The Journey to Interoperability in BC Healthcare: Spotlight on Successes

Sharing health information is complex. Many physicians have adopted electronic medical records (EMRs) and there are many other clinical systems in use, but the information largely remains in silos. How are we breaking down these barriers and enabling the information to flow?

Join the HIMSS British Columbia Chapter February 23 for a one-hour webinar to get an update on the progress of two provincial initiatives making tremendous progress on our journey to interoperability in BC’s healthcare system. The Provincial eForms Solution and EMR to EMR Interoperability Program enable community-based EMRs to transmit information between clinicians and across organizations. Learn about the technology and standards behind these projects, critical factors for success and examples of how these projects are already making a difference in the delivery of patient care.

Speakers

Oliver Thompson is director of Provincial ehealth projects at Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA). Thompson is presenting on the Provincial eForms Solution, which aims to address the critical shortcomings of the current process of using paper forms and fax to exchange information by ensuring that all healthcare forms used by community-based physicians are always up-to-date, accessible in all EMRs and delivered electronically. In 2021, this vision came to life with successful implementation to support BC’s pandemic response, the digitization of BC’s Special Authority Forms for significant workflow improvements, and one of the first implementations of a SMART on FHIR app with an EMR used by community-based physicians in Canada.

Brian Lefebvre is senior manager of Provincial ehealth projects at PHSA. Lefebvre leads the EMR to EMR Interoperability program, which was established between public and private partners focused on connecting ten commonly used EMRs in BC via a public Health Information Exchange (HIE). This program has included rigorous clinical validation of cross-EMR workflows, including eReferral, eConsult and eDocument sharing, and conducting operational readiness activities in support of a provincial deployment of these workflows. Findings from rounds of clinical validation have revealed a high-degree of satisfaction and readiness for real world use. Learn about how robust clinical engagement and a focus on partnerships with EMR vendors have been critical enablers of this work.

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