Connect Care Informatics Blog

2024-07-15

Epic's Webinar Newsletter

Are you interested in keeping up to date with the free webinars that Epic offers?

Every couple of weeks or so, Epic emails subscribers a new issue of "The Webinar Enthusiast", which includes descriptions and direct registration links for each upcoming webinar. Epic's webinars are all free for AHS employees to attend and, for those who cannot attend, recordings are posted afterwards at the webinar links.

If you would like to subscribe to Epic's webinar newsletter, click here to sign up. An archive of past issues is also available here.

2024-06-27

DataCamp: Data Literacy Learning Platform

At all levels of AHS, people use data, expertise, and evidence to inform decisions and improve outcomes for patients, populations, and the health system. Data and Analytics (DnA) is excited to offer an easy to use, self-directed, low pressure, data literacy learning platform (DataCamp) to help everyday users feel comfortable working with, accessing, understanding, and communicating data.

DataCamp makes it easy for everyone to learn new skills specific to their role – gain confidence in interpreting data, join tables in SQL, or automate processes using Python. From data concepts to coding, all training is interactive and simple to start using. There is no installation as all learning takes place in your browser, where you will have the opportunity to follow expert-led courses, complete bite-sized exercises, and receive real-time feedback. DataCamp will help us as we adopt new cloud technologies and refresh existing skills (Snowflake, Python, SQL, Tableau, Alteryx, R, and more). This online platform is free and is intended for frontline managers, leaders and physicians who use data on a daily basis; it is now available, through to the end of October 2024.

To register for DataCamp, visit this invitation link and use your full email address (e.g., do not abbreviate @albertahealthservices to @ahs.ca).

For the latest announcements and to get support, join the MS teams AHS DataCamp Community channel.

2024-05-31

Upcoming Event: Connect Care - Shaping the future of healthcare with data-driven research

The O’Brien Institute (with the Cumming School of Medicine, AHS, and Centre for Health Informatics) is hosting a free event on using Connect Care data that Connect Care MILs, Super Users, Core Leads, CIs, Trainers, and Builders in the Calgary area may be interested in.

Title: Connect Care: Shaping the future of healthcare with data-driven research
Date: June 5, 2024: 12:45-17:00
Location: Theatre One, Health Sciences Centre (Calgary)
Intended audience: Researchers, students and trainees who are interested in shaping the future of healthcare through the utilization of Connect Care data.

For more information and to register, see the event page on the University of Calgary website.

Event: Connect Care - Shaping the future of healthcare with data-driven research

2024-05-01

Super User Development Session #8 - User Support Tools

We've previously posted about the current series of Super User Development Sessions offered in the weeks leading up to Connect Care Launch 8 on May 4, 2024.

The last of the series will be integrated into the Super User boot camp that runs Friday May 3, 2024, and is facilitated by Karmon Helmle and David Pincock. The boot camp will focus on launch supports and tools that Super Users can leverage to help Launch 8 users.

The first session of the day (orientation) will be at 09:00-10:00. Orientation will be followed by track-specific sessions on Continuing Care, Ambulatory, and Consult-only; each session will cover the top items a Super User needs to know, as well as provide a forum for asking questions and an opportunity for demonstrations. The bootcamp will be a single meeting on Microsoft Teams, and will be recorded. Super Users will be sent invitations to this event.

Participants are encouraged to check related resources:

The boot camp session recordings (as well as the past development session presentations) will be available via:

Presentations: Launch 8 Super User Webinar Sessions

Questions and requests for Microsoft Teams meeting links can be directed to your zone ACMIO team (North Zone: cmio.nz@ahs.ca; Edmonton Zone: cmio.ez@ahs.ca; Central Zone: cmio.cez@ahs.ca; Calgary Zone: cmio.caz@ahs.ca; South Zone: cmio.sz@ahs.ca).

2024-04-29

Super User Development Session #7 - Complex Ambulatory Workflows

We've previously posted about the current series of Super User Development Sessions offered in the weeks leading up to Connect Care Launch 8 on May 4, 2024.

This week's 1-hour webinar, on Tuesday April 30, 2023 (12:00, via Microsoft Teams), is facilitated by Dr. Doris Sturtevant, focusing on complex ambulatory workflows, including referrals/consultations, order panels, and preference and patient lists.

Participants are encouraged to check related resources:

Participants may wish to review past presentations, available via:

Presentations: Launch 8 Super User Webinar Sessions

2024-04-22

Super User Development Session #6 - Portals, Community and Mixed-Context Providers

We've previously posted about the current series of Super User Development Sessions offered in the weeks leading up to Connect Care Launch 8 on May 4, 2024.

This week's 1-hour webinar, on Tuesday April 23, 2024 (12:00, via Microsoft Teams), is facilitated by Tim Graham, focusing on prescriber considerations for the Connect Care patient and provider portals (MyAHS Connect [MAC] and Link), as well as considerations around community and mixed-context providers.

Participants are encouraged to check related resources:

Participants may wish to review past presentations, available via:

Presentations: Launch 8 Super User Webinar Sessions
Update: This webinar was cancelled. A recording of last launch's version is available here.

2024-04-15

Super User Development Session #5 - In-System Communications

We've previously posted about the current series of Super User Development Sessions offered in the weeks leading up to Connect Care Launch 8 on May 4, 2024.

This week's 1-hour webinar, on Tuesday April 16, 2024 (12:00, via Microsoft Teams), is facilitated by Bruce Wright, focusing on managing In Basket and other in-system communication workflows (e.g., Sticky Notes, Secure Messaging, Pools).

Participants wanting to follow-up on some of the communication topics are encouraged to check related resources:

Participants may wish to review past presentations, available via:

Presentations: Launch 8 Super User Webinar Sessions

2024-04-08

Super User Development Session #4 - Interfacility Transfers, External Orders in Continuing Care, and Therapy Plans

We've previously posted about the current series of Super User Development Sessions offered in the weeks leading up to Connect Care Launch 8 on May 4, 2024.

This week's 1-hour webinar, on Tuesday April 9, 2024 (12:00, via Microsoft Teams), is facilitated by Marinus van der Westhuizen, with a focus on reviewing orders for interfacility transfers (IFTs), external orders in Continuing Care, and therapy plans.

Participants are encouraged to check related resources:

Participants may wish to review past presentations, available via:

Presentations: Launch 8 Super User Webinar Sessions

2024-04-01

Super User Development Session #3 - Dragon Medical One and Mobility

We've previously posted about the current series of Super User Development Sessions offered in the weeks leading up to Connect Care Launch 8 on May 4, 2024.

This week's 1-hour webinar, on Tuesday April 2, 2024 (12:00, via Microsoft Teams), is facilitated by Darren Hudson, and focuses on in-system dictation and voice-activation with Dragon Medical One (DMO) and mobility apps.

Participants are encouraged to check related resources:

Participants may wish to review past presentations, available via:

Presentations: Launch 8 Super User Webinar Sessions

2024-03-25

Super User Development Session #2 - Charting Etiquette and Minimum Use Norms

We've previously posted about the current series of Super User Development Sessions offered in the weeks leading up to Connect Care Launch 8 on May 4, 2024.

This week's 1-hour webinar, on Tuesday March 26, 2024 (12:00, via Microsoft Teams), is facilitated by Echo Enns, and focuses on prescriber expectations of one another for a safe, efficient, and effective clinical information system experience.

Participants are encouraged to check related resources:

Participants may wish to review past presentations, available via:

Presentations: Launch 8 Super User Webinar Sessions

2024-03-18

Super User Development Session #1 - Orientation and Resources

We've previously posted about the current series of Super User Development Sessions offered in the weeks leading up to Connect Care Launch 8 on May 4, 2024.

This week's 1-hour webinar, on Tuesday March 19, 2024 (12:00, via Microsoft Teams), is facilitated by Rob Hayward, and gives an initial orientation, including review of resources and communication aids of particular value to Super Users.

Participants wanting to follow-up on some of the topics covered are encouraged to check related resources:

2024-03-13

Super User Development Sessions - New Series

Super Users help peers by promoting readiness activities, supporting training and providing “at the elbow” peer help prior to, during and immediately following launch. Super Users grow their own capacity through supplemental training, self-help resources and participation in a Community of Practice.

A new series of Super User development sessions is offered in the weeks leading up to Connect Care Launch 8, beginning March 19, 2024. With the exception of the final session (Super User boot camp), these 1-hour Microsoft Teams webinars are all at 12:00-13:00. The focus is on Super User needs, but the sessions are open to any interested Connect Care user.

March 19, 2024 - Orientation, External Communication Tools, Manual, Learning Dashboard
March 26, 2024 - Charting Etiquette, Minimum Use Norms, Escalation Paths for Non-Compliance
April 2, 2024 - Dragon Medical One and Mobility Apps
April 9, 2024 - Therapy Plans, Patient Movement (Interfacility Transfer)
April 16, 2024 - In-system communications: In Basket, Sticky Notes, Secure Messaging, Pools
April 23, 2024 - MyAHS Connect, Provider Portal, Community and Mixed-Context Provider considerations
April 30, 2024 - Complex Ambulatory Workflows: Referrals/Consultations, Order Panels and Preference Lists, Exception Care Plan Note, Compass Rose, FYI Flags
May 3, 2024 (all-day boot camp) - Orientation to Command Structure, Submitting a Ticket, Ticket Flow; day also includes breakout sessions for individual training tracks

Sessions are recorded for the benefit of those who cannot attend, with post-session recordings and slides available on SharePoint.

2023-03-01

Synopsis Updates and Timeline Framework

A number of enhancements are coming to clinical information review tools in Connect Care, including results review, synopsis views and timeline views. Indeed, we've already seen a number of user interface changes to results review.

Timeline-keyed tools are invaluable to getting the "big picture" of a patient's health care journey. We have not promoted these in training yet, but anticipate doing so. Accordingly, we are implementing a change freeze on synopsis views until after the Fall 2023 upgrade is implemented.

An Epic webinar nicely explains underlying design considerations for what's coming:

2022-11-20

AHS Preferred SmartLink Catalogue

The Connect Care Documentation Quality Improvement (DQI) initiative has worked to design and promote use of provincially standardized documentation templates (e.g., discharge summary). Along the way, the "Smart" building blocks (e.g., SmartLinks) used to assemble the templates have been carefully reviewed to ensure that Alberta Health Services style, format, safety and other norms are complied with.

A helpful byproduct for designers, builders, analysts and super users -- as well as Connect Care users who build SmartPhrase personalizations -- is a curated catalogue of AHS approved and preferred SmartTools. This is maintained in the Builder Handbook and is linked from the Clinician Manual and from prescriber learning home dashboards.

Manual: SmartTools

2022-10-27

Builders - New Style and Content Resources for Patient Lists

Patient List Style Guide and Catalogue

The Connect Care clinical information system (CIS) includes powerful tools for accessing, personalizing, building and sharing patient lists. Indeed, lists are the gateway to inpatient care.

User efforts to set up personal "My Lists" are frustrated when there are large numbers of inconsistently named, duplicative, and malfunctioning list columns to choose from. A new patient lists working group is selecting and optimizing a core set of AHS approved and recommended columns, together with My List templates that users can copy to initiate list configurations suited to specific use cases.

Builders working with lists should be aware of this work and heed emerging guides and preferred components.

2022-10-14

Builders - New EAP (Test Orders) Resource

Beaker Procedures (Test Order) Properties Catalogue

Laboratory test (EAP) records are created and maintained by an application group (i.e., Beaker). However, the same records are used by other groups and property settings can differ when the order is used in different tools or contexts. For example, the "questions" associated with a microbiology sample test may be organized in one way when the test presents within a surgical navigator but in a different way when presented through an order composer workflow.

A new resource has been developed to help designers, analysts and builders quickly recognize how test requests are presented in different contexts. This exposes the questions, or meta-data, captured in each context and, hopefully, will facilitate closer alignment.

The interactive order properties catalogue is available via the "Resource Links" pick-list in the Hyperspace title bar.

2022-10-13

Launch 6 Planning - Report Development Scope and Planning

The following message if of importance to Area Councils and Specialty Workgroups participating in clinical system design.

The Connect Care Business Intelligence - Reporting Support Team is looking to finalize report development scope for Launch 6. To that end, we are reaching out to Area Council Co-Chairs and ACSUs to ensure that we have captured any outstanding Launch 6, launch-critical reporting needs in your areas. Launch-critical reports = reports that are essential for making day-to-day operational decisions at launch and six weeks beyond.

Please be assured that work has been ongoing to gather Launch 6 reporting scope and Operational Leaders have been engaged by the CORe Lead for Business Intelligence (the CORe Lead is Carrie Farnell) regarding Launch 6 reporting needs over the past several months. Please consider whether your area is launching any new departments in Connect Care with Launch 6 and subsequently, whether any new launch critical reports may be required that have not already been identified and brought to the attention of your Clinical Informatics Lead (CIL) representative.

If you are aware of any potential missing launch critical reports in your area, please submit a request to your CIL representative, no later than Oct. 14. Solange Pomerleau is the CIL for Medicine Areas (excluding Lumens).

In the interests of being proactive for future launches (7-9), please consider the following:

• Are there any new departments in your area launching in L7-L9?

• If yes, consider if the new departments have any launch critical reporting needs

• Outside of the Area Council forums, the CORe Lead for Business Intelligence will continue to engage Operational Leaders as we progress through the Launches

If you have questions, please contact us at: ConnectCare.SupportTeam.ClinicalInformaticsLeads@albertahealthservices.ca

2022-10-12

Builder Alert - Fall Update Change Freeze

Builder Alert - Transparent Lockdown 14-20/10/2022

As part of the Scheduled Downtime on October 20, 2022 there is an Epic Transparent Lockdown process needed to prepare the upgrade for production. This process requires a Production Change Freeze from October 14, 2022 1200 hrs until October 20, 2022 0430 hrs.

For more information about this change freeze please refer to the Epic Special Updates - Transparent Lockdown document.

2022-08-22

Hyperspace - Paradigm Change Coming

Epic has been working on a fundamental change to its workstation user-interface. Indeed, this is already in production for clients already adopting the May 2022 version. Connect Care will catch this update sometime in the next year.

The shift from a Window-based to a Web-based application opens up many more opportunities for innovation and enhancement.

For now, a short video explains a bit more about why the change is important and some early features that users may notice:

Epic: Here's Why... Hyperspace Updates

2022-08-17

New Database for Area Trainers, Core Trainers, and Super Users

We are transitioning from SharePoint to a database for our Area Trainers (ATs), Core Trainers, and Super Users, where you can easily:

see what training you have completed,
sign up to deliver or support training/practice charting/shadow charting sessions,
review the training and launch sessions you have signed up for, and
review and validate your hours.

You will no longer use the SharePoint site to validate your hours. All previously validated sessions have been transitioned from SharePoint to the new database.

To access the database, go to https://cmiotracker.ahs.ca/ and log in using your AHS username and password. For further details, see the tip sheet:

Tip: CMIO Tracker Database

Blogs

2024-07-15

2024-06-27

2024-05-31

2024-05-01

2024-04-29

2024-04-22

2024-04-15

2024-04-08

2024-04-01

2024-03-25

2024-03-18

2024-03-13

2023-03-01

2022-11-20

2022-10-27

2022-10-14

2022-10-13

2022-10-12

2022-08-22

2022-08-17