B3 - HRM Task Force Priorities: Actions to Ease Clinicians' Report Burden

3. Investing in the digital health of primary care

  • Date: 2024-10-24
  • Concurrent Session: Concurrent Session B
  • Time: 3:45– 4:30 pm
  • Room:
  • Style: Presentation (information provided to audience, with opportunity for audience to ask question)
  • Focus: Research/Policy (e.g. Presentation of research findings, analysis of policy issues and options)
  • Target Audience: Leadership (ED, clinical lead, board chair, board member, etc.)    Clinical providers, Administrative staff, Representatives of stakeholder/partner organizations

Learning Objectives:

Participants will learn: 

  • Participants will be able to describe and understand the Health Report Manager (HRM) digital tool and list three of its benefits and challenges.
  • Participants will be able to articulate the purpose of the HRM Task Force and how HRM improvements, informed by the Task Force recommendations, will help lessen physician administrative burden.
  • Participants will be able to describe the status of HRM optimizations, and how individual doctors can support and influence this ongoing work. 

Summary/Abstract:
Health Report Manager (HRM®) was launched 11 years ago to reduce the volume of paper reports physicians receive. Today, over 14,000 clinicians use HRM, through OMD-certified Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), to securely receive patient reports (e.g., discharge summaries) from hospitals that determine the type, formatting, and delivery of reports from their hospital information systems (HIS) via HRM.    Community-based family physicians use HRM to enhance continuity and timeliness of patient care, streamline workflows, and reduce manual processes and administrative costs. Despite these benefits, physicians began to experience issues with HRM, contributing to administrative burden and increasing the risk of missing clinically relevant information.      To address these pain points, OntarioMD (OMD) established the HRM Task Force, which included OMD, primary care physicians, EMR and HIS vendors, Ontario Health, the OMA, and the OHA. The Task Force focused on sending facilities standards and EMR usability, assessing the current state, prioritizing pain points, and developing recommendations to address them.      Family physicians would be interested to learn about the Task Force’s recommendations and current HRM improvement efforts to address critical challenges and clinician burden.     Addressing the pain points prioritized by the Task Force in Ontario hospitals will profoundly impact clinicians’ report-associated burden, reducing burnout and helping restore joy in medicine again. Resolving the EMR usability challenges will also contribute to a better user experience for clinicians. 
 

Presenter:

  • Chandi Chandrasena, MD Chief Medical Officer, OntarioMD     
  • Matthew Leduc Executive Director, Products, Integrations & Service Management, OntarioMD