Efficient referrals processes provide better outcomes.
As a mental health agency, you know that how an efficient and organized workflow directly impacts patient satisfaction. And one of the most important aspects of providing quality care is having an efficient referral process– from how quickly calls are accepted to how quickly patients can be referred to specialists.
Providing appropriate and timely referrals is essential for clients to receive the specialized care they need. Unfortunately, referral processes can be time-consuming, inefficient, and riddled with errors, causing delays in client care.
As the healthcare industry shifts towards digitization, electronic referrals (or e-referrals) have become a popular alternative to traditional paper-based referrals. In this blog post, we delve deeper into the Ocean eReferrals Network, how it operates, and its benefits for the healthcare providers, specialists, and clients.
What is the Ocean eReferral Network?
The Ocean eReferral Network is a revolutionary technology for healthcare providers that aims to streamline the referral process, improve patient access to care, and enhance communication between healthcare practitioners.
Operated by the Think Research Consortium on behalf of the Ontario eHealth Centre of Excellence, Ocean utilizes a cloud-based, EMR-integrated platform to improve patient access to care, and enhancing communication between healthcare providers, clients, and specialists.
Through its powerful features such as streamlined referral workflows, interactive referral statuses, referral management dashboards, customizable referral forms, and client self-referral options, healthcare providers can provide more accurate, timely, and efficient care for their clients.
The Ocean eReferrals platform has a simple and user-friendly interface that makes navigating through it easy. The entire process, including referral creation, acceptance, cancellation, and closure, is streamlined and efficient. The platform also enables users to monitor the referral process, providing a real-time update on the referral progress.
The Ocean eReferrals Network has over 4,000 primary care providers, clinical specialists, and service providers who utilize the program for their client referrals, with over one million successful referrals to date.
Ocean’s map-based, searchable directory help providers find healthcare referrals in their client’s local area and access wait time information to make informed decisions about their care.
The Ocean eReferrals Network can accommodate central intake models, individual clinics, referral centers, and assessment centers, making it easier for healthcare providers to access and utilize the program. Additionally, the system is designed to provide feedback on the referral status, track progress, and keep all parties informed of essential changes. This has resulted in reducing the referral processing time, decreasing the burden on healthcare facilities, and offering an improved client experience.
Benefits of Using an eReferral Platform
Are you looking for ways to make your medical practice run more efficiently? Are you overwhelmed by paperwork and manual coordination of referrals between specialists?
Then investing in an referral management tool may be the perfect solution.
Designed with easy-to-use feature, they can help providers coordinate referrals easily between networks of specialists, primary care physicians, hospitals, clinics–all while providing customizable workflow capabilities.
Benefits for Clients
One of the most significant benefits of the Ocean eReferral Network is that clients are kept informed about the status of their referrals and can get better, faster access to care in their community.
In addition, the system provides automated status alerts to clients, so they know when their referral has been received, accepted, or declined. This saves clients from numerous phone calls or follow-ups that can be time-consuming and frustrating.
Benefits for Providers
Healthcare providers can also enjoy significant benefits from mental health software with referral management. This system is designed to streamline the referral process, enabling healthcare providers to efficiently send referrals, monitor their status, and receive alerts when referrals are accepted, completed or cancelled.
Benefits for Specialists
Specialists also benefit immensely e-referrals management software. The system ensures that they receive more high quality, appropriate referrals, with complete information, eliminating the need for time-consuming, paper-based workflows.
The referral form provides a structured format for healthcare providers to capture all necessary patient information, including medical history, current medications, and diagnostic imaging reports. This comprehensive information allows the specialist to provide an accurate diagnosis, develop an effective treatment plan and enhance patient outcomes.
EMHWare’s Integration with OCEAN
EMHware has integrated with the Ontario Ministry of Health’s Ocean e-referral program to provide users with access to a real-time database of service providers across the province.
EMHware leverages Ocean eReferral Network’s innovative platform to simplify the referral and consultation process for healthcare providers.
It seamlessly integrates with existing workflows, allowing clinicians to access a plethora of specialists, send referrals and consults, and even track the status of their requests in real-time, all from one central portal.
The EMHware integration with Ocean eReferral Network offers unparalleled convenience and efficiency that can help optimize client care. With this platform, you can focus less on administrative tasks and more on what they do best – providing exceptional client care.
Schedule a demo today and learn how EMHware and Ocean can transform your referral process!
