How Caredove’s eReferral platform is helping Ontario Health Teams navigate the latest challenges of the province-wide health overhaul

Ontario’s health care system is in the midst of significant change, and while this transformation may seem difficult for the organizations involved, we are excited about the promise Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) offer. In this first part of our OHT Survival Guide, we’ve highlighted some key challenges that reform will bring and why we feel they present exciting opportunities to innovate and improve on how healthcare is delivered in the coming years. 

1. The push towards community care

One of the earliest expectations outlined to Ontario Health Team (OHT) candidates was Community Engagement and the idea that in order to end “Hallway Medicine,” the responsibility of looking after our sick and vulnerable will need to be shared between the system and the community. Shifting the burden of care away from hospitals, managing patient transitions from hospital to community, and preventing readmissions are all part of the plan for a more sustainable healthcare system. This is the very space where Caredove thrives.

Caredove's digital tools were designed to help connect clients with local home and community care services. With 600+ organizations across Ontario using Caredove to create trusted networks of care, there’s simply no better tool for addressing the need to increase and improve access to community care. 

2. Patient engagement

OHT applicants have committed to measuring and improving the patient experience with patient-centred care that is focused on treating patients with dignity, including assisting them with decision-making and ensuring proper care coordination. This patient empowerment will require more tools designed for patient engagement, including personal health records, patient portals and remote patient monitoring - all in a secure digital ecosystem.

Caredove’s secure cloud-based eReferral platform includes out-of-the box features that allow patients to choose their preferred service from a network of trusted providers, book their own appointments and even complete their own intake assessments. Enabling patients to play a more active role in managing their personal health will ease coordination of care and OHT workflows. 

3. Supporting our clinicians

As OHTs accelerate down the path of digital transformation, making it easy for clinicians to access the data they need remains a top priority. Clinician burnout is a significant problem, and there have been links to the administrative burden of electronic documentation and data handling across multiple systems, as a contributing factor. Burnout in healthcare providers reduces outcomes and patient satisfaction while increasing healthcare costs.

The time is now for interoperable digital health solutions that reduce clinician data over-processing. Caredove’s integrations are optimized for the smooth flow of data from sending systems, like EMRs and the provincial CHRIS system, to receiving community case management systems, such as AlayaCare.

We are excited with the early progress we’ve made with Ontario Health Teams, and look forward to working with many more to help integrate the health care system, the community sector and the clients they serve.