The Ocean server upgrade scheduled for the evening of August 20th, 2026 contains the following improvements and fixes.
Ocean will be intermittently unavailable between 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST while the upgrade is being deployed. To view all scheduled Ocean server upgrade dates, check out the Ocean Server Upgrade Schedule.
Provider Network
Improvements
- Added iCal controls for referral appointments so clinics can configure whether calendar files are included in appointment notifications and what appointment duration is shown to patients.
- Referral PDFs and attachments are now added to the Med Access patient chart when a same-site referral is accepted, matching the existing cross-site referral acceptance workflow.
- Updated eSubmissions so senders and recipients can edit eligible patient demographic information directly from the eSubmission view. Changes are captured in a system note and flagged as Needs Review for the other party.
- Improved the eSubmission encryption-key flow so encrypted patient rows decrypt immediately after the Site Encryption Key is entered, without requiring a manual page refresh.
- Improved automatic filing of eSubmission PDFs into the sender’s EMR by using health card number and date of birth as a fallback when an MRN is unavailable.
- Continued CA:eReC v1.2.0 eSubmission integration work so Ocean can send and receive eSubmission lifecycle updates to/from external systems, leveraging the Pan-Canadian specification. FHIR messages supporting patient demographic updates will be addressed as part of upcoming work.
- Added support for Ontario eReferral specification version 12.6 while preserving the existing 12.4 integration (Ontario Health).
- Updated listing geocoding cycle to run hourly so listings that are newly imported or updated from the Provincial Health Services Directory (PHSD) appear on the Ocean Healthmap faster (Ontario Health).
Patient Engagement
Improvements
- One Time Booking Links are a new feature available with Advanced Clinic Booking that let clinics invite a specific patient to book a specific type of appointment within a timeframe the clinic controls. Each patient-specific link can be sent through supported Ocean patient communication and referral workflows, closes once an appointment is booked, and can be deactivated if plans change. Clinics can create reusable templates, track sent and booked links, and keep booking activity connected to the patient and related referral when applicable. This gives patients the flexibility to choose a convenient appointment time while helping clinics maintain control over who can book and what appointment options they can access — whether for specialist referrals, follow-ups, preventive care, or other targeted booking workflows.
- Online Appointment Booking now verifies appointment details against the EMR before allowing a patient to cancel or reschedule, and shows an ‘Appointment Not Found’ page when the appointment is no longer valid.
- Added iCal controls for Online Booking, and Patient Reminders so clinics can better control whether calendar files are included and what appointment duration is shown to patients.
- Refreshed the Health Messenger verification experience with clearer copy, improved date-of-birth entry, and stronger patient and clinic identification.
- Health Messenger now keeps the session active while patients interact with a form, helping patients complete longer forms without unexpected timeouts.
Platform
Improvements
- Updated Ocean invoice templates to reflect the new parent company name (WELLSTAR) and HST number.
- Improved TELUS PSS and Med Access patient retrieval performance by removing a redundant patient lookup.
- Added Cloud Connect warnings for invalid Accuro scheduling permissions so Site Admins can identify providers who are not configured correctly.
Fixed Bugs
- Fixed Ocean-generated TELUS PSS and Med Access encounter notes so accented French characters and other special characters display correctly in EMR chart notes.
Support Article Updates
- Updating Accuro Provider Permissions for the 'OceanAPI' EMR User
- Viewing eSubmissions in Ocean
- Understanding the eSubmissions View
- Can eSubmission be edited after they have been sent?
- Creating/Configuring Patient Reminders
- Edit Reminder Rules
- Testing Patient Reminders
- How are iCal files used with Patient Reminders?
- Update Your eConsult and eReferral Receiver Configuration
- Set Up Automated Referral Appointment Reminders*
- Set Up Booking Links
- Introducing Patient Messages
- Introducing Patient Reminders
- Enabling Appointment Cancellation from Patient Reminders
- Can I include information about my clinic in the Ocean Health Messenger?