CorCare is the name NLHS has chosen for its new HIS: an electronic health record (EHR) and health information system (HIS) that helps clinicians manage patient data and care. It’s used by many hospitals and healthcare organizations around the world including 13 organizations in Canada. The full access version of CorCare is also known as “Hyperspace”.

When the Health Accord called for an update of the health system’s information technology infrastructure in 2022, Epic was the successful vendor after an extensive procurement process.

Epic Hyperspace is the primary interface for accessing NLHS’s CorCare HIS. It serves as a comprehensive portal where healthcare professionals can manage patient information, clinical workflows, and various healthcare operations. Hyperspace integrates multiple modules and functionalities, allowing users to perform tasks such as charting, order entry, and patient scheduling within a unified platform. This is the full access version of Epic.

EpicCare Link is a web portal that allows external clinicians to securely view patient medical information in CorCare, as they would currently do with HEALTHeNL.  In addition, external clinicians will also be able to submit electronic orders and other forms, and to communicate with clinical teams within the NLHS environment to coordinate patient care.

EpicCare Link is not a full access version of CorCare, it provides a limited view into the information within the CorCare system and has limited functionality.

Phase one of CorCare is currently scheduled to launch in Newfoundland and Labrador in April of 2026.

Programs and services delivered by NLHS, including Family Care Teams, will be required to use CorCare for patient documentation as part of phase one, starting in April 2026.

While there is no discussion at this time to make it mandatory to transition to the full CorCare solution, use of some of the CorCare functionality through EpicCare Link may be mandatory at some point.

Community clinicians using Med Access and working in private clinics will remain on their own instances of Med Access. Community clinicians will have the ability to communicate with NLHS clinics through EpicCare Link. 

Health Accord NL’s vision for digital health in the province is One Patient, One Record.  As such, NLHS is in discussions with community clinicians (Physicians and Nurse practitioners) to participate in the full access version of CorCare. Discussions regarding this option, as a part of phase two implementation, are ongoing involving NLHS, the NLMA, and the Department of Health and Community Services.

Specialists who work in both a NLHS facility and a private clinic will use the full CorCare solution when working within NLHS, and for the time being will use Med Access and EpicCare Link when in their private clinic.

Clinician representatives from all practice settings and remuneration categories are involved in the design and decision-making working groups. Clinicians who are part of the phase one go-live will, over the next year, participate in CorCare readiness activities, including workflow dress rehearsal, classroom training, post-class exercises and user settings labs.

The implementation of phase one of CorCare will reduce some silos for community clinicians. A community clinician accessing CorCare through EpicCare Link will have the ability to view patient information across any of their encounters in NLHS. 

CorCare is reducing the number of applications where patient information currently resides (for example, the consolidation of three Provincial MediTech systems and CRMS). Additionally, patient information such as imaging, labs and referrals, many of which were paper based in NLHS, will now be visible electronically as they move through their respective stages to completion.

Dispensed medications and other information from the Pharmacy Network will still be able to be viewed through HEALTHe NL.

No decision has been made at this time.  Engagement for this decision is ongoing.

Yes

eDOCSNL staff will continue supporting users within the scope defined by EMR governance.

Yes, electronic results will continue to be delivered to HEALTHeNL and Med Access.

There will be two ways to access the system.   A full access account to CorCare or a limited view through EpicCare Link. EpicCare Link will connect external clinicians to CorCare, with electronic referrals, secure communication, electronic lab/imaging ordering and the ability to view your patients’ charts in CorCare.

The information currently available through HEALTHeNL will be maintained.  The long-term role of HEALTHeNL in the digital ecosystem is being reviewed.

Yes. Notifications will be generated within your EpicCare Link inbox. Clinicians will have the ability to opt in or out of notifications at a user level, such as patients passing, being admitted to a facility, etc. Community clinicians will need to log[LM1] [FM2]  into EpicCare Link to see these notifications.  

The CorCare project team and MCP are currently working on integrating billing functionality. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Yes, CorCare will launch with eFaxing capability.

CorCare will not launch with PrescribeIT functionality but planning is currently ongoing to incorporate this functionality after the April 2026 launch date.

Yes, CorCare has this functionality, along with other privacy and confidentiality features.

Yes, CorCare supports AI scribe functionality. NLHS will evaluate individual AI Scribe products for suitability for use in NL.

Yes, this is one of the strengths of the CorCare platform, which supports robust analytics functions that can be applied to both clinical and administrative data on a practice and provider level. Users will be able to define their own reports as well, within the capabilities of the software.

Yes, CorCare has clinical decision alerts and triggers similar to what you are used to seeing in other platforms as well as the equivalent of patient care goals.  These features can be customized to the NL implementation and tracked for effectiveness, ensuring they enhance patient care without causing undue inconvenience to clinicians.

The CorCare project team is actively working with eDOCSNL to ensure that the value of this work is not lost for those who opt to transition to CorCare.  While the translation of this work to a new software platform may result in a different looking set of tools, the intention is that the tools will be replicated to the degree possible in CorCare.

Training for end users, including physicians, will occur before go-live. A training program is being developed to support Physician trainers, Super-users and Physician builders. Additional details on roles and engagement strategies will be provided when available. A comprehensive implementation plan will be developed with key stakeholders. This plan will include Training hours, Data conversion work and Hardware and connectivity assessments

This is not known at this time.

A comparison of functionality is underway to determine if similar customizations can be built in Epic. Epic offers personalization options for users to create their own templates, including Ordering favorites, Layout of navigators/screens and Other workflow adjustments.

Discussions are ongoing between NLHS, the EMR Management Committee, and NLMA. Decisions will be communicated to Med Access users once they are finalized. eDOCSNL will remain operational, and staff will continue supporting users within the scope defined by EMR governance.

There is no intention to use the data from community providers and their practices for workload measurement or other practice evaluation purposes.  The EMR Information Management Framework currently outlines the approvals required for uses and disclosures of EMR data, including data from community clinicians and their practices. Discussions are underway regarding incorporating the principles of the Framework into NLHS policy.

A review is underway to assess which data must be transferred to Epic from NLHS systems.  Data that is not converted into CorCare will still need to be made available through an archiving process. The details of the archiving strategy are currently being developed. Clinicians will be engaged in planning for the EMR data transfer and archiving strategy for community EMRs.