Connect Care Newsletter - September 7, 2018

Connect Care is an exciting initiative that will improve the way we deliver care and the patient experience by creating a seamless health information network.

The Connect Care Newsletter is a bi-weekly look at the latest news and updates. To learn more, check out the Connect Care Insite page or visit www.ahs.ca/connectcare.

In this issue:

Why Connect Care? Better access to information

Readers have been asking for more detail about why we are implementing Connect Care. In the last issue, we looked at a few of the ways Connect Care will benefit patients (read it here). This week we’re focusing on another important benefit – better access to information.

The Connect Care clinical information system (CIS) will provide access to our patients’ information in a single location. This will give healthcare teams a more complete picture of a patient’s health, allowing them to make care decisions based on more complete information.

But that’s just one advantage. Connect Care will make it easier for teams to communicate with one another and with patients. It will also give us access to resources to support best practices and consistency in care across the province. This includes things like standardized forms and patient questionnaires, reference tools and chronic disease registries, among many others. These resources are being created, prioritized, and selected by experts from throughout our organization

If you want to learn more about the “Why” of Connect Care, check out our Leader Toolkit or send your questions to connectcare@ahs.ca.

Converting existing data into Connect Care

With help from a broad range of healthcare professionals and leaders, Alberta Health Services is working to convert clinical data from existing clinical information systems (CIS) into the new Connect Care CIS. 

The data will be prioritized based on our ability to extract it and the clinical value of having it within the Epic platform, recognizing that the information will still be available by other means. This work started in early 2018 and will continue until late 2019. Currently, the project team is converting the first of three groups (or “phases”) of clinical data and systems.

Read the Data Conversion Backgrounder/FAQs for more information about the Connect Care data conversion project.

Assessing non-medical devices

The Non-medical Device project is ramping up, with assessments of Wave 1 facilities set to begin at the University of Alberta Hospital campus in mid-September.
The types of non-medical devices that will be assessed include:

• Workstations
• Wristband printers
• Barcode scanners
• eSignature pads
• Specialized workflow devices (Rover, portable label printers)
• Web cameras

Assessment teams will work with Patient Care Managers and Unit Managers to identify the types, quantities, and locations of shared computers and devices needed to support the Connect Care clinical information system (CIS).

Wave 1 facilities running eCLINICIAN Ambulatory EMR already have the workstations they need for Connect Care. Those facilities will only be provided with the associated (peripheral) devices required to support new workflows. Facilities that are only running the eCLINICIAN scheduling system (Cadence) will be assessed for both computing and associated device needs.

The non-medical device assessment phase is a critical component of technical readiness for Connect Care, and Wave 1 facilities will soon receive a schedule that shows how this work will be sequenced.

If you have questions about the Non-medical Devices project, please email the project team at ccNonMedDevices.Project@ahs.ca.

External: https://ahs.ca/connectcare
Insite: https://insite.ahs.ca/connectcare
Feedback: connectcare@ahs.ca