- OceanMD, a subsidiary of WELL Health Technologies, has been
selected by the Province of Nova
Scotia to make surgical consult referrals easier and reduce
wait times for patients.
- The eReferral software will allow primary care providers to
send their requests to surgeons through the Ocean e-Referral
network instead of faxing, emailing or mailing.
- Ocean's industry leading e-Referral network is now powering
more than 1M patient interactions and
over 67,000 eReferrals and eConsults per month across multiple
provinces with the vast majority occurring in Ontario.
VANCOUVER, BC, April 4,
2023 /CNW/ - WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX:
WELL) (OTCQX: WHTCF) (the "Company" or "WELL"), a
digital healthcare company focused on positively impacting health
outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare
practitioners and their patients globally, is pleased to announce
that pursuant to an announcement made on March 29, 2023, the Province of Nova Scotia is introducing a new electronic
tool, Ocean eReferrals, to manage surgical referrals and make the
process more efficient for physicians and patients.
This new system will help patients receive better information on
the status of their referral and will lead to shorter wait times in
the long run. The goal is to improve the process of sending and
receiving surgical referrals for both primary care providers and
surgeons, to support improved access and provide better
information to support planning and care.
Nova Scotia's Health and
Wellness Minister, Michelle
Thompson, stated "Waiting for care is hard for patients and
their families. It's also frustrating for healthcare professionals
when they don't have the information to answer their patients'
questions. Nova Scotians deserve short wait times that will keep
them out of pain and allow them to move on with their lives."
Jeff Kavanagh, CEO of OceanMD, a
subsidiary of WELL, commented, "We are thrilled to work with the
Province of Nova Scotia to address
the growing need for an electronic referral system across the
entire province. We applaud the work of the Department of
Health and Wellness in leading this initiative to create an
efficient process to reduce wait times and provide critical
information to the people of Nova
Scotia."
Through the new system, primary care providers will send their
requests for surgical consultations via e-referral, rather than
faxing, emailing, or mailing requests directly to a surgeon. This
method of referral will enable better tracking, review, and
management of referrals, and will eventually include consult wait
time information to help ensure patients have faster access to
care. Patients who provide their email address and referring
providers will receive automatic notifications when their referral
is received, forwarded to a surgeon, and when a consult is booked
or changed. This feature will provide patients with greater
visibility into the referral process and enable them to stay
informed throughout their journey.
Ocean eReferrals was made available to primary care providers
and surgeons at Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health as of
Friday, March 31, 2023.
About OceanMD
OceanMD is Canada's leading
provider of integrated solutions designed to connect patients,
providers, and healthcare systems through the secure exchange of
healthcare data. As a cloud-based platform, Ocean integrates with
over 25 clinical information systems and repositories using open,
standards-based APIs and a library of thousands of clinical and
administrative forms.
Ocean's full suite of EMR-integrated patient engagement
solutions, from online booking to patient messages, and check-in
kiosks, is reducing the burden on providers and clinic staff, while
empowering patients to access their own health data. The same
platform is giving clinicians a way to easily send eReferrals and
eConsults through the Ocean Provider Network, improving overall
system efficiency and reducing wait times.
About WELL Health
Technologies
WELL is a practitioner-focused digital healthcare company.
WELL's overarching mission is to positively impact health outcomes
by leveraging technology to empower healthcare practitioners and
their patients globally. WELL exists to enable healthcare
practitioners with best-in-class technology and services. WELL has
built the most comprehensive end-to-end healthcare system across
Canada including the nation's
largest network of clinics supporting primary care, specialized
care, and diagnostics services. In the
United States, WELL provides omni-channel healthcare
services and solutions targeting specialized markets such as the
gastrointestinal market, women's health, primary care, and mental
disorders. In addition to providing patient services, WELL
develops, integrates, and sells its own suite of technology
software and solutions to medical clinics and healthcare
practitioners. WELL's practitioner enablement platform includes:
Electronic Medical Records ("EMR"), telehealth platforms, practice
management, billing, Revenue Cycle Management ("RCM"), digital
health apps and data protection solutions. WELL is publicly traded
on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL" and on the
OTC Exchange under the symbol "WHTCF". To learn more about the
Company, please visit: www.well.company.
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SOURCE WELL Health Technologies Corp.