Clinical input guides Alberta's EHR

October 25, 2013

The electronic health record (EHR) refers to a collection of services that allow authorized health care providers access to provincial patient health information, regardless of where the provider and patient are located within Alberta.

Included in the EHR are directories of patients and providers, as well as repositories of health information originating from many sources:

• Lab test results
• Diagnostic images and reports
• Medication histories
• Clinical reports
• Encounter histories

Alberta Netcare also includes components such as the Pharmaceutical Information Network (PIN), the Provincial Image viewer and the upcoming eReferral service.

The Alberta Netcare Portal is known across providers working in the community and Alberta Health Services (AHS) as the go-to service for this patient information.

In addition to technologies that support clinicians, a Personal Health Portal (PHP) has been implemented on MyHealth.Alberta.ca. The PHP will eventually be Albertans' access point to information from the EHR as well and will provide new ways for patients to interact with the health system.

The EHR continues to evolve, guided by the clinical advice of the Integrated Clinical Working Group (ICWG) and its subgroups. With membership drawn from a range of medical and clinical professions and locations, these groups meet regularly to advise on EHR directions and initiatives.

Below is a synopsis of their terms of reference.

• Integrated Clinical Working Group (ICWG) – advises on the overall definition, development, implementation and operation of the EHR.
• Subgroups serve as clinical advisors on different aspects of the EHR, providing perspectives on such topics as patient safety, data integrity, functionality, usability, workflow impacts, user training and communications:
  • Alberta Netcare Portal Subgroup – priorities and plans for Alberta Netcare Portal enhancements and data availability.
  • Shared Health Record Subgroup – the sharing of patient information between the EHR and EMRs.
  • Clinical Business Implications Subgroup – consideration of the clinical workflow implications of EHR initiatives (e.g., eReferral) and related integration.
  • Drug Subgroup – drug related initiatives such as the Pharmaceutical Information Network (PIN) and ePrescribe.
  • Personal Health Portal (PHP) Subgroup – design, development and implementation of the PHP and Personal Health Record, including services to share health information and interact with patients.
  • EMR Evolution, Integration and Release Planning Subgroup – issues of functionality, enhancements, change management and integration within the context of the provincial EMR strategy (pending the negotiation of a current strategy).

The ICWG and its subgroups are interested in maintaining a roster of physicians with an interest in medical informatics and willingness to serve as members. 

As vacancies arise on the various groups, the roster will be a key source of potential members to fill them. If you are interested in having your name added to this roster, please contact June MacGregor, ICWG Engagement Manager, at june.macgregor@albertahealthservices.ca.