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ABOUT

eDOCSNL

eDOCSNL is a provincial electronic medical record (EMR) program for physicians jointly governed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association, the Department of Health and Community Services, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information to deliver and manage EMRs in the province.

Powered by TELUS Health, the Med Access solution is a computer-based patient medical record designed for physicians’ practices. Med Access will manage patient information previously stored and recorded in paper files or another EMR. eDOCSNL will add value to Med Access by including demographics, medical and drug history, laboratory results and diagnostic imaging. It will also help to manage a physician’s billing and scheduling activities.

eDOCSNL assists physicians and their staff prepare for the installation, and manages the relationship with the vendor.

The goal is to ensure that eDOCSNL is a sustainable provincial solution developed by physicians, for physicians.

FAQs

? What is eDOCSNL?
eDOCSNL is the Provincial Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Program. An EMR is a computer-based patient medical record specific to a physician’s practice. It will include patient information that may have been previously stored and recorded in paper files. It will record patient demographics,
medical and drug history, and diagnostic information such as laboratory results and findings from diagnostic imaging. It will also manage activities such as billing and scheduling.
? Why do I/we need it?

Participation in eDOCSNL will enable physician’s clinics to operate more efficiently, and will provide a more complete picture of their patients' health. This has direct benefits to patients and the health care system including more effective clinical decision making, reductions in duplicate laboratory testing, increased patient safety, and greater support for chronic disease management.

Physician access to more comprehensive patient information in one place offers significant benefits for patients including:

  • Improved quality: Access to more comprehensive patient information improves the quality of care by supporting better decisions about medications, diagnoses and treatments.
  • Accessibility: Participation in eDOCSNL improves access to a significant amount of current patient information in the physicians’ office.
  • Patient safety: Access to more complete information enables more informed health care decisions, resulting in safer patient care.
  • Better efficiency: Access to relevant clinical information from HEALTHe NL (the provincial electronic health record), will reduce the amount of time looking for test results and other information. This will reduce duplication of tests, saving time and money.

Click here to learn more about the benefits of eDOCSNL.

? What information will eDOCSNL contain?

Participating in eDOCSNL will allow physicians to record the information gathered during a patient's visit in the EMR. This includes information such as a person's weight, blood pressure and clinical notes that would have previously been hand-written and stored in a file folder in a doctor's office. eDOCSNL will allow the physicians to access information about a patient's complete health record through integration with clinical data stored within HEALTHe NL, the provincial electronic health record.

Clinical data stored within HEALTHe NL will be integrated into eDOCSNL in a series of phases. Phase 1 will be implemented in the winter 2016 and includes integration to MCP, Client Registry, Provider Registry, and clinical results from Eastern Health and Central Health. Following phases will include the integration of clinical results from Western Health and Labrador-Grenfell Health, medication profiles, encounters and linking to HEALTHe NL.

? Is eDOCSNL secure?

eDOCSNL is powered by TELUS’s MedAccess, a next-generation EMR software. It was designed specifically for use over the Internet, and is presented via a modern web browser.

TELUS also provides rigorous data management with back-up to professionally managed, redundant TELUS data centres so a physician does not have to worry about back-ups or disaster recovery.

? Is patient information kept private? Who can view patient information?

Physicians can restrict access to a patient’s information to those who provide or assist in the patient’s care and treatment. All users require a password to access eDOCSNL and the system keeps a record of each time a profile is accessed, including when and by whom. Patients can request to see a copy of these records at any time.

 

 

? What does it cost?

eDOCSNL program costs are shared between the Provincial Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and participating physicians. 70 per cent of the cost is covered by the Provincial Government, and the remaining 30 per cent is paid by participating physicians.

This cost structure allows physicians to avail of significant additional value for the level of information and clinic support that will be available from eDOCS NL. This includes the integration of eDOCSNL with the provincial electronic health record, which will enable physicians to save key clinical information in a patient’s record. Participating physicians will also receive ongoing training and change management support for physicians and clinic staff, including a physician peer-to-peer support network.

The final monthly cost for physicians is being determined by the eDOCSNL Management Committee, and will be finalized by winter 2016.

? When can I sign up?

Physicians interested in using eDOCSNL can provide their information here, and an eDOCSNL Practice Advisor will be in touch with you. There are a small number of physicians currently using the provincial EMR program. Physicians interested in eDOCSNL will undergo a readiness assessment and the timeline for implementation will be finalized based on the assessment.

? How can I sign up?

Complete an Expression of Interest form found here, and an eDOCSNL Practice Advisor will be in touch shortly.