioMD has created EMR Advisor, an online community designed to facilitate communication between physicians, their peers, and qualified experts, in an effort to provide objective commentary about IT change management, EMR implementation, and optimization.
EMR Advisor enables physicians at all stages of CMS/EMR adoption to pose questions and discuss issues encountered along the way.
This online community offers links to relevant CMS/EMR news items and resources, discussion forums, and access to web logs, or blogs, written by physicians currently integrating CMS/ EMR solutions into their practice.
Looking ahead, EMR Advisor plans to provide CMS/EMR product comparisons and ratings authored by physician-users. Access to EMR Advisor is available to all registered OntarioMD users. For information about registration, visit the OntarioMD website (www.ontariomd.ca).
OntarioMD is committed to providing physicians with the resources necessary to make an informed decision about CMS/EMR adoption.
The establishment of the OntarioMD CMS/EMR Demo Lab provides physicians, in the latter stages of the selection process, a place to “test drive” a short-list of different CMS/ EMR product offerings in order to help them decide which system meets their practice needs.
This environment allows for the comparison of products in a real-world setting, using physician-scripted patient data and workflows to simulate their particular clinical and practice conditions.
In addition to providing a venue for physician-testing, the CMS/EMR Demo Lab operates to validate CMS products against OntarioMD’s Clinical Management Systems Specification. The validation process is undertaken to ensure CMS/EMR products comply with certain baseline requirements.
OntarioMD has recently released CMS Specification Version 2.0, which focuses on data portability between CMS/EMR systems, and establishes a core data set framework based on a cumulative patient profile comprised of the following categories:
Under this new specification, only those systems which demonstrate the ability to export and import data to another CMS/EMR system will be OntarioMD-certified.
The goal of CMS Specification 2.0, and subsequent versions, is to improve CMS/EMR products to meet the needs of Ontario physicians and facilitate information exchange with other health-care providers.
Data portability helps to protect physicians’ investment in their medical practice technology by giving them the ability to migrate their data to another certified CMS/EMR system. It is also the cornerstone for future specifications.
Future iterations of the CMS Specification are scheduled for release on an annual basis, and will be defined using information obtained from physician working groups established by OntarioMD. Physicians who wish to join a working group are encouraged to contact OntarioMD via e-mail (info@ontariomd.com).
The next planned CMS Specification (Version 2.1) is scheduled for release in March 2008, and will focus on improved CMS/EMR functionality and practice workflow. A copy of CMS Specification Version 2.0 is available online (www.ontariomd.ca/cms).
OntarioMD also supports physicians beyond the initial CMS/EMR selection process. Once a system has been chosen, physicians funded through OntarioMD’s Transition Support Program (TSP) are eligible to receive on-site assistance to successfully implement the system into their practice environment.
An extension of OntarioMD’s Transition Support Program, TSPx, offers physicians IT project management support to implement their CMS/EMR by providing access to operations-support staff to assist in the many connectivity, set-up, and testing activities necessary for a successful adoption. These programs are the product of the ongoing dialogue between OntarioMD and physicians at all stages of the CMS/EMR selection and adoption process.
To obtain further information on any of the programs and services offered by OntarioMD, or to join a physician working group, contact OntarioMD via e-mail info@ontariomd.com.
This is the first in a series of articles by OntarioMD focusing on information technology issues facing physicians. Jason Aprile is content editor, OntarioMD Inc.