COMOH EMR TASK GROUP STATUS REPORT: March 30, 2016

TG Work Packages / TG Deliverable ITEM Description / Tasks with Target Work Cycle / TG
Status Update / TG Lead
Task Group #1 Funding
EMR Funding Options/Opportunities / Explore various options for PHUs to fund their initial roll out of EMR / 1.  Determine funding options
2.  Engage potential funders to clarify funding options/process
Target Date Deliverable March 25 / March 30, 2016 COMOH WG Update
-Explore avenues such as MOHLTC/PHJ, eHealth Ontario, CHI, Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, CIHI and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) with no funds available at this time. However, there may be opportunities with CIHR and we are encouraged to monitor their website and remaing connected with MOHLTC/PH as they lead PH technology and integration at this time.
-Details of funding research is found in this summary document.

-Rosana Salvaterra resigned as Lead of this TG do to work commitments.
-TG will determine next steps with TG Lead with TG Project Lead / Rosana Salvaterra
3.  Explore and Develop a Group Purchase Model i.e. shared service model
Deliverable Date:
September 28, 2016
-  Final report
Presentation to COMOH EMR WG / March 30, 2016 COMOH WG Update
-Initiated research in this area.
-Hoping to have a representative of MHLU who is responsible negotiating the Contraceptive quotation on behalf of all 36 Health Units and also prepares competitive bids for the Elgin Middlesex Oxford Purchasing Cooperation to hopefully join TG1 to provide insight and assist with the development of a Model for consideration. / Lead TBD
Task Group #2 Requirements
(A) EMR Requirements - Clinical and Non-Clinical Services / Develop a comprehensive set of EMR requirements for clinical and non-clinical settings. Requirements will inform future RFI/RFP
Clinical services (client-centric) examples:
·  Immunization
·  Breastfeeding
·  Sexual health
·  Mental Health
·  Travel
·  Dental
·  Methadone
Non-clinical (group-centric) services examples:
·  Tobacco cessation
·  Speech and Language
·  Public Health Event Registration
·  Prenatal classes
·  HBHC
Administrative/functional requirement examples:
·  Scheduling
·  Report Generation (standard selection and adhoc)
·  Inter-operability / integration
·  Form and report templates developed by individual PHUs are saved to common directory and available to all PHUs
·  Clinical Documentation
·  OHIP/Billing
·  Scalability / 1.  Document and collate EMR requirements previously developed by key PHUs (e.g., Peel, Durham, Toronto, Hamilton, Waterloo) suitable to share with vendors for RFI/RFP process
Target Date Deliverable August 12
2.  Circulate Draft Requirements with Evaluation Framework to Task Group Members
Target Date Deliverable Aug 15
Target Date Responses by Aug 31
3.  Final Requirements Approval to COMOH WG
Deliverable Date:
September 28
-  Final report
Presentation to COMOH EMR WG / March 30, 2016 COMOH WG Update
-TG kick-off meeting held Feb 28th. Group shared requirements information on hand (OntarioMD specs, Toronto RFI, Durham & Niagara RFP’s)
-Request for additional information (attached) sent to PHU’s currently using EMR’s on March 15 2016. Closing date to receive information is March 28

- An accumulation of the RFPs/Information received will be compiled into one comprehensive document for
-Meeting with OntarioMD representative to discuss/review EMR baseline specifications pending
- Consideration to inclusion of “client centric” and” group centric” as public health looks to more participation in the community /neighbourhoods, there will need to be the ability to capture this documentation / Kevin Neil
(B) EMR Framework for Requirements - Clinical and Non-Clinical Services / Framework for requirements validation that reflects system functionality, e.g., required, optional, etc / 1.  Develop Requirements Framework
Target Date Deliverable August 12
2.  Circulate Draft Requirements Framework to Task Group Members
Target Date Deliverable Aug 15
Target Date Responses by Aug 31
3.  Final Requirements Framework Approval to COMOH WG
Date Deliverable:
September 28, 2016
-  Final report
-  Presentation to COMOH EMR WG
Task Group #3 Costs and Benefits
EMR Costs Versus Benefits / Summarize existing cost/benefit analysis done by health units and to develop tools and processes to measure cost-benefit moving forward.
Areas of focus:
·  One-time costs
·  Ongoing costs
·  Shared costs (across organizations that are using the same EMR) / 1.  Summarize existing PHU EMR costs such as training, policy and procedure development/revision – time from start to completion, quality assurance, human resources, form and report development, etc).
2.  Summarize all tangible and intangible realized or anticipated benefits with roll out of EMR
3.  Prepare a template for cost/benefit analysis including instructions
#1,2 & 3 January to May 17
4.  Final Documents to COMOH EMR WG
Deliverable Date:
September 28, 2016
-  Final report
-  Presentation to COMOH EMR WG / March 30, 2016 COMOH WG Update
-Draft EMR Cost Benefit Analysis Survey developed

-EMR Cost Benefits Analysis Survey sent to Toronto Public Health and Gloria March 23rd. Feedback to be provided Thursday March 24th.
-Revisions and final copy to be sent to Gloria by March 28th for circulation to Health Units who have and EMR implemented / Shaya Dhinsa
Task Group #4 Lessons Learned
EMR Implementation / Prepare a 'lessons learned' document from health units or other organizations (e.g., AOHC, LTC) who have already adopted an EMR.
Suggested areas of focus:
·  Change management
·  Implementation
·  Project management
·  Communication
·  Evaluation
Potential questions:
·  What worked well?
·  What didn't work well?
·  What were the keys to success?
·  How did you work with provincially mandated systems such as iPHIS and Panorama without duplication of documentation(e.g., immunization records and nursing notes)
·  Have you been able to successfully share EMR data and under what circumstances?
·  Have you conducted a gap analysis with any information system? / 1.  Lessons learned document building on information already collected and provided to COMOH Working Group
Deliverable Date:
September 28, 2016
-  Final report
-  Presentation to COMOH EMR WG / March 30, 2016 COMOH WG Update
-The Task Group members will be requesting documentation from and conducting one-on-one phone interviews with individuals from following Public Health Units and Associations that have implemented an EMR
o  Northwestern
o  City of Hamilton Public Health Services
o  Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington
o  Timiskaming
o  North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
o  Wellington-Dufferin Guelph health Unit
o  Region of Waterloo Public Health
o  Algoma Public Health
o  Durham Region Health Department
o  Brant County
o  Niagara Region Public Health
o  Porcupine Health Unit
o  Toronto Public Health
o  Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC)
-The TG is looking for lessons learned in three main areas (planning, implementation and evaluation). Responses will be themed for a presentation be given at the September meeting of the COMOH EMR WG with findings cumulated in a final report to be delivered at the same meeting. / Abidah Ratansi
Develop a glossary of terms that represents the work of the task groups to ensure a consistent use of terms and allow for clear communication and understanding. / 1.  Common glossary of terms
Deliverable Date:
September 28, 2016
-  Final report
-  Presentation to COMOH EMR WG / March 30, 2016 COMOH WG Update
-The Task Group members are utilizing Google Drive to compile the glossary of terms document. This way, members can simultaneously add and edit the document without having to email different versions of the same document.
-The Task Group has sent requests to the above 13 PHUs/organization to collect any glossary documents they may have related to EMR. The Task Group will then be reviewing the documents and extracting terms and definitions.
-Since this section requires collaboration with other Task Groups, we have shared the Google Drive document with all Task Group leads. This way, they will have the opportunity to add any terms they might come across while working on their assigned tasks. However the other Task Group Leads are welcome to submit any terms directly to Abidah Ratansi
Task Group #5 EMR Strategy and Framework
EMR Integration and Inter-operability with other information systems / To understand the landscape of information systems in Ontario with a view to explore how to optimize or integrate the use of provincially mandated systems, local PHU systems or other important systems with our EMR.
Examples of provincial mandated PHU systems:
·  iPHIS
·  Panorama
·  ISCIS
·  OHISS
Examples of other important systems:
·  cGTA, cSWO, cNEON, eHealthOntario
o  OLIS
o  HRM
Examples of local PHU systems:
·  Electronic dental records in use by PHUs across Ontario
Potential questions:
·  What work has been done by the provincial project team related to iPHIS/Panorama EMR inter-operability? (e.g., ICON, PHIX)
·  How do we reach the goal of two-way communication between EMR and these systems? (e.g., cGTA, etc) / 1.  Leverage the work of Panorama, eHealthOntario and MOHLTC with regard to provincial systems and potential integration with EMRs in PHUs.
2.  Develop recommendations on how PHUs will fit into the future vision on an integrated, interoperable EMR across the province of Ontario for COMOH to approve and communicate with Ministry.
#1 & 2 January to Sep 15 with updates at COMOH EMR WG meetings during this time
3.  Compilation of information with future state recommendations
Deliverable Date:
September 28, 2016
-  Final report
-  Presentation to COMOH EMR WG / March 30, 2016 COMOH WG Update
1. Task Group with co-leads of Jacqui Tam (PDHU) and Faron Kolbe (TPH) and members that include Karen Sherwood, Manager, IT (PDHU), Chris Pentleton, Manager Architecture (MOHLTC) and Gloria Ringwood TG Project Lead
2. Held 1st meeting and clarified deliverables, meeting bi-weekly
3. Assigned leads, Chris Pentleton (provincial system integration), Jacqui Tam (local EMR integration and glossary), Faron Kolbe (Ontario Connect integration)
4. Next steps
- Invite Karen Hay, MOHLTC and Rep from eHealth Ontario to join this TG
- Request eHealth Ontario provide presentation to TG#5 on 'OntarioConnect' re 4 HUBs Provincial/eHealth Ontario, cSWO, cNEO and cGTA
- prepare integration/interoperability questions for local PHUs between their EMR and provincial and local systems;
- Understand provincial landscape for EMR integration (e.g. Panorama, BORN, immunize.ca, medication management etc.)
- Interview PHUs who are using cGTA, cSWO and cNEON to access clinical information and gain an understanding of their experience, what features they are using, benefits/costs, policies/procedures and process to gain access
- Connect with Canada Health Infoway to determine possible best practises including standards management and learn what is happening in other jurisdictions / Faron Kolbe

Task Group updates provided by each TG Lead to Project Task Group Lead.