Q: Why do we need Connect Care?

A: Connect Care puts the focus on the patient by:

• Giving them on-demand access to their health information, helping them be active members of the healthcare team.
• Helping them move more easily between care settings.
• Improving communication with their healthcare providers.

Connect Care leads to improved patient care, patient safety and better health outcomes by:

• Giving healthcare teams a more complete picture of a patient’s health.
• Providing the whole healthcare team with the best possible information throughout the care journey.
• Supporting best practices for clinicians in all parts of the province.

Connect Care makes us more efficient by:

• Giving a single access point to health information for provincial health agencies, including Acute Care Alberta, Assisted Living Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, and Recovery Alberta.
• Reducing the use of paper and printing supplies.
• Improving the efficiency of laboratory and support services.
• Reducing unnecessary variation and duplication in clinical services.
• Implementing best practices across the province in a consistent and comprehensive manner.

Q: Where will Connect Care be available?

A: Connect Care is used across provincial health agencies and corporations, including Acute Care Alberta, Alberta Health Services, Assisted Living Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, and Recovery Alberta. Connect Care is available at sites such as:

• Hospitals
• Continuing Care
• Cancer Care Alberta centres
• Addiction & Mental Health facilities
• Carewest sites
• CapitalCare sites
• Covenant Health sites
• Alberta Precision Laboratories locations
• Lamonth Health Care Centre
• Many other clinics, community health sites, and practices

Q: Will my family doctor be able to see my information?

Healthcare providers who care for Albertans in our communities, including family doctors, are an important part of a patient’s care team. At this time, community providers will continue to receive their patients’ lab and diagnostic imaging test results through Netcare, a provincial records system.

Community providers do not have access to Connect Care, which is used across provincial health agencies and corporations, including Acute Care Alberta, Alberta Health Services, Assisted Living Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, and Recovery Alberta. Work is ongoing with Primary and Preventative Health Services (Government of Alberta) to find ways for Connect Care to be made available to family doctors and other community healthcare providers in the future.

Q: What is MyChart?

A: MyChart is a secure, online tool that lets you see some of your Connect Care health information. MyChart lets you:

• See personal health information including test results and medications provided at a healthcare site with Connect Care
• See past and upcoming appointments
• Request prescription renewals (when prescriptions need to be filled or are expired)
• Send messages to and receive messages from your healthcare team
• Add images and documents to your record
• Have access to trusted health information resources

Q: How do I get access to MyChart?

A: To sign up for MyChart, you need:

• To be at least 14 years of age
• A valid Alberta Driver’s License or Alberta Identification Card (with a current address)
• An Alberta Health Care number
• An email account
• Access to the internet by computer, tablet or mobile device (such as a smart phone)
• An active and verified Alberta.ca account
• A MyHealth Alberta Account

Q: Will my health information be secure?

A: To access Connect Care, all staff, physicians, midwives, students, residents, volunteers, and contractors must complete a required privacy and information security training course. This training must be renewed at least every three years.

Within Connect Care, there is a “Smart Auditing tool” which uses artificial intelligence to flag when information is accessed in ways that appear to be inappropriate. All access to any type of information is recorded electronically and can be audited. Patients can also learn who has looked at their record.

There are many specific situations where particularly confidential information is shared with care providers, but patients do not want the information to be broadly accessible. In these circumstances, Connect Care can “mask” or restrict who can view specific information.

By reducing the number of clinical information systems used, we reduced the number of security risks we are exposed to. It allows us to focus our security initiatives on fewer information systems. All patient information is stored in Alberta.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and keeping your health information safe – it’s the right thing to do, and it’s the law.

Q: Will Connect Care save us money?

A: Yes. Connect Care is an investment in the health of Albertans. We expect to see a return on this investment in both health outcomes and dollars.

This includes anticipated savings in areas like:

• Improved coordination of patient care.
• Controlling drug costs by making it easier to access patients’ medication history and making it easier to use generic instead of brand name drugs.
• Reduced duplicate and unnecessary testing.
• Reduced medical record and transcription costs.

These savings can be reinvested in our hospitals and clinics.