1. OceanMD
  2. eConsults & eReferrals
  3. Set Up Your Site to Receive eConsults and/or eReferrals

Set Up Your Site to Receive eConsults and/or eReferrals

Learn how to set up your site to receive eReferrals as an eReferral target in the Ocean eReferral Network, as well as how to manage incoming eReferrals.

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  1. Set Up Receivers with Ocean Accounts

    Any individual that requires access to Ocean must have a free Ocean user account.

     

    Please refer to the article Adding a New User to Your Site.
  2. Find or Add Your Clinic to the Ocean Provider Network

    If your clinic isn't already listed on the Ocean Healthmap, you will need to create a Directory Listing so that eConsult and/or eReferral senders can find you.

    If your clinic isn't already listed on the Ocean Healthmap, you will need to create a Directory Listing so that eConsult and/or eReferral senders can find you.

    • Visit the Ocean Healthmap (oceanhealthmap.ca) and sign in to your Ocean user account in the top right corner.

    • Search the Healthmap to check if your unclaimed Directory Listing already exists.

      If your unclaimed Directory Listing already exists in the Healthmap, proceed with the next step: Claim Your Directory Listing to Your Ocean Site

    • If an unclaimed Directory Listing does not already exist for you in the Healthmap, click the plus sign in the bottom left corner, enter your basic contact information and at least one 'Offering' (Health Service Offering), and then save the listing.
  3. Claim Your Directory Listing to Your Ocean Site

    Once your Directory Listing has been created on the Ocean Healthmap, you will need to claim it so that it is linked with your Ocean Site.

    Once you've claimed your Directory Listing, please let us know at ocean.tips/support so that we can validate your Directory Listing as a legitimate clinic for accepting patient data.

    Once your Directory Listing has been created on the Ocean Healthmap, you will need to claim it so that it is linked with your Ocean Site.

    Claiming a Directory Listing

    • Locate your unclaimed Directory Listing in the Ocean Healthmap and click "Update listing...".
    • Click 'Is this your organization? Claim it here.'
    • Click 'Claim Listing'.
    • Click 'Confirm'.
    • A confirmation screen will appear indicating that you have successfully claimed the Directory Listing to your Ocean Site.

    • Once you've claimed your listing, let us know at ocean.tips/support so that we can validate your Directory Listing as a legitimate clinic for accepting patient data.

      Note: Alternatively, if you're using Ocean as part of a provincial program your Directory Listing may be validated by a trusted implementation partner.

  4. Update Your Directory Listing Settings

    Once your Directory Listing has been validated, it's important to perform the necessary configuration of it to start receiving eConsults and/or eReferrals.

    Once your Directory Listing has been validated, it's important to perform the necessary configuration of it to start receiving eConsults and/or eReferrals.

    1. Confirm your Directory Listing has been Validated

    • Once your Directory Listing has been validated, an email notification will be sent to your Ocean Site's 'Default Incoming Referral Notification Email' to inform you that your listing has been validated.

      If a 'Default Incoming Referral Notification Email' has not been set for your Ocean Site (e.g., if it's your first time setting up your Ocean Site), the email notification will be sent to your Ocean Site's 'Clinical Administrator / Ocean Support Contact' email address.

    2. Navigate to your Directory Listing Settings

    • After logging in to the Ocean Portal, open the 'Menu' and select 'Admin'.
    • In the Admin Settings page, select 'Directory Listings'.
    • In the Directory Listings page, click 'Edit' on the relevant listing.

    3. Configure your Directory Listing Settings

    • Directory Listing settings are categorized into three different tabs: 'Listing Information', 'Health Service Offerings', and 'Enablement'.

    Below, we'll walk through the configuration options in each tab for setting up your Directory Listing to accept eReferrals and/or eConsults. Simply expand each tab to view the respective details:

    Listing Information

    In the 'Listing name' field, enter the name of your Directory Listing (e.g., "Dr. John Smith" or "ABC Medical Clinic" depending on if this listing is for a specific provider or an entire clinic). This name is publicly visible in the Ocean Healthmap. This listing name can be made bilingual by selecting the 'Add French' button.

    Listing Purpose
    • The 'Listing Purpose' section is used to reflect your intended use of this Directory Listing in your Ocean Site.
    • In this case, since you are setting up your Directory Listing to receive eReferrals and/or eConsults, set the 'Will this listing accept eRequests?' setting to 'Yes, eReferrals & eConsults'. This ensures that all the relevant settings are available for configuration in your Directory Listing.

    You may also optionally configure the 'eReferral button label' and 'Patient contact email for eRequests' settings at this point, or set them later. Detailed information about each setting can be found in this support article. Email notification configuration will be covered later on in the setup guide.

    Contact Information
    • Verify that the 'Contact Information' section contains the most up-to-date details for your clinic. The clinic's contact information can be made bilingual by selecting the 'Add French' button.
    • By default, this information is publicly displayed in the Ocean Healthmap and visible to referring providers, however you may optionally hide your listing's address in the Ocean Healthmap. For more details on this functionality, refer to this support article.
    Clinician Information
    • Indicate if this Directory Listing represents a group of healthcare providers or an individual healthcare provider.
    • If this Directory Listing represents an individual, you must enter that healthcare provider's clinician information before saving your listing.

    • Note: This information affects EMR task assignment, and is stored and maintained independently from any Clinician Information that a user may enter into their individual Ocean user account settings.

    Service Details
    • In the 'Description' field, optionally enter general description for your listing. This is publicly shown on the Ocean Healthmap. This description can be made bilingual by selecting the 'Add French' button.
    • If your clinic offers services in multiple languages, you can specify them in the 'Languages spoken' setting.
    • Optionally update the 'Default appointment medium' setting for new referrals sent to this listing. This setting will automatically adjust the default 'Medium' field within the 'Scheduling' area for each referral you receive.

    Update the 'Appointment labels' used in referrals received at your Directory Listing. These labels are important, as they determine which appointment dates are used in wait time calculations for your Directory Listing. For example, a surgical office could use the 'Consultation Date' label for their Wait 1, and the 'Surgical Date' label for their Wait 2.

    • The following appointment labels are associated with Wait 1, and will map to the scheduledAppointment core analytic value in your Ocean Site's referral analytics report: Appointment, Appointment 1, Initial Visit Date, Consultation Date
    • The following appointment labels are associated with Wait 2, and will map to the scheduledAppointment2 core analytic value: Surgery Date, Procedure Date
    • Specify a 'Default request form' for your Directory Listing. This is the form that referring providers fill out when sending an eRequest to you. You can choose a form available from the Ocean eForm library or create your own.

    • Note: The 'Patient Information' and 'Referring Provider' components of the eReferral are always captured by Ocean regardless of the chosen referral form.

      You can customize your referral form to capture any additional information you would like included in the referral.

    If applicable, use the 'Route to Central Intake listing' setting to specify the Central Intake that eReferrals and/or eConsults sent to your Directory Listing should be automatically redirected to. This setting is most commonly used in the context of a provincial program.

    Health Service Offerings
    Health Service Offerings
    • Use the dropdown menu to select the Health Service Categories that you would like to add as Health Service Offerings on your Directory Listing.
    • This list allows referrers in the Ocean Healthmap to find your Directory Listing based on the health services that they are searching for.
    • After adding a Health Service Offering, additional service-specific settings will appear below.
    • If needed, you can optionally adjust the 'Offering name' to more accurately reflect the specific service(s) that you offer. The offering name can be made bilingual by selecting the 'Add French' button.

    Use the 'Accept eReferrals' and 'Accept eConsults' settings to control if you will be accepting eReferrals and/or eConsults for this specific health service offering.

    Offering Wait Time Management
    Offering Configurations (Optional)
    • This section contains additional optional configuration settings for the Health Service Offering that you selected above.
    • For specific details on each setting, refer to the 'Health Service Offerings' tab within this support article.

    If your Directory Listing is configured to automatically redirect eReferrals/eConsults to a Central Intake but you also want to receive eReferrals/eConsults directly for certain health service offerings, you can specify an 'Offering request form' for the relevant health service offering(s). For more details on how this works, refer to this support article: How are referral forms managed for sites with Central Intake?

    Enablement
    Administrative Settings
    • This section contains administrative settings related to the enablement of your Directory Listing.
    • Use the 'eRequest subscription' setting to select your preferred subscription model.

    When you're ready to start receiving real eReferrals/eConsults, enable the 'Accepting eRequests' checkbox. Once enabled, referring providers will be able to send real requests to your Directory Listing on the Ocean Healthmap.

    If you want to practice receiving fictitious eReferrals/eConsults before going live, enable the 'Test mode' checkbox. When enabled, only fictitious requests can be sent to your Directory Listing on the Ocean Healthmap by referring providers who are also in 'Test mode'.

    Request Policies
    • You may optionally configure specific policies for eReferrals/eConsults sent to your Directory Listing. For detailed information about each setting, refer to the 'Enablement' tab within this support article.
    Regional Authority

    If you are participating in a provincial program, you may be instructed to apply to a Regional Authority. If you are not participating in a provincial program, this section does not apply to you.

    • After saving your listing for the first time, you can apply by clicking 'Apply to Regional Authority'.
    • You will be prompted to enter the number of clinicians authorized to receive eReferrals and/or eConsults at the Directory Listing. For more information on this prompt, please refer to this article.
    • You will be prompted to select the Regional Authority that you wish to apply to.
    • You will be prompted to review and agree to the respective Regional Authority's Licence Agreement as part of your application.
    • After clicking 'Send application', the application will be sent to the chosen Regional Authority site for review, and additional configuration settings may appear.
    • Once your application has been approved by the Regional Authority, you will be notified by email and further configuration settings may appear. For more information about each setting, please refer to this article.
    Integrations

    Once you're satisfied with your Directory Listing configuration, click the 'Save' button to save your changes.

  5. Update Your eConsult and eReferral Receiver Configuration

    Once you have claimed a Directory Listing claimed to your site, and set up the Directory Listing details, the next step is to configure the site-level features associated with receiving consults and/or referrals.

    1. Indicate that your Ocean Site is Receiving Referrals

      • Select the Settings button in the top right hand corner of the page.
      • Note: The 'Settings' button is only visible to Site Admin users.

      • Under the "Welcome to Ocean eReferrals!" section, ensure that the appropriate selection is made for how your site is using eConsults and/or eReferrals ('Receiving Referrals' or 'Sending & Receiving Referrals').

        This selection controls the ability to access the configuration options in Step 2 that are only relevant for Ocean Sites that receive referrals.

    2. Configure Referrals

    • Within the eReferrals & eConsults page select the Configure Referrals button.
    • You will be presented with the Referrals Configuration page:

    Receiving Referrals

    Trustees/Custodians
    Indicate whether your Ocean Site is a Trustee/Custodian.
    Default Incoming Referral Notification Emails
    Set your default email(s) for notifications regarding incoming eConsults and/or eReferrals. Further details on email notifications for receivers can be found in this article: Set Up Receiver Email Notifications.
    Send Patients Email Notifications
    Select whether you would like Ocean to automatically send patients email notifications regarding status updates for their referrals sent to your site. The list of email notifications patients will receive can be found in this article: What email notifications will patients receive regarding their eReferrals?
    Use Ocean patient's email address for integrations*
    When set to 'Yes', Ocean will send patient email notifications to the email address submitted with the eReferral/eConsult. This is the recommended configuration.
    When set to 'No', Ocean will send patient email notifications to the email address included in the FHIR payload.
    *This setting is only available for Ocean Sites that have enabled a referral integration within the 'Admin -> Integrations' area of the Ocean Portal.
    Create Charts for New Patients
    When set to 'Yes', this allows Ocean to create new patient charts in your EMR when a referral is accepted and no existing EMR chart is found.
    Referral Records/Notes Filetype
    Choose which file format you would like Ocean to download your records and notes as. More details can be found in this article: Can I change the File Format for Downloaded Records and Notes?
    Automatically Close Referrals
    Select if you would like Ocean to automatically mark booked referrals as completed, a specified number of days after the appointment date. More details can be found in this article: Can Ocean Automatically Mark Booked Referrals as Closed at my Site?

    eConsult Management

    Display eConsult Folders
    If your site is using eConsults, ensure the display of eConsult status folders is set to 'Yes'.

    Appointment Time Options

    Time System
    Indicate if Ocean should display times using a 12-hour or 24-hour clock format, or both.
    Time Interval
    Select the increments of time that are selectable in the Scheduling area of a referral.
    Time Range
    Indicate the bookable hours of the day.
    Preview Appointment Time Options
    Open this dropdown to view the options that will be available based on your current settings.
    More information regarding these settings can be reviewed in the following support article: Can I Configure the Booking Time Options that Appear in the eReferral Scheduling Pane?

    Once you're satisfied with your configuration choices, click the 'Save' button at the bottom of the page.

  6. Set Up Receiver Email Notifications

    Configure which email addresses receive email notifications for new or updated eConsults and/or eReferrals.

    This article describes locations where you can configure your email addresses for eConsult and/or eReferral notifications when receiving eConsults and/or eReferrals. To learn more about the rules/logic that Ocean uses to determine which email address to send the eConsult and/or eReferral notifications to, please refer to "Where do eReferral notification emails get sent to?".

    • Site-Wide Emails: Referrals Configuration

      • The Default Incoming Referral Notification Emails can be configured in the "Referrals Configuration" page within the Referrals Settings in the Ocean Portal. These will be the default email addresses Ocean uses to send notifications regarding new consults and/or referrals received by the site, or notifications for updates made on consults and/or referrals received by the site.
      • You can access this section by signing in to the Ocean Portal, navigating the Menu to the eReferrals page, selecting "Settings" in the top right hand corner, ensure your site is set as Receiving Referrals and then choose the "Configure Referrals" button.
      • From there, you can list which email address(es) will receive the incoming consult and/or referral notifications.
      • Ensure that you save your changes before leaving this page.

    • Listing Specific Emails: Directory Listings

        • A listing-specific email address can be configured for each Directory Listing in your Ocean Site via the Admin Settings page in the Ocean Portal.
        • The 'eRequest notification email' can be set under the Listing Information tab. Any notifications regarding consults and/or referrals sent to this specific listing, will be directed to this email, overriding the notification email set at the Site-Wide level.
        • You can choose to use the Site Default here, by clicking the "Switch to site default" button to the right of the field. In this case, if the site-wide email is updated at a later date, the listing email here will automatically update to match.

      You can also choose what language you would like to receive eRequest notification emails.

      • Again, ensure that you save your changes before leaving this page.

    • Offering Specific Emails: Directory Listings

      • An email address can be configured for each Health Service Offering in your Directory Listing(s) via the Admin Settings page in the Ocean Portal. The 'Offering notification email' can be set under the Health Service Offerings in the listing settings. Any notifications regarding consults and/or referrals sent to this specific listing, for this specific health service offering, will be directed to this email, overriding the notification email set at both the Listing level and the Site-Wide level.
      • You can use either the Listing Default here, by clicking the "Use listing default" button above the field. Then, if listing-level email is updated at a later date, the offering email here will automatically update to match.
      • Again, ensure that you save your changes before leaving this page.
  7. Creating Canned Responses for Bookings and Messages*

    You can optionally choose to set up canned messages that can be sent to the patient in advance of their appointment and/or that can be sent to the referrer/sender.

    This is an an optional part of setting up eConsults and/or eReferrals.

    • When processing and managing incoming eConsults and/or eReferrals, referral recipients have the ability to add canned booking comments or send a canned message. These canned responses can be sent to patients using a booking comment, or can be sent as a message to the original referrer.
    Canned Booking Comments Canned Messages to Sender
    • Log in to the Ocean Portal.
    • Navigate to the Admin Settings page and click Canned Responses.
    • From the Canned Responses screen, select the "New Canned Response" button under the "Canned Responses for Booking Comments" section

    • Give your response a title and add your desired text into the text field.

      Note: An example of a canned booking comment could be the appropriate clothing a patient should bring to an appointment.
    • Click the "Save" button to save your canned comments.
    • Next time you are processing a consult or referral, you can select one of your canned responses using the speech bubble icon in the "Scheduling" section of the referral.
    • Note: Canned booking comments are only selectable in the 'Scheduling' area of the referral.

    How does it appear to the patient?

    • When the appointment notification email is sent to the patient, the booking comment is included at the bottom of the email.
  8. Set Up Automated Referral Appointment Reminders*

    If you are a receiving site that accepts eReferrals, you may want to enable the eReferral Appointment Reminders feature within your site.

    Ocean Sites that receive eReferrals can send automated appointment reminders to patients regarding their upcoming appointments.

    Note: This is an an optional step in setting up your Ocean Site to receive eReferrals.

    This article walks through the configuration required to send reminders to patients based on the booked appointment information stored within your Ocean eReferrals.

    Alternatively, if your Ocean Site is integrated with your EMR (e.g., PS Suite, Med Access, Accuro, OSCAR Pro), Ocean can use your EMR schedule as the source of appointment reminder information. Please refer to the Patient Reminders Setup Guide for detailed instructions on this alternative configuration option.

    Prerequisites

    Ocean Site Configuration

    • After logging in to the Ocean Portal, open the 'Menu' and click 'Patient Reminders'.
    • Click the 'Settings' button in the top right corner.
    • Click the 'Edit Configuration' button to modify the universal reminder settings for your Ocean Site.
    • Set the 'Appointment Source' to 'eReferrals'.
    • Set the 'Daily Run Time' to your preferred time of day. Ocean will start processing reminders at the selected time.

    • Click 'Save'.

      Note: Text Message Reminders are not currently available when the 'Appointment Source' is set to 'eReferrals'.

    Reminder Rule Creation

    Once the configuration above is completed, you can create your Reminder Rule(s). Reminder Rules allow you to define how far in advance of an appointment a reminder should be sent.

    You can create any number of Reminder Rules to send multiple email notifications to the patient in advance of their appointment. For example, you can configure a rule to send 1 month in advance of the appointment, a second rule to send 1 week in advance of the appointment, and then another rule to send the day before the appointment.

    • From Patient Reminders Settings area, click 'Add Reminder Rule'.
    • Enter a 'Rule Name'. This name is never visible to patients. It's recommended that you provide a recognizable or descriptive name for your rule.
    • Specify the number of days before the appointment that the reminder should be sent.
    • Optionally enable the checkbox to include an iCal file in the reminder email.

    • Click the 'Save' button to save your Reminder Rule in it's current state. For brand new rules, this saves the rule in a disabled state.

      Alternatively, click the 'Save & Enable Rule' button to save your Reminder Rule in an enabled state.

    • Your Reminder Rule(s) will appear in the main Patient Reminders Settings page, where you can disable, enable, edit existing, and create new rules.

      Existing rules can be deleted by editing the rule and then clicking the 'Delete Rule' button

    You're all set! At the time of day specified in your Ocean Site's reminder configuration, Ocean Cloud Connect will send appointment reminder emails to any patients with booked referrals that meet any enabled reminder rule criteria and that have consented to email notifications.

    • The appointment reminder email contains the same information that was provided to the patient in the initial booking email notification, including any booking comments, attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if it hasn't been confirmed already).

    How appointment confirmation appears in the Ocean eReferral

    • The 'Confirmed' checkbox within the eReferral becomes enabled.
    • This automatically moves from referral from the 'Booked Unconfirmed' status folder to the 'Booked Confirmed' status folder.

    How appointment confirmations appear in the EMR

    If your Ocean Site is integrated with your EMR, Ocean will also attempt to update the confirmation status on the appointment booked in your EMR schedule.

    PS Suite Med Access Accuro OSCAR PRO

    In the Patient Reminder settings area, OSCAR Pro clinics can customize the status value that Ocean will update the appointment to when a patient confirms their appointments by adjusting the 'Appointment Status for Appointment Confirmations' setting. When a patient confirms their appointment, the status of the appointment will be updated.

    • In the example image to the right, the 'Appointment Status for Appointment Confirmations' setting has been configured to update the appointment to status code 'h' (the default 'Confirmed' status in OSCAR Pro).

    Note: Ocean will attempt to update the appointment status upon confirmation when there is no existing status code for the appointment, or when the existing status code is code 't' (the default 'To Do' status value in OSCAR Pro), or when the existing status code is the status chosen for the 'Appointment Status for Sent Ocean Reminders' setting within the Ocean Site's Patient Reminder settings area.

  9. Supporting Analytics in eConsults and/or eReferral eForms*

    The Ocean eReferral platform provides some analytics automatically to help provide an understanding of consult and/or referral patterns, decline rates, wait times, etc. If you would like to set up your  form to set additional analytics values now is a good time to do so.

    This is an an optional part of setting up eConsults and/or eReferrals.

    The Ocean eReferral platform de-identifies data automatically to provide you with an understanding of consult and/or referral patterns, decline rates, wait times, etc. You can export this data at anytime from the "Reports" section of the Admin Settings page in the Ocean Portal. For more details on exporting analytics, please refer to "Accessing eReferral Analytics".

    The following three types of referral analytics available to users:

    Core Analytics: These analytics are always captured by the Ocean Platform by default, and are available for all eRequests (eReferral and eConsult) without referral form customization. A list of core analytics can be found below.

    Custom (ax_) Analytics: This is a library of custom analytics that has been pre-defined to assist in ensuring data consistency across referral forms. These analytics can be manually defined within the referral form, and are always automatically included in the default analytics export file. A full list of 'ax_' analytics can be found below.

    Custom (fx_) Analytics: These are custom analytics that you can create and define in the referral form, and are only accessible by creating a custom Export Template.

    Note: A full data dictionary is available for download within the Accessing eReferral Analytics support article.

    Core Analytics

    The core set of analytics captured in the de-identified record are in the table below.

    Column Header User Friendly Name Description
    referralRef Reference The unique reference number for the referral in Ocean.
    referralCreationDate Sent Date The date the referral was sent OR resubmitted by the referring provider. This value may be the back-dated referral date entered on an inbound (faxed) request. It is used as the starting reference point for wait time calculations.
    referralInitialCreationDate Initial Sent Date The initial sent date of the referral from a clinical perspective. This value may be the back-dated referral date entered on an inbound (faxed) request. Unlike the Sent Date, this value does not change with resubmissions.
    oceanCreationDate Referral Creation Date  the date the referral was created in Ocean. Could be the date it was sent in Ocean from the health map, or the date it was transcribed from fax.


     
    modificationDate Last Modification Date The date/time the referral was most recently updated (in ISO 8601 format).
    masterReferral Source Referral Marker for Child Referrals The status of the referral as either a Master record or a Child record. Marked as "TRUE" if the referral is a master (i.e it's been split into multiple child referrals), "FALSE" if not.
    patientId Patient ID The unique reference number for the patient in Ocean. If the patient's Health Card # is omitted when the referral is sent, the patientID will not be generated.
    siteNum Owner Site Number The Ocean site number of the site currently managing the referral as a receiving provider.
    regionalAuthoritySiteNum Primary Regional Authority Site Number The Ocean site number for the initial Regional Authority (RA) that the referral is captured under (if it's sent to a listing under a regional authority). 
    initialHealthService Initial Health Service The health service specified at the time the referral is sent (ex. Orthopedics)
    currentHealthService Currently Assigned Health Service The health service on the referral that is currently assigned (which may differ from InitialHealthService if someone reassigns the health service manually e.g. during triaging, or if the referral is split from a master referral)
    claimedWaitTimeDaysLow Claimed Wait 1 - Low Estimate The number of days of the lower end of the range of the Self-Reported Wait Time for Wait 1 configured in the recipient's Directory Listing (e.g., 7 if 1-2 weeks). This will be wait 1 for referrals with multiple health services.
    claimedWaitTimeDaysHigh Claimed Wait 1 - High Estimate The number of days of the higher end of the range of the Self-Reported Wait Time for Wait 1 configured in the recipient's Directory Listing (e.g., 14 if 1-2 weeks). This will be wait 1 for referrals with multiple health services.
    claimedWaitTime2DaysLow Claimed Wait 2 - Low Estimate The number of days of the lower end of the range of the Self-Reported Wait Time for Wait 2 configured in the recipient's Directory Listing (e.g. 7 if 1-2 weeks)
    claimedWaitTime2DaysHigh Claimed Wait 2 - High Estimate The number of days of the higher end of the range of the Self-Reported Wait Time for Wait 2 configured in the recipient's Directory Listing (e.g. 14 if 1-2 weeks)
    wait1Days Wait 1 Days As defined by the standard "Wait 1", this is the number of days calculated between the date the referral was created to the first appointment date (scheduledAppointment).
    wait1aDays Wait 1a Days As defined by the standard "Wait 1a", this is the number of days calculated between the date the referral was created and the initial assessment date. The "DARC Wait 1a Days" is also subtracted from this calculation.
    wait1bDays Wait 1b Days As defined by the standard "Wait 1b", this is the number of days calculated between the initial assessment date and the initial consult date (scheduled appointment). If there is a Decision to Consult date, Ocean will use this value, instead of the initial assessment date, for the Wait 1b calculation. The "DARC Wait 1b Days" is also subtracted from this calculation.
    wait2Days Wait 2 Days As defined by the standard "Wait 2", this is the number of days calculated between the first scheduled appointment and the second appointment date (scheduledAppointment2). If there is a "ax_decisionToTreat" date, Ocean will use this value, instead of the first scheduled appointment date, for the Wait2 calculation. The dartWait2Days is subtracted from this calculation.
    darcWait1aDays DARC Days Impacting Wait 1a Number of days affecting readiness to consult. Added to the referral UI in the "Notes" dropdown.
    darcWait1bDays DARC Days Impacting Wait 1b Number of days affecting readiness to consult. Added to the referral UI in the "Notes" dropdown.
    darcReason DARC Reason Reason for days affecting readiness to consult. 
    dartWait2Days DART Days Impacting Wait 2 Number of days affecting readiness to treat. Added to the referral UI in the "Notes" dropdown.
    dartReason DART Reason Reason for days affecting readiness to treat. 
    srcSiteNum Source Site Number The Ocean site number that the referral was originally sent from. This field could be blank if referral was not sent through an Ocean site, such as via a fax.
    srcSiteName Source Site Name The name of the source referral site.
    referredByUserName User Name of User Sending Referral The username representing the current Ocean user sending the eReferral (which may represent a delegated administrative user, as opposed to being the same person as the referrer)
    referredByUserFullName Full Name of User Sending Referral The full name of the current Ocean user sending the eReferral (which may represent a delegated administrative user, as opposed to being the same person as the referrer)
    authorizingClinicianName Authorizing Clinician Name The name of the clinician (usually a physician) who authorized a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or other clinician to send an eReferral, when such authorization is required.
    delegateClinicianType Delegate User Role The User Role of the delegate user, who sent the referral on behalf of the provider (ex. Physician Assistant). Will be blank if the referral was NOT sent by a delegate.
    referredByAnonymousEmrUser Referred by an EMR-Authenticated User (Unlinked to Ocean Account) A flag that indicates a referrer user was signed into their EMR but not signed into their Ocean user account.
    referrerUserName Referrer's User Name The Ocean user name representing the referring clinician, if an Ocean account was used to send the referral.
    referrerName Referrer's Name Referrer's Name
    referrerClinicianType Referrer's User Role The referrer's User Role.  One of the following: "Allied Health Professional", "Family Physician", "Medical Student", "MOA / Secretary", "Nurse", "Nurse Practitioner", "Resident", "Specialist" or "Other".
    referrerUrgency Referrer's Urgency Assignment The urgency of the referral, as assigned by the referrer.
    initialRecipientName Initial Receiver's Listing Name The name of the initial referral target on the referral (i.e. Central Intake). This remains the same, even after the referral is forwarded from central intake to a specialist, for example.
    initialReferralTargetRef Initial Receiver's Listing Reference Captures the unique referral target reference id of the listing the referral was initially sent to. Will remain unchanged, even if the listing name itself is updated (initialRecipient).
    initialOrganizationName Initial Receiver's Organization Name Captures the name of the organization the referral was initially sent to, IF an organization has been applied to the listing.
    recipientName Recipient Listing Name The name of the current referral target on the referral (this can change if the referral is forwarded from central intake to a specialist, for example.)
    referralTargetRef Owner Listing Reference Unique ID of the site receiving referral 
    recipientOrganizationName Recipient Organization Name The name of the organization tied to the listing that the referral is directed to.
    recipientClinicianFirstName Recipient Clinician First Name First name of the clinician receiving the referral.
    recipientClinicianSurname Recipient Clinician Surname Last name of the clinician receiving the referral.
    recipientClinicianProfId Recipient Clinician Professional ID Professional Id of the clinician receiving the referral.
    recipientFaxNumberUsed Recipient Fax Number Used The fax number used to manually process a referral. If this field has a number or "unknown" value, it was manually forwarded to a listing ("unknown" is a place holder for listings without a fax number).
    recipientCity Recipient City The city of the recipient.
    recipientProvince Recipient Province The province of the recipient.
    recipientPostalCode Recipient Postal Code The postal code of the recipient.
    recipientPriority Recipient's Priority The urgency as indicated by the recipient via the Review Form (specifically the item with reference "priority"). The urgency is mapped to levels of priority which are limited to P1, P2, P3, P4, P4F, P5.
    eConsultOutcome eConsult Outcome The status/outcome of the eConsult. Can be one of the following values:
    "E_REFERRAL", "PENDING" and "COMPLETED"
    "E_REFERRAL" is the case where the referral was responded to as an eConsult, but then continued with as a referral. "PENDING" represents an eConsult in progress, and "COMPLETED" represents a referral that is marked completed as an eConsult.
    eConsultOutcomeDate eConsult Outcome Date The date of the eConsult outcome. For example, the date the referral was marked as completed as an eConsult. Or the date it was determined that the eConsult should continue on as an eReferral. Note, this value will be blank when the eConsult outcome is "PENDING".
    eConsultAcceptanceDate eConsult Acceptance Date The date/time the referral is accepted as an eConsult. This may happen at the time of the first eConsult message being sent on the referral. Or an admin/delegate may be accepting the referral as an eConsult, and having the specialist/provider respond to it at a later time.
    eConsultFirstMessageDate eConsult First Message Date The date/time of the first eConsult message on a referral. 
    eConsultMessageCount eConsult Message Count The number of messages flagged as "eConsult" on the referral, with billable time associated with them.
    eConsultProceedToEReferralReason Reason for Proceeding from eConsult to eReferral The reason the referring provider chooses to "Proceed as eReferral" after receiving an eConsult message. Can be one of three standard reasons: PROVIDER_PREFERENCE, PATIENT_PREFERENCE, or OTHER.
    latestEConsultSentBy Full Name of User Sending Last eConsult Response The full name of the user who sent the latest eConsult message.
    sentToTestListing Sent to Test Listing Flag to indicate if the referral was sent to a test listing, or manually labeled as a test referral using the Action menu. Used to exclude the referral from analytics.
    patientAge Patient Age The age of the patient in years, rounded down
    patientGender Patient Gender The gender of the patient, can be overwritten on the form
    patientCity Patient City The patient's home city.
    patientProvince Patient Province The patient's home province.
    patientPostalFirst3Chars Patient Postal Code (First 3 Characters) The first 3 characters of the patient's postal code.
    patientDistanceKm Patient Distance (km) The distance, in km, between the patient's home and the referral target.
    referralState State The basic primary status of the referral, such as "INITIAL", "ACCEPTED", "BOOKED", "COMPLETE", "CANCELED", or "DECLINED".
    scheduledAppointment Appointment for Wait 1 The date/time set for the Wait 1 appointment (i.e., the appointment date using the relevant "Wait 1" Appointment Label as configured within the Directory Listing).
    appointmentMedium Medium for the Wait 1 Appointment The medium selection for the appointment scheduled on a referral that has been associated with Wait 1. Can be one of the following values; IN_PERSON, VIDEO_VISIT, PHONE, HOME_VISIT.
    scheduledAppointment2 Appointment for Wait 2 The date/time set for the Wait 2 appointment (i.e., the appointment date using the relevant "Wait 2" Appointment Label as configured within the Directory Listing - i.e., "Procedure Date" or "Surgery Date").
    appointment2Medium Medium for the Wait 2 Appointment The medium selection for the appointment scheduled on a referral that has been associated with Wait 2. Can be one of the following values; IN_PERSON, IN_PERSON_ALT, VIDEO_VISIT, PHONE, HOME_VISIT.
    schedulingConfirmed Scheduling Confirmed Captures the current value of the "Confirmed" checkbox in the scheduling pane of referrals.
    schedulingConfirmedBy Scheduling Confirmed By Which Stakeholder Captures which stakeholder on the referral confirmed the latest scheduling information on the referral with the patient. Can be one of the following values; sender, patient, or receiver.
    initialContactAttemptDate Initial Contact Attempt Date The date/time the "Contact Attempted" note is added to the referral.
    initialForwardDate Initial Forward Date The date/time the referral is initially forwarded. This remains the same, even after the referral is forwarded from central intake to a specialist, for example.
    initialAssessmentDate Initial Assessment Date The date/time of the initial assessment if the referral is sent to an assessment centre. 
    initialAssessmentSite Initial Assessment Site Name The name of the initial assessment site.
    initialAssessmentSiteNum Initial Assessment Site Number The Ocean site number of the initial assessment site.
    initialAssessmentSiteRef Initial Assessment Site Listing Reference The unique listing reference id of the initial assessment site. Will remain unchanged, even if the listing name itself is updated (initialAssessmentSite).
    initialAssessmentOfferingRef Initial Assessment Health Service Offering Reference Health Service Offering (HSO) assigned to the referral, at the time is was sent to the RAC.
    forwardDateFromAssessmentSite Date Forwarded From Rapid Access Clinic The date the referral is forwarded from a listing of type Rapid Access Clinic
    forwardDate Last Forwarded Date The date/time that the referral was last forwarded.
    completedDate Completed Date The date the referral is marked "Completed" (can be done in the booking tab once the appointment date has passed).
    seen Patient Was Seen Whether the patient has been seen (i.e. in the clinic for a consult).
    awaitingReply Site Awaiting Reply Ocean site number of the site awaiting for a reply on the referral.
    referralDeleted Deleted Flag that indicates if the referral was deleted, allowing synchronized data warehouses (e.g. Think Research EntryPoint) to detect such deletions.
    ptNotificationEmailed Notification Emailed to Patient Flag to indicate if the patient was emailed a notification regarding their referral.
    ptAppointmentReminderEmailed Appointment Reminder Emailed to Patient Captures whether the patient was emailed an automated appointment reminder notification from Ocean.
    protocol Protocol Optional field used by the recipient site to protocol the referral using the review notes. Ex. Radiologists might use this field when reviewing DI referrals. Populates the "Protocol" column in the Ocean portal.
    reasonForDecline Reason for Decline

    The reason for a declined referral. One of:

    ADDITIONAL_WORKUP_REQUIRED, ALREADY_BOOKED_ELSEWHERE, ALREADY_DONE
    , CANNOT_BE_SEEN_QUICKLY_ENOUGH, DUPLICATE, INAPPROPRIATE_INDICATION, MISSING_INFORMATION
    ,NO_SHOW, NOT_YET_DUE, OTHER, PATIENT_DECLINED, PATIENT_EXPIRED
    , PRECLUDED_DUE_TO_PATIENT_ISSUE, RECOMMEND_OTHER_PROVIDER, SENT_TO_WRONG_PROVIDER
    , SERVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE, UNABLE_TO_CONTACT,   UNLIKELY_TO_BENEFIT, *TECHNICAL_DELIVERY_ISSUE*


    Option is available when a referral is declined on Declined Referral window. 
    If multiple declinations have occured, this value will reflect the reason selected during the most recent declination.

    *TECHNICAL_DELIVERY_ISSUE value is cannot be selected by users during the decline flow and is reserved for special-case scenarios.
    reasonForWaitTimeExclusion Reason for Exclusion from Wait Time Calculation The reason for referral to be excluded from wait time calculation.
    SEVERAL_ATTEMPTS_TO_CONTACT
    PATIENT_OFFERED_EARLIER_DATE
    PATIENT_REQUESTED_LATER_DATE
    PATIENT_IS_AN_EXISTING_CLIENT
    ORIGINAL_REFERRAL_REDIRECTED
    numExternalMessages Number of External Messages Number of external messages attached to the referral
    numCIAttachments Number of Attachments Included by Central Intake Number of attachments that Central Intake included in the referral
    resubmissionCount Resubmission Count The number of times a referral is resubmitted (after being declined or cancelled)
    inbound Inbound Request Manually Entered by Fax/Phone/Other Flags the referral as being created as an Inbound eRequest. Will be TRUE if the referral was received by phone or fax, and FALSE if it was received through Ocean.
    offeringRef Assigned Health Service Offering Reference The reference id of the health service offering assigned to the referral
    offeringTitle Assigned Health Service Offering Title The title of the health service offering assigned to the referral
    referrerAddressLine1 Referrer's Address Line 1 Referrer's Address Line 1
    referrerAddressLine2 Referrer's Address Line 2 Referrer's Address Line 2
    referrerCity Referrer's City Referrer's City
    referrerProvince Referrer's Province Referrer's Province
    referrerPostalCode Referrer's Postal Code Referrer's Phone
    referrerPhone Referrer's Phone Referrer's Phone
    referrerFax Referrer's Fax Referrer's Fax
    referrerProfessionalId Referrer's Professional ID Referrer's Professional ID, such as the CPSO # for an Ontario physician.
    secondaryRaSiteNum Secondary Regional Authority Site Number The second regional authority site number, if the referral is forward outside of the LHIN that it was first received in.
    centralIntakeRef Central Intake Listing Reference The unique listing reference id of the central intake site. Will remain unchanged, even if the listing name itself is updated.
    centralIntakeOfferingRef Central Intake Health Service Offering Reference Health Service Offering (HSO) assigned to the referral, at the time is was sent to CI.
    externalServiceId External System Service ID Serves as an indicator that an eReferral has been sent to an external system (and indicate which system was used).
    referralSource Source Medium The medium by which the referral was sent. For example, the source could be "eReferral" for eReferrals sent from the healthmap (previously "Directory"), or the name of the Website Form link if submitted through a website. For inbound referrals transcribed into Ocean the source can be "Phone", "Fax", or "Other Source". For requisitions imported into a site the source is "Printout". For eReferrals sent through the healthmap via eFax, the referral source will be "eFax".
    requestedRtRef Requested Listing's Reference The reference of the original listing selected in the healthmap, by the referring provider, before the referral is routed to central intake.
    requestedRtTitle Requested Listing's Title The name of the original listing selected in the healthmap, by the referring provider, before the referral is routed to central intake.
    completionState Completion State Will return one of the following mutually-exclusive end-states: COMPLETED, AUTO_CLOSED, INCOMPLETE, CANCELED, DECLINED, EXTERNALLY_MANAGED (indicating referrals that are received but not updated in Ocean), COMPLETED_WITHOUT_APPOINTMENT (indicating referrals that are accepted, but marked as complete from the Pending Booking folder in Ocean)
    integrationName Integration Name Name of the integration associated with the listing.
    redirectedFromReferralRef Redirected From Referral Reference The unique referral reference value of the referral that was originally declined or cancelled, and subsequently redirected.
    daysUntilReferralResponse Days Until Referral Response The number of days (to one decimal place) from the referralCreationDate/forwardDate to the time when the Anticipated Time to Appointment OR Appointment Date was initially added in the referral.
    initialAnticipatedWaitTimeDaysHigh Initial Anticipated Wait Time Days High The number of days of the actual upper estimate of the Anticipated Time to Appointment value that was initially entered by the referral recipient. This value is cleared out when the referral is forwarded. Bulk wait time updates do not impact this value.
    appointmentInitiallyProvidedOn Appointment Initially Provided On The date/timestamp of when the referral appointment date was initially provided. This value is cleared out when the referral is forwarded.
    acceptedDate Accepted Date The date/timestamp of when the referral was accepted. Updated when the referral is resubmitted and Accepted again.
    archiveDate Archive Date The date and time that the referral was archived. Only populates for referrals archived after June 5, 2025.

    Custom (ax_) Analytics

    You can map additional fields in your consult or referral form and Review form to collect analytic values for your referral exports. To do add these analytics values, simply open your form in the eForm Editor and set the item reference to one of the following values.

    Item Reference User Friendly Name Description
    ax_pcpName Primary Care Provider Name The primary care provider name, used on the referral form if the referrer is not the primary care provider.
    ax_reasonForReferral Reason for Referral The reason for referral for the patient.       

     
    ax_preferredClinician Preferred Clinician The preferred clinician for the patient.
    ax_preferredCity Preferred City The preferred city of the patient.
    ax_preferredWasChosen Preferred Was Chosen A flag for central intake to indicate that the referral was forwarded to the preferred specialist that was specified by the referrer.
    ax_cause Cause Allows for additional information to be provided regarding the cause or circumstance of the referral.
    ax_severity1 Severity at Rest The pain level at rest of the patient, usually Mild/Moderate/Severe when specified.
    ax_severity2 Severity during Movement The pain level at movement of the patient, usually Mild/Moderate/Severe when specified.
    ax_diagnosis Diagnosis The primary problem of the patient (i.e. Type 2 Diabetes, Knee arthritis, etc.)
    ax_diagnosisAcuity Diagnosis Acuity The diagnosis status of the patient
    ax_aboriginalStatus Patient Aboriginal Status The indigenous or aboriginal status of the patient, if specified.
    ax_languageBarrier Language Barrier Indicates whether patient has a language barrier.
    ax_language Preferred Language The preferred language of the patient.
    ax_imagingType Imaging Type Indicates which types of imaging files were included with the referral. For example, "MRI; Ultrasound; X-ray"
    ax_imagingStatus Imaging Status Indicates the status of the imaging reports attached to the referral, as determined by the pathway.
    ax_socialDeterminants Social Determinants of Health The social determinants
    ax_lab_hb Lab - Hemoglobin The latest Hb (hemoglobin) lab value for the patient.
    ax_lab_hdl Lab - HDL The latest HDL lab value for the patient.
    ax_lab_ldl Lab - LDL The latest LDL lab value for the patient.
    ax_lab_tg Lab - Triglyceride The latest triglycerides lab value for the patient.
    ax_v_bp BP The patient's latest BP vital.
    ax_cm_arthritis Comorbidity - Arthritis Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of arthritis.

     
    ax_cm_asthma Comorbidity - Asthma Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of asthma
    ax_cm_cvd Comorbidity - CVD Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of cardiovascular disease
    ax_cm_dm Comorbidity - Diabetes Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of diabetes
    ax_cm_osteoporosis Comorbidity - Osteoporosis Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of osteoporosis
    ax_cm_tiaStroke Comorbidity - TIA/Stroke Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of TIA/Stroke

     
    ax_cm_htn Comorbidity - Hypertension Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of hypertension
    ax_request_mentalHealth Mental Health Request A flag to indicate mental health services are requested on the referral.
    ax_examType Exam Type The specific exam that is being ordered on the referral.
    ax_surgicalCandidate Surgical Candidate Yes/No question for whether the patient is a candidate for surgical consult. Completed on the assessment centre's review form.
    ax_assessmentOutcome Outcome of the Assessment Outcome of the assessment. For example, with rapid-access clinics, this outcome indicates whether the patient is being referred on to a surgical consult or not.

     
    ax_assessmentOutcomeMedicalSpecialist Outcome of the Assessment for Medical Specialist Outcome of the assessment - if patient is being referred on to Medical Specialist, will return the specific medical specialist(s) selected.
    ax_assessmentOutcomeCommunityProgram Outcome of the Assessment for Community Program Outcome of the assessment - if patient is being referred on to a Community Program, will return the specific program(s) selected.
    ax_assessmentOutcomeSelfManagement Assessment Outcome Self Management The patient-self-management aspect of the assessment outcome.
    ax_patientPreference Patient Preference for Specific Care If the patient is a candidate, and outcome is to referral to surgery consult, what is their preference: next available surgeon; specific surgeon; specific hospital; etc.
    ax_consultOutcome Consult Outcome Indicates the outcome for the consultation, often recorded as a Yes/No answer for whether the patient is going on to surgery.
    ax_decisionToTreat Decision to Treat Date field to capture when decision is made to schedule surgery. Used to calculate Wait2.
    ax_decisionToConsult Decision to Consult Date field to capture when decision is made to forward referral on to surgical consult. Used to calculate Wait1b.
    ax_bodySite Body Site The body site the referral is for (e.g., Hip/Knee/Shoulder etc) 
    ax_secondaryOutcome Secondary Outcome Records a secondary (non-primary) clinical outcome as defined by the pathway. For example, for the MSK pathway, this records the re-entry outcome when a patient returns the RAC within the 6-12 month timeframe. A true value indicates that the patient is a returning patient that was previously assessed within the prior 6-12 months and a false value indicates that the patient has not been assessed within the prior 6-12 months.
    ax_receivedReferralComplete Received Referral Was Complete Indicates whether the referral received had all of the required information or not when the referral was initially received, particularly at central intake sites.
  10. Set Up eConsults and/or eReferrals on Your Website*

    Once you're set up to receive eConsults and/or eReferrals, you can optionally choose to set up Website Forms on your website to accept Ocean eConsults and/or Ocean eReferrals from both your website and the Ocean Healthmap.

    Ocean lets you accept eReferrals/eConsults not only from the Ocean Healthmap, but also from an eReferral Website Form URL that you can add to your clinic website.

    eReferral Website Form submissions appear in the 'eReferrals & eConsults' area of Ocean Site in the same way as submissions sent to you via the Ocean Healthmap do.

    Notes

    • This is an optional step in setting up your Ocean Site to receive eConsults/eReferrals.
    • There are no Ocean license fees associated with setting up an eReferral Website Form link for referring providers to use.

    To set up an eReferral Website Form, follow the steps below:

    • In the Ocean Portal, open the 'Menu' and select 'Admin'.
    • In the Admin Settings page, select 'Website Forms'.
    • In the bottom right corner, click 'New Website Form Link Configuration'.
    • In the 'Name' field, enter a meaningful name for this Website Form link that you will recognize in the future. This name is never shown publicly to patients or referring providers.
    • In the 'Directory Listing' field, select the Directory Listing that you would like to associate with this Website Form link. eReferrals submitted using this link will be associated with this Directory Listing.
    • For the 'Website Form Type', select 'eReferral'.
    • Optionally specify a 'Redirect URL'. If a URL is entered, the referring provider will be automatically redirected there upon submission of the Website Form.

    • In the 'Service' area, choose the 'Health Service Offering' from your Directory Listing that submissions should be associated with, and select the relevant 'Offering request form'.

      Note: An 'Offering request form' must be configured for the relevant Health Service Offering in your Directory Listing to be chosen here.

    • Optionally enable the 'Send a notification email to the requester when accepting this website form' if desired.

    • When you're ready, enable the 'Active' checkbox to activate this eReferral Website Form. This can also be done later. When inactive, users will not be able to access the website form.

      Note: The 'Accepting eRequests' checkbox in the 'Enablement' tab of your Directory Listing must also be enabled to permit referring providers to submit requests.

    • Click 'Create'.

    • Your unique eReferral Website Form URL will be generated and provided to you. The URL will also be available in the main 'Website Form Links' page for your convenient access.

      You can make this URL accessible on your clinic website for referring providers to access.

    • You can modify, deactivate, or delete your eReferral Website Form link at any point in the future in the 'Website Form Links' management page.

    Note: If you would like to set up a Patient Self-Referral Website Form link (i.e., for patients to self-refer to you), then Ocean's standard Website Form fees will apply. If your Ocean Site has a Directory Listing approved by a Regional Authority (RA), a single Patient Self-Referral Website Form link, that is configured to 'Submit this website form as an eReferral', will be covered under the RA license.

  11. Set Up Your Site to Receive Walk-Ins*

    If you are a receiving site that accepts walk-in patients, you will want to enable the "Accept Walk-In" feature in your site.

    This is an an optional part of setting up eReferrals.

    If you are a receiving site that accepts walk-in patients (i.e. patients who can come in whenever they're available, without necessarily having a pre-booked appointment), follow the steps outlined below to enable this walk-in setup.

    • Open the 'Menu' and select 'Admin'.
    • In the Admin Settings page, select 'Directory Listings'.
    • Click 'Edit' on the relevant listing.
    • Under the 'Health Service Offerings' tab, select the offering that accepts walk-in patients.
    • Set the 'Self-reported wait time' value to 'Walk-In'.
    • Click 'Save'.
    • Now when you accept any new incoming eReferrals for this specific health service offering, the "Accept" option at the bottom of the referral will default to "Accept Walk-In".
    • After clicking the 'Accept Walk-In' button, the referral will move to the "Walk-ins" status folder.
    • Once the patient comes in to the office, you can simply search open the referral from this folder and mark the referral as "Completed".
  12. Review the Guides to Receiving eReferrals/eConsults

    Review to the relevant guides to learn how to receive eReferrals and/or eConsults.

    Now that you have finished setting up your Ocean Site to receive eConsults and/or eReferrals, check out the Guide to Receiving eReferrals and/or the Guide to Receiving eConsults.

Find or Add Your Clinic to the Ocean Provider Network

If your clinic isn't already listed on the Ocean Healthmap, you will need to create a Directory Listing so that eConsult and/or eReferral senders can find you.

If your clinic isn't already listed on the Ocean Healthmap, you will need to create a Directory Listing so that eConsult and/or eReferral senders can find you.

  • Visit the Ocean Healthmap (oceanhealthmap.ca) and sign in to your Ocean user account in the top right corner.

  • Search the Healthmap to check if your unclaimed Directory Listing already exists.

    If your unclaimed Directory Listing already exists in the Healthmap, proceed with the next step: Claim Your Directory Listing to Your Ocean Site

  • If an unclaimed Directory Listing does not already exist for you in the Healthmap, click the plus sign in the bottom left corner, enter your basic contact information and at least one 'Offering' (Health Service Offering), and then save the listing.

Claim Your Directory Listing to Your Ocean Site

Once your Directory Listing has been created on the Ocean Healthmap, you will need to claim it so that it is linked with your Ocean Site.

Once you've claimed your Directory Listing, please let us know at ocean.tips/support so that we can validate your Directory Listing as a legitimate clinic for accepting patient data.

Once your Directory Listing has been created on the Ocean Healthmap, you will need to claim it so that it is linked with your Ocean Site.

Claiming a Directory Listing

  • Locate your unclaimed Directory Listing in the Ocean Healthmap and click "Update listing...".
  • Click 'Is this your organization? Claim it here.'
  • Click 'Claim Listing'.
  • Click 'Confirm'.
  • A confirmation screen will appear indicating that you have successfully claimed the Directory Listing to your Ocean Site.

  • Once you've claimed your listing, let us know at ocean.tips/support so that we can validate your Directory Listing as a legitimate clinic for accepting patient data.

    Note: Alternatively, if you're using Ocean as part of a provincial program your Directory Listing may be validated by a trusted implementation partner.

Update Your Directory Listing Settings

Once your Directory Listing has been validated, it's important to perform the necessary configuration of it to start receiving eConsults and/or eReferrals.

Once your Directory Listing has been validated, it's important to perform the necessary configuration of it to start receiving eConsults and/or eReferrals.

1. Confirm your Directory Listing has been Validated

  • Once your Directory Listing has been validated, an email notification will be sent to your Ocean Site's 'Default Incoming Referral Notification Email' to inform you that your listing has been validated.

    If a 'Default Incoming Referral Notification Email' has not been set for your Ocean Site (e.g., if it's your first time setting up your Ocean Site), the email notification will be sent to your Ocean Site's 'Clinical Administrator / Ocean Support Contact' email address.

2. Navigate to your Directory Listing Settings

  • After logging in to the Ocean Portal, open the 'Menu' and select 'Admin'.
  • In the Admin Settings page, select 'Directory Listings'.
  • In the Directory Listings page, click 'Edit' on the relevant listing.

3. Configure your Directory Listing Settings

  • Directory Listing settings are categorized into three different tabs: 'Listing Information', 'Health Service Offerings', and 'Enablement'.

Below, we'll walk through the configuration options in each tab for setting up your Directory Listing to accept eReferrals and/or eConsults. Simply expand each tab to view the respective details:

Listing Information

In the 'Listing name' field, enter the name of your Directory Listing (e.g., "Dr. John Smith" or "ABC Medical Clinic" depending on if this listing is for a specific provider or an entire clinic). This name is publicly visible in the Ocean Healthmap. This listing name can be made bilingual by selecting the 'Add French' button.

Listing Purpose
  • The 'Listing Purpose' section is used to reflect your intended use of this Directory Listing in your Ocean Site.
  • In this case, since you are setting up your Directory Listing to receive eReferrals and/or eConsults, set the 'Will this listing accept eRequests?' setting to 'Yes, eReferrals & eConsults'. This ensures that all the relevant settings are available for configuration in your Directory Listing.

You may also optionally configure the 'eReferral button label' and 'Patient contact email for eRequests' settings at this point, or set them later. Detailed information about each setting can be found in this support article. Email notification configuration will be covered later on in the setup guide.

Contact Information
  • Verify that the 'Contact Information' section contains the most up-to-date details for your clinic. The clinic's contact information can be made bilingual by selecting the 'Add French' button.
  • By default, this information is publicly displayed in the Ocean Healthmap and visible to referring providers, however you may optionally hide your listing's address in the Ocean Healthmap. For more details on this functionality, refer to this support article.
Clinician Information
  • Indicate if this Directory Listing represents a group of healthcare providers or an individual healthcare provider.
  • If this Directory Listing represents an individual, you must enter that healthcare provider's clinician information before saving your listing.

  • Note: This information affects EMR task assignment, and is stored and maintained independently from any Clinician Information that a user may enter into their individual Ocean user account settings.

Service Details
  • In the 'Description' field, optionally enter general description for your listing. This is publicly shown on the Ocean Healthmap. This description can be made bilingual by selecting the 'Add French' button.
  • If your clinic offers services in multiple languages, you can specify them in the 'Languages spoken' setting.
  • Optionally update the 'Default appointment medium' setting for new referrals sent to this listing. This setting will automatically adjust the default 'Medium' field within the 'Scheduling' area for each referral you receive.

Update the 'Appointment labels' used in referrals received at your Directory Listing. These labels are important, as they determine which appointment dates are used in wait time calculations for your Directory Listing. For example, a surgical office could use the 'Consultation Date' label for their Wait 1, and the 'Surgical Date' label for their Wait 2.

  • The following appointment labels are associated with Wait 1, and will map to the scheduledAppointment core analytic value in your Ocean Site's referral analytics report: Appointment, Appointment 1, Initial Visit Date, Consultation Date
  • The following appointment labels are associated with Wait 2, and will map to the scheduledAppointment2 core analytic value: Surgery Date, Procedure Date
  • Specify a 'Default request form' for your Directory Listing. This is the form that referring providers fill out when sending an eRequest to you. You can choose a form available from the Ocean eForm library or create your own.

  • Note: The 'Patient Information' and 'Referring Provider' components of the eReferral are always captured by Ocean regardless of the chosen referral form.

    You can customize your referral form to capture any additional information you would like included in the referral.

If applicable, use the 'Route to Central Intake listing' setting to specify the Central Intake that eReferrals and/or eConsults sent to your Directory Listing should be automatically redirected to. This setting is most commonly used in the context of a provincial program.

Health Service Offerings
Health Service Offerings
  • Use the dropdown menu to select the Health Service Categories that you would like to add as Health Service Offerings on your Directory Listing.
  • This list allows referrers in the Ocean Healthmap to find your Directory Listing based on the health services that they are searching for.
  • After adding a Health Service Offering, additional service-specific settings will appear below.
  • If needed, you can optionally adjust the 'Offering name' to more accurately reflect the specific service(s) that you offer. The offering name can be made bilingual by selecting the 'Add French' button.

Use the 'Accept eReferrals' and 'Accept eConsults' settings to control if you will be accepting eReferrals and/or eConsults for this specific health service offering.

Offering Wait Time Management
Offering Configurations (Optional)
  • This section contains additional optional configuration settings for the Health Service Offering that you selected above.
  • For specific details on each setting, refer to the 'Health Service Offerings' tab within this support article.

If your Directory Listing is configured to automatically redirect eReferrals/eConsults to a Central Intake but you also want to receive eReferrals/eConsults directly for certain health service offerings, you can specify an 'Offering request form' for the relevant health service offering(s). For more details on how this works, refer to this support article: How are referral forms managed for sites with Central Intake?

Enablement
Administrative Settings
  • This section contains administrative settings related to the enablement of your Directory Listing.
  • Use the 'eRequest subscription' setting to select your preferred subscription model.

When you're ready to start receiving real eReferrals/eConsults, enable the 'Accepting eRequests' checkbox. Once enabled, referring providers will be able to send real requests to your Directory Listing on the Ocean Healthmap.

If you want to practice receiving fictitious eReferrals/eConsults before going live, enable the 'Test mode' checkbox. When enabled, only fictitious requests can be sent to your Directory Listing on the Ocean Healthmap by referring providers who are also in 'Test mode'.

Request Policies
  • You may optionally configure specific policies for eReferrals/eConsults sent to your Directory Listing. For detailed information about each setting, refer to the 'Enablement' tab within this support article.
Regional Authority

If you are participating in a provincial program, you may be instructed to apply to a Regional Authority. If you are not participating in a provincial program, this section does not apply to you.

  • After saving your listing for the first time, you can apply by clicking 'Apply to Regional Authority'.
  • You will be prompted to enter the number of clinicians authorized to receive eReferrals and/or eConsults at the Directory Listing. For more information on this prompt, please refer to this article.
  • You will be prompted to select the Regional Authority that you wish to apply to.
  • You will be prompted to review and agree to the respective Regional Authority's Licence Agreement as part of your application.
  • After clicking 'Send application', the application will be sent to the chosen Regional Authority site for review, and additional configuration settings may appear.
  • Once your application has been approved by the Regional Authority, you will be notified by email and further configuration settings may appear. For more information about each setting, please refer to this article.
Integrations

Once you're satisfied with your Directory Listing configuration, click the 'Save' button to save your changes.

Update Your eConsult and eReferral Receiver Configuration

Once you have claimed a Directory Listing claimed to your site, and set up the Directory Listing details, the next step is to configure the site-level features associated with receiving consults and/or referrals.

1. Indicate that your Ocean Site is Receiving Referrals

    • Select the Settings button in the top right hand corner of the page.
    • Note: The 'Settings' button is only visible to Site Admin users.

    • Under the "Welcome to Ocean eReferrals!" section, ensure that the appropriate selection is made for how your site is using eConsults and/or eReferrals ('Receiving Referrals' or 'Sending & Receiving Referrals').

      This selection controls the ability to access the configuration options in Step 2 that are only relevant for Ocean Sites that receive referrals.

2. Configure Referrals

  • Within the eReferrals & eConsults page select the Configure Referrals button.
  • You will be presented with the Referrals Configuration page:

Receiving Referrals

Trustees/Custodians
Indicate whether your Ocean Site is a Trustee/Custodian.
Default Incoming Referral Notification Emails
Set your default email(s) for notifications regarding incoming eConsults and/or eReferrals. Further details on email notifications for receivers can be found in this article: Set Up Receiver Email Notifications.
Send Patients Email Notifications
Select whether you would like Ocean to automatically send patients email notifications regarding status updates for their referrals sent to your site. The list of email notifications patients will receive can be found in this article: What email notifications will patients receive regarding their eReferrals?
Use Ocean patient's email address for integrations*
When set to 'Yes', Ocean will send patient email notifications to the email address submitted with the eReferral/eConsult. This is the recommended configuration.
When set to 'No', Ocean will send patient email notifications to the email address included in the FHIR payload.
*This setting is only available for Ocean Sites that have enabled a referral integration within the 'Admin -> Integrations' area of the Ocean Portal.
Create Charts for New Patients
When set to 'Yes', this allows Ocean to create new patient charts in your EMR when a referral is accepted and no existing EMR chart is found.
Referral Records/Notes Filetype
Choose which file format you would like Ocean to download your records and notes as. More details can be found in this article: Can I change the File Format for Downloaded Records and Notes?
Automatically Close Referrals
Select if you would like Ocean to automatically mark booked referrals as completed, a specified number of days after the appointment date. More details can be found in this article: Can Ocean Automatically Mark Booked Referrals as Closed at my Site?

eConsult Management

Display eConsult Folders
If your site is using eConsults, ensure the display of eConsult status folders is set to 'Yes'.

Appointment Time Options

Time System
Indicate if Ocean should display times using a 12-hour or 24-hour clock format, or both.
Time Interval
Select the increments of time that are selectable in the Scheduling area of a referral.
Time Range
Indicate the bookable hours of the day.
Preview Appointment Time Options
Open this dropdown to view the options that will be available based on your current settings.
More information regarding these settings can be reviewed in the following support article: Can I Configure the Booking Time Options that Appear in the eReferral Scheduling Pane?

Once you're satisfied with your configuration choices, click the 'Save' button at the bottom of the page.

Set Up Receiver Email Notifications

Configure which email addresses receive email notifications for new or updated eConsults and/or eReferrals.

This article describes locations where you can configure your email addresses for eConsult and/or eReferral notifications when receiving eConsults and/or eReferrals. To learn more about the rules/logic that Ocean uses to determine which email address to send the eConsult and/or eReferral notifications to, please refer to "Where do eReferral notification emails get sent to?".

  • Site-Wide Emails: Referrals Configuration

    • The Default Incoming Referral Notification Emails can be configured in the "Referrals Configuration" page within the Referrals Settings in the Ocean Portal. These will be the default email addresses Ocean uses to send notifications regarding new consults and/or referrals received by the site, or notifications for updates made on consults and/or referrals received by the site.
    • You can access this section by signing in to the Ocean Portal, navigating the Menu to the eReferrals page, selecting "Settings" in the top right hand corner, ensure your site is set as Receiving Referrals and then choose the "Configure Referrals" button.
    • From there, you can list which email address(es) will receive the incoming consult and/or referral notifications.
    • Ensure that you save your changes before leaving this page.

  • Listing Specific Emails: Directory Listings

      • A listing-specific email address can be configured for each Directory Listing in your Ocean Site via the Admin Settings page in the Ocean Portal.
      • The 'eRequest notification email' can be set under the Listing Information tab. Any notifications regarding consults and/or referrals sent to this specific listing, will be directed to this email, overriding the notification email set at the Site-Wide level.
      • You can choose to use the Site Default here, by clicking the "Switch to site default" button to the right of the field. In this case, if the site-wide email is updated at a later date, the listing email here will automatically update to match.

    You can also choose what language you would like to receive eRequest notification emails.

    • Again, ensure that you save your changes before leaving this page.

  • Offering Specific Emails: Directory Listings

    • An email address can be configured for each Health Service Offering in your Directory Listing(s) via the Admin Settings page in the Ocean Portal. The 'Offering notification email' can be set under the Health Service Offerings in the listing settings. Any notifications regarding consults and/or referrals sent to this specific listing, for this specific health service offering, will be directed to this email, overriding the notification email set at both the Listing level and the Site-Wide level.
    • You can use either the Listing Default here, by clicking the "Use listing default" button above the field. Then, if listing-level email is updated at a later date, the offering email here will automatically update to match.
    • Again, ensure that you save your changes before leaving this page.

Creating Canned Responses for Bookings and Messages*

You can optionally choose to set up canned messages that can be sent to the patient in advance of their appointment and/or that can be sent to the referrer/sender.

This is an an optional part of setting up eConsults and/or eReferrals.

  • When processing and managing incoming eConsults and/or eReferrals, referral recipients have the ability to add canned booking comments or send a canned message. These canned responses can be sent to patients using a booking comment, or can be sent as a message to the original referrer.
Canned Booking Comments Canned Messages to Sender
  • Log in to the Ocean Portal.
  • Navigate to the Admin Settings page and click Canned Responses.
  • From the Canned Responses screen, select the "New Canned Response" button under the "Canned Responses for Booking Comments" section

  • Give your response a title and add your desired text into the text field.

    Note: An example of a canned booking comment could be the appropriate clothing a patient should bring to an appointment.
  • Click the "Save" button to save your canned comments.
  • Next time you are processing a consult or referral, you can select one of your canned responses using the speech bubble icon in the "Scheduling" section of the referral.
  • Note: Canned booking comments are only selectable in the 'Scheduling' area of the referral.

How does it appear to the patient?

  • When the appointment notification email is sent to the patient, the booking comment is included at the bottom of the email.

Set Up Automated Referral Appointment Reminders*

If you are a receiving site that accepts eReferrals, you may want to enable the eReferral Appointment Reminders feature within your site.

Ocean Sites that receive eReferrals can send automated appointment reminders to patients regarding their upcoming appointments.

Note: This is an an optional step in setting up your Ocean Site to receive eReferrals.

This article walks through the configuration required to send reminders to patients based on the booked appointment information stored within your Ocean eReferrals.

Alternatively, if your Ocean Site is integrated with your EMR (e.g., PS Suite, Med Access, Accuro, OSCAR Pro), Ocean can use your EMR schedule as the source of appointment reminder information. Please refer to the Patient Reminders Setup Guide for detailed instructions on this alternative configuration option.

Prerequisites

Ocean Site Configuration

  • After logging in to the Ocean Portal, open the 'Menu' and click 'Patient Reminders'.
  • Click the 'Settings' button in the top right corner.
  • Click the 'Edit Configuration' button to modify the universal reminder settings for your Ocean Site.
  • Set the 'Appointment Source' to 'eReferrals'.
  • Set the 'Daily Run Time' to your preferred time of day. Ocean will start processing reminders at the selected time.

  • Click 'Save'.

    Note: Text Message Reminders are not currently available when the 'Appointment Source' is set to 'eReferrals'.

Reminder Rule Creation

Once the configuration above is completed, you can create your Reminder Rule(s). Reminder Rules allow you to define how far in advance of an appointment a reminder should be sent.

You can create any number of Reminder Rules to send multiple email notifications to the patient in advance of their appointment. For example, you can configure a rule to send 1 month in advance of the appointment, a second rule to send 1 week in advance of the appointment, and then another rule to send the day before the appointment.

  • From Patient Reminders Settings area, click 'Add Reminder Rule'.
  • Enter a 'Rule Name'. This name is never visible to patients. It's recommended that you provide a recognizable or descriptive name for your rule.
  • Specify the number of days before the appointment that the reminder should be sent.
  • Optionally enable the checkbox to include an iCal file in the reminder email.

  • Click the 'Save' button to save your Reminder Rule in it's current state. For brand new rules, this saves the rule in a disabled state.

    Alternatively, click the 'Save & Enable Rule' button to save your Reminder Rule in an enabled state.

  • Your Reminder Rule(s) will appear in the main Patient Reminders Settings page, where you can disable, enable, edit existing, and create new rules.

    Existing rules can be deleted by editing the rule and then clicking the 'Delete Rule' button

You're all set! At the time of day specified in your Ocean Site's reminder configuration, Ocean Cloud Connect will send appointment reminder emails to any patients with booked referrals that meet any enabled reminder rule criteria and that have consented to email notifications.

  • The appointment reminder email contains the same information that was provided to the patient in the initial booking email notification, including any booking comments, attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if it hasn't been confirmed already).

How appointment confirmation appears in the Ocean eReferral

  • The 'Confirmed' checkbox within the eReferral becomes enabled.
  • This automatically moves from referral from the 'Booked Unconfirmed' status folder to the 'Booked Confirmed' status folder.

How appointment confirmations appear in the EMR

If your Ocean Site is integrated with your EMR, Ocean will also attempt to update the confirmation status on the appointment booked in your EMR schedule.

PS Suite Med Access Accuro OSCAR PRO

In the Patient Reminder settings area, OSCAR Pro clinics can customize the status value that Ocean will update the appointment to when a patient confirms their appointments by adjusting the 'Appointment Status for Appointment Confirmations' setting. When a patient confirms their appointment, the status of the appointment will be updated.

  • In the example image to the right, the 'Appointment Status for Appointment Confirmations' setting has been configured to update the appointment to status code 'h' (the default 'Confirmed' status in OSCAR Pro).

Note: Ocean will attempt to update the appointment status upon confirmation when there is no existing status code for the appointment, or when the existing status code is code 't' (the default 'To Do' status value in OSCAR Pro), or when the existing status code is the status chosen for the 'Appointment Status for Sent Ocean Reminders' setting within the Ocean Site's Patient Reminder settings area.

Supporting Analytics in eConsults and/or eReferral eForms*

The Ocean eReferral platform provides some analytics automatically to help provide an understanding of consult and/or referral patterns, decline rates, wait times, etc. If you would like to set up your  form to set additional analytics values now is a good time to do so.

This is an an optional part of setting up eConsults and/or eReferrals.

The Ocean eReferral platform de-identifies data automatically to provide you with an understanding of consult and/or referral patterns, decline rates, wait times, etc. You can export this data at anytime from the "Reports" section of the Admin Settings page in the Ocean Portal. For more details on exporting analytics, please refer to "Accessing eReferral Analytics".

The following three types of referral analytics available to users:

Core Analytics: These analytics are always captured by the Ocean Platform by default, and are available for all eRequests (eReferral and eConsult) without referral form customization. A list of core analytics can be found below.

Custom (ax_) Analytics: This is a library of custom analytics that has been pre-defined to assist in ensuring data consistency across referral forms. These analytics can be manually defined within the referral form, and are always automatically included in the default analytics export file. A full list of 'ax_' analytics can be found below.

Custom (fx_) Analytics: These are custom analytics that you can create and define in the referral form, and are only accessible by creating a custom Export Template.

Note: A full data dictionary is available for download within the Accessing eReferral Analytics support article.

Core Analytics

The core set of analytics captured in the de-identified record are in the table below.

Column Header User Friendly Name Description
referralRef Reference The unique reference number for the referral in Ocean.
referralCreationDate Sent Date The date the referral was sent OR resubmitted by the referring provider. This value may be the back-dated referral date entered on an inbound (faxed) request. It is used as the starting reference point for wait time calculations.
referralInitialCreationDate Initial Sent Date The initial sent date of the referral from a clinical perspective. This value may be the back-dated referral date entered on an inbound (faxed) request. Unlike the Sent Date, this value does not change with resubmissions.
oceanCreationDate Referral Creation Date  the date the referral was created in Ocean. Could be the date it was sent in Ocean from the health map, or the date it was transcribed from fax.


 
modificationDate Last Modification Date The date/time the referral was most recently updated (in ISO 8601 format).
masterReferral Source Referral Marker for Child Referrals The status of the referral as either a Master record or a Child record. Marked as "TRUE" if the referral is a master (i.e it's been split into multiple child referrals), "FALSE" if not.
patientId Patient ID The unique reference number for the patient in Ocean. If the patient's Health Card # is omitted when the referral is sent, the patientID will not be generated.
siteNum Owner Site Number The Ocean site number of the site currently managing the referral as a receiving provider.
regionalAuthoritySiteNum Primary Regional Authority Site Number The Ocean site number for the initial Regional Authority (RA) that the referral is captured under (if it's sent to a listing under a regional authority). 
initialHealthService Initial Health Service The health service specified at the time the referral is sent (ex. Orthopedics)
currentHealthService Currently Assigned Health Service The health service on the referral that is currently assigned (which may differ from InitialHealthService if someone reassigns the health service manually e.g. during triaging, or if the referral is split from a master referral)
claimedWaitTimeDaysLow Claimed Wait 1 - Low Estimate The number of days of the lower end of the range of the Self-Reported Wait Time for Wait 1 configured in the recipient's Directory Listing (e.g., 7 if 1-2 weeks). This will be wait 1 for referrals with multiple health services.
claimedWaitTimeDaysHigh Claimed Wait 1 - High Estimate The number of days of the higher end of the range of the Self-Reported Wait Time for Wait 1 configured in the recipient's Directory Listing (e.g., 14 if 1-2 weeks). This will be wait 1 for referrals with multiple health services.
claimedWaitTime2DaysLow Claimed Wait 2 - Low Estimate The number of days of the lower end of the range of the Self-Reported Wait Time for Wait 2 configured in the recipient's Directory Listing (e.g. 7 if 1-2 weeks)
claimedWaitTime2DaysHigh Claimed Wait 2 - High Estimate The number of days of the higher end of the range of the Self-Reported Wait Time for Wait 2 configured in the recipient's Directory Listing (e.g. 14 if 1-2 weeks)
wait1Days Wait 1 Days As defined by the standard "Wait 1", this is the number of days calculated between the date the referral was created to the first appointment date (scheduledAppointment).
wait1aDays Wait 1a Days As defined by the standard "Wait 1a", this is the number of days calculated between the date the referral was created and the initial assessment date. The "DARC Wait 1a Days" is also subtracted from this calculation.
wait1bDays Wait 1b Days As defined by the standard "Wait 1b", this is the number of days calculated between the initial assessment date and the initial consult date (scheduled appointment). If there is a Decision to Consult date, Ocean will use this value, instead of the initial assessment date, for the Wait 1b calculation. The "DARC Wait 1b Days" is also subtracted from this calculation.
wait2Days Wait 2 Days As defined by the standard "Wait 2", this is the number of days calculated between the first scheduled appointment and the second appointment date (scheduledAppointment2). If there is a "ax_decisionToTreat" date, Ocean will use this value, instead of the first scheduled appointment date, for the Wait2 calculation. The dartWait2Days is subtracted from this calculation.
darcWait1aDays DARC Days Impacting Wait 1a Number of days affecting readiness to consult. Added to the referral UI in the "Notes" dropdown.
darcWait1bDays DARC Days Impacting Wait 1b Number of days affecting readiness to consult. Added to the referral UI in the "Notes" dropdown.
darcReason DARC Reason Reason for days affecting readiness to consult. 
dartWait2Days DART Days Impacting Wait 2 Number of days affecting readiness to treat. Added to the referral UI in the "Notes" dropdown.
dartReason DART Reason Reason for days affecting readiness to treat. 
srcSiteNum Source Site Number The Ocean site number that the referral was originally sent from. This field could be blank if referral was not sent through an Ocean site, such as via a fax.
srcSiteName Source Site Name The name of the source referral site.
referredByUserName User Name of User Sending Referral The username representing the current Ocean user sending the eReferral (which may represent a delegated administrative user, as opposed to being the same person as the referrer)
referredByUserFullName Full Name of User Sending Referral The full name of the current Ocean user sending the eReferral (which may represent a delegated administrative user, as opposed to being the same person as the referrer)
authorizingClinicianName Authorizing Clinician Name The name of the clinician (usually a physician) who authorized a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or other clinician to send an eReferral, when such authorization is required.
delegateClinicianType Delegate User Role The User Role of the delegate user, who sent the referral on behalf of the provider (ex. Physician Assistant). Will be blank if the referral was NOT sent by a delegate.
referredByAnonymousEmrUser Referred by an EMR-Authenticated User (Unlinked to Ocean Account) A flag that indicates a referrer user was signed into their EMR but not signed into their Ocean user account.
referrerUserName Referrer's User Name The Ocean user name representing the referring clinician, if an Ocean account was used to send the referral.
referrerName Referrer's Name Referrer's Name
referrerClinicianType Referrer's User Role The referrer's User Role.  One of the following: "Allied Health Professional", "Family Physician", "Medical Student", "MOA / Secretary", "Nurse", "Nurse Practitioner", "Resident", "Specialist" or "Other".
referrerUrgency Referrer's Urgency Assignment The urgency of the referral, as assigned by the referrer.
initialRecipientName Initial Receiver's Listing Name The name of the initial referral target on the referral (i.e. Central Intake). This remains the same, even after the referral is forwarded from central intake to a specialist, for example.
initialReferralTargetRef Initial Receiver's Listing Reference Captures the unique referral target reference id of the listing the referral was initially sent to. Will remain unchanged, even if the listing name itself is updated (initialRecipient).
initialOrganizationName Initial Receiver's Organization Name Captures the name of the organization the referral was initially sent to, IF an organization has been applied to the listing.
recipientName Recipient Listing Name The name of the current referral target on the referral (this can change if the referral is forwarded from central intake to a specialist, for example.)
referralTargetRef Owner Listing Reference Unique ID of the site receiving referral 
recipientOrganizationName Recipient Organization Name The name of the organization tied to the listing that the referral is directed to.
recipientClinicianFirstName Recipient Clinician First Name First name of the clinician receiving the referral.
recipientClinicianSurname Recipient Clinician Surname Last name of the clinician receiving the referral.
recipientClinicianProfId Recipient Clinician Professional ID Professional Id of the clinician receiving the referral.
recipientFaxNumberUsed Recipient Fax Number Used The fax number used to manually process a referral. If this field has a number or "unknown" value, it was manually forwarded to a listing ("unknown" is a place holder for listings without a fax number).
recipientCity Recipient City The city of the recipient.
recipientProvince Recipient Province The province of the recipient.
recipientPostalCode Recipient Postal Code The postal code of the recipient.
recipientPriority Recipient's Priority The urgency as indicated by the recipient via the Review Form (specifically the item with reference "priority"). The urgency is mapped to levels of priority which are limited to P1, P2, P3, P4, P4F, P5.
eConsultOutcome eConsult Outcome The status/outcome of the eConsult. Can be one of the following values:
"E_REFERRAL", "PENDING" and "COMPLETED"
"E_REFERRAL" is the case where the referral was responded to as an eConsult, but then continued with as a referral. "PENDING" represents an eConsult in progress, and "COMPLETED" represents a referral that is marked completed as an eConsult.
eConsultOutcomeDate eConsult Outcome Date The date of the eConsult outcome. For example, the date the referral was marked as completed as an eConsult. Or the date it was determined that the eConsult should continue on as an eReferral. Note, this value will be blank when the eConsult outcome is "PENDING".
eConsultAcceptanceDate eConsult Acceptance Date The date/time the referral is accepted as an eConsult. This may happen at the time of the first eConsult message being sent on the referral. Or an admin/delegate may be accepting the referral as an eConsult, and having the specialist/provider respond to it at a later time.
eConsultFirstMessageDate eConsult First Message Date The date/time of the first eConsult message on a referral. 
eConsultMessageCount eConsult Message Count The number of messages flagged as "eConsult" on the referral, with billable time associated with them.
eConsultProceedToEReferralReason Reason for Proceeding from eConsult to eReferral The reason the referring provider chooses to "Proceed as eReferral" after receiving an eConsult message. Can be one of three standard reasons: PROVIDER_PREFERENCE, PATIENT_PREFERENCE, or OTHER.
latestEConsultSentBy Full Name of User Sending Last eConsult Response The full name of the user who sent the latest eConsult message.
sentToTestListing Sent to Test Listing Flag to indicate if the referral was sent to a test listing, or manually labeled as a test referral using the Action menu. Used to exclude the referral from analytics.
patientAge Patient Age The age of the patient in years, rounded down
patientGender Patient Gender The gender of the patient, can be overwritten on the form
patientCity Patient City The patient's home city.
patientProvince Patient Province The patient's home province.
patientPostalFirst3Chars Patient Postal Code (First 3 Characters) The first 3 characters of the patient's postal code.
patientDistanceKm Patient Distance (km) The distance, in km, between the patient's home and the referral target.
referralState State The basic primary status of the referral, such as "INITIAL", "ACCEPTED", "BOOKED", "COMPLETE", "CANCELED", or "DECLINED".
scheduledAppointment Appointment for Wait 1 The date/time set for the Wait 1 appointment (i.e., the appointment date using the relevant "Wait 1" Appointment Label as configured within the Directory Listing).
appointmentMedium Medium for the Wait 1 Appointment The medium selection for the appointment scheduled on a referral that has been associated with Wait 1. Can be one of the following values; IN_PERSON, VIDEO_VISIT, PHONE, HOME_VISIT.
scheduledAppointment2 Appointment for Wait 2 The date/time set for the Wait 2 appointment (i.e., the appointment date using the relevant "Wait 2" Appointment Label as configured within the Directory Listing - i.e., "Procedure Date" or "Surgery Date").
appointment2Medium Medium for the Wait 2 Appointment The medium selection for the appointment scheduled on a referral that has been associated with Wait 2. Can be one of the following values; IN_PERSON, IN_PERSON_ALT, VIDEO_VISIT, PHONE, HOME_VISIT.
schedulingConfirmed Scheduling Confirmed Captures the current value of the "Confirmed" checkbox in the scheduling pane of referrals.
schedulingConfirmedBy Scheduling Confirmed By Which Stakeholder Captures which stakeholder on the referral confirmed the latest scheduling information on the referral with the patient. Can be one of the following values; sender, patient, or receiver.
initialContactAttemptDate Initial Contact Attempt Date The date/time the "Contact Attempted" note is added to the referral.
initialForwardDate Initial Forward Date The date/time the referral is initially forwarded. This remains the same, even after the referral is forwarded from central intake to a specialist, for example.
initialAssessmentDate Initial Assessment Date The date/time of the initial assessment if the referral is sent to an assessment centre. 
initialAssessmentSite Initial Assessment Site Name The name of the initial assessment site.
initialAssessmentSiteNum Initial Assessment Site Number The Ocean site number of the initial assessment site.
initialAssessmentSiteRef Initial Assessment Site Listing Reference The unique listing reference id of the initial assessment site. Will remain unchanged, even if the listing name itself is updated (initialAssessmentSite).
initialAssessmentOfferingRef Initial Assessment Health Service Offering Reference Health Service Offering (HSO) assigned to the referral, at the time is was sent to the RAC.
forwardDateFromAssessmentSite Date Forwarded From Rapid Access Clinic The date the referral is forwarded from a listing of type Rapid Access Clinic
forwardDate Last Forwarded Date The date/time that the referral was last forwarded.
completedDate Completed Date The date the referral is marked "Completed" (can be done in the booking tab once the appointment date has passed).
seen Patient Was Seen Whether the patient has been seen (i.e. in the clinic for a consult).
awaitingReply Site Awaiting Reply Ocean site number of the site awaiting for a reply on the referral.
referralDeleted Deleted Flag that indicates if the referral was deleted, allowing synchronized data warehouses (e.g. Think Research EntryPoint) to detect such deletions.
ptNotificationEmailed Notification Emailed to Patient Flag to indicate if the patient was emailed a notification regarding their referral.
ptAppointmentReminderEmailed Appointment Reminder Emailed to Patient Captures whether the patient was emailed an automated appointment reminder notification from Ocean.
protocol Protocol Optional field used by the recipient site to protocol the referral using the review notes. Ex. Radiologists might use this field when reviewing DI referrals. Populates the "Protocol" column in the Ocean portal.
reasonForDecline Reason for Decline

The reason for a declined referral. One of:

ADDITIONAL_WORKUP_REQUIRED, ALREADY_BOOKED_ELSEWHERE, ALREADY_DONE
, CANNOT_BE_SEEN_QUICKLY_ENOUGH, DUPLICATE, INAPPROPRIATE_INDICATION, MISSING_INFORMATION
,NO_SHOW, NOT_YET_DUE, OTHER, PATIENT_DECLINED, PATIENT_EXPIRED
, PRECLUDED_DUE_TO_PATIENT_ISSUE, RECOMMEND_OTHER_PROVIDER, SENT_TO_WRONG_PROVIDER
, SERVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE, UNABLE_TO_CONTACT,   UNLIKELY_TO_BENEFIT, *TECHNICAL_DELIVERY_ISSUE*


Option is available when a referral is declined on Declined Referral window. 
If multiple declinations have occured, this value will reflect the reason selected during the most recent declination.

*TECHNICAL_DELIVERY_ISSUE value is cannot be selected by users during the decline flow and is reserved for special-case scenarios.
reasonForWaitTimeExclusion Reason for Exclusion from Wait Time Calculation The reason for referral to be excluded from wait time calculation.
SEVERAL_ATTEMPTS_TO_CONTACT
PATIENT_OFFERED_EARLIER_DATE
PATIENT_REQUESTED_LATER_DATE
PATIENT_IS_AN_EXISTING_CLIENT
ORIGINAL_REFERRAL_REDIRECTED
numExternalMessages Number of External Messages Number of external messages attached to the referral
numCIAttachments Number of Attachments Included by Central Intake Number of attachments that Central Intake included in the referral
resubmissionCount Resubmission Count The number of times a referral is resubmitted (after being declined or cancelled)
inbound Inbound Request Manually Entered by Fax/Phone/Other Flags the referral as being created as an Inbound eRequest. Will be TRUE if the referral was received by phone or fax, and FALSE if it was received through Ocean.
offeringRef Assigned Health Service Offering Reference The reference id of the health service offering assigned to the referral
offeringTitle Assigned Health Service Offering Title The title of the health service offering assigned to the referral
referrerAddressLine1 Referrer's Address Line 1 Referrer's Address Line 1
referrerAddressLine2 Referrer's Address Line 2 Referrer's Address Line 2
referrerCity Referrer's City Referrer's City
referrerProvince Referrer's Province Referrer's Province
referrerPostalCode Referrer's Postal Code Referrer's Phone
referrerPhone Referrer's Phone Referrer's Phone
referrerFax Referrer's Fax Referrer's Fax
referrerProfessionalId Referrer's Professional ID Referrer's Professional ID, such as the CPSO # for an Ontario physician.
secondaryRaSiteNum Secondary Regional Authority Site Number The second regional authority site number, if the referral is forward outside of the LHIN that it was first received in.
centralIntakeRef Central Intake Listing Reference The unique listing reference id of the central intake site. Will remain unchanged, even if the listing name itself is updated.
centralIntakeOfferingRef Central Intake Health Service Offering Reference Health Service Offering (HSO) assigned to the referral, at the time is was sent to CI.
externalServiceId External System Service ID Serves as an indicator that an eReferral has been sent to an external system (and indicate which system was used).
referralSource Source Medium The medium by which the referral was sent. For example, the source could be "eReferral" for eReferrals sent from the healthmap (previously "Directory"), or the name of the Website Form link if submitted through a website. For inbound referrals transcribed into Ocean the source can be "Phone", "Fax", or "Other Source". For requisitions imported into a site the source is "Printout". For eReferrals sent through the healthmap via eFax, the referral source will be "eFax".
requestedRtRef Requested Listing's Reference The reference of the original listing selected in the healthmap, by the referring provider, before the referral is routed to central intake.
requestedRtTitle Requested Listing's Title The name of the original listing selected in the healthmap, by the referring provider, before the referral is routed to central intake.
completionState Completion State Will return one of the following mutually-exclusive end-states: COMPLETED, AUTO_CLOSED, INCOMPLETE, CANCELED, DECLINED, EXTERNALLY_MANAGED (indicating referrals that are received but not updated in Ocean), COMPLETED_WITHOUT_APPOINTMENT (indicating referrals that are accepted, but marked as complete from the Pending Booking folder in Ocean)
integrationName Integration Name Name of the integration associated with the listing.
redirectedFromReferralRef Redirected From Referral Reference The unique referral reference value of the referral that was originally declined or cancelled, and subsequently redirected.
daysUntilReferralResponse Days Until Referral Response The number of days (to one decimal place) from the referralCreationDate/forwardDate to the time when the Anticipated Time to Appointment OR Appointment Date was initially added in the referral.
initialAnticipatedWaitTimeDaysHigh Initial Anticipated Wait Time Days High The number of days of the actual upper estimate of the Anticipated Time to Appointment value that was initially entered by the referral recipient. This value is cleared out when the referral is forwarded. Bulk wait time updates do not impact this value.
appointmentInitiallyProvidedOn Appointment Initially Provided On The date/timestamp of when the referral appointment date was initially provided. This value is cleared out when the referral is forwarded.
acceptedDate Accepted Date The date/timestamp of when the referral was accepted. Updated when the referral is resubmitted and Accepted again.
archiveDate Archive Date The date and time that the referral was archived. Only populates for referrals archived after June 5, 2025.

Custom (ax_) Analytics

You can map additional fields in your consult or referral form and Review form to collect analytic values for your referral exports. To do add these analytics values, simply open your form in the eForm Editor and set the item reference to one of the following values.

Item Reference User Friendly Name Description
ax_pcpName Primary Care Provider Name The primary care provider name, used on the referral form if the referrer is not the primary care provider.
ax_reasonForReferral Reason for Referral The reason for referral for the patient.       

 
ax_preferredClinician Preferred Clinician The preferred clinician for the patient.
ax_preferredCity Preferred City The preferred city of the patient.
ax_preferredWasChosen Preferred Was Chosen A flag for central intake to indicate that the referral was forwarded to the preferred specialist that was specified by the referrer.
ax_cause Cause Allows for additional information to be provided regarding the cause or circumstance of the referral.
ax_severity1 Severity at Rest The pain level at rest of the patient, usually Mild/Moderate/Severe when specified.
ax_severity2 Severity during Movement The pain level at movement of the patient, usually Mild/Moderate/Severe when specified.
ax_diagnosis Diagnosis The primary problem of the patient (i.e. Type 2 Diabetes, Knee arthritis, etc.)
ax_diagnosisAcuity Diagnosis Acuity The diagnosis status of the patient
ax_aboriginalStatus Patient Aboriginal Status The indigenous or aboriginal status of the patient, if specified.
ax_languageBarrier Language Barrier Indicates whether patient has a language barrier.
ax_language Preferred Language The preferred language of the patient.
ax_imagingType Imaging Type Indicates which types of imaging files were included with the referral. For example, "MRI; Ultrasound; X-ray"
ax_imagingStatus Imaging Status Indicates the status of the imaging reports attached to the referral, as determined by the pathway.
ax_socialDeterminants Social Determinants of Health The social determinants
ax_lab_hb Lab - Hemoglobin The latest Hb (hemoglobin) lab value for the patient.
ax_lab_hdl Lab - HDL The latest HDL lab value for the patient.
ax_lab_ldl Lab - LDL The latest LDL lab value for the patient.
ax_lab_tg Lab - Triglyceride The latest triglycerides lab value for the patient.
ax_v_bp BP The patient's latest BP vital.
ax_cm_arthritis Comorbidity - Arthritis Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of arthritis.

 
ax_cm_asthma Comorbidity - Asthma Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of asthma
ax_cm_cvd Comorbidity - CVD Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of cardiovascular disease
ax_cm_dm Comorbidity - Diabetes Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of diabetes
ax_cm_osteoporosis Comorbidity - Osteoporosis Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of osteoporosis
ax_cm_tiaStroke Comorbidity - TIA/Stroke Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of TIA/Stroke

 
ax_cm_htn Comorbidity - Hypertension Flag to indicate if patient has a health history/co-morbidity of hypertension
ax_request_mentalHealth Mental Health Request A flag to indicate mental health services are requested on the referral.
ax_examType Exam Type The specific exam that is being ordered on the referral.
ax_surgicalCandidate Surgical Candidate Yes/No question for whether the patient is a candidate for surgical consult. Completed on the assessment centre's review form.
ax_assessmentOutcome Outcome of the Assessment Outcome of the assessment. For example, with rapid-access clinics, this outcome indicates whether the patient is being referred on to a surgical consult or not.

 
ax_assessmentOutcomeMedicalSpecialist Outcome of the Assessment for Medical Specialist Outcome of the assessment - if patient is being referred on to Medical Specialist, will return the specific medical specialist(s) selected.
ax_assessmentOutcomeCommunityProgram Outcome of the Assessment for Community Program Outcome of the assessment - if patient is being referred on to a Community Program, will return the specific program(s) selected.
ax_assessmentOutcomeSelfManagement Assessment Outcome Self Management The patient-self-management aspect of the assessment outcome.
ax_patientPreference Patient Preference for Specific Care If the patient is a candidate, and outcome is to referral to surgery consult, what is their preference: next available surgeon; specific surgeon; specific hospital; etc.
ax_consultOutcome Consult Outcome Indicates the outcome for the consultation, often recorded as a Yes/No answer for whether the patient is going on to surgery.
ax_decisionToTreat Decision to Treat Date field to capture when decision is made to schedule surgery. Used to calculate Wait2.
ax_decisionToConsult Decision to Consult Date field to capture when decision is made to forward referral on to surgical consult. Used to calculate Wait1b.
ax_bodySite Body Site The body site the referral is for (e.g., Hip/Knee/Shoulder etc) 
ax_secondaryOutcome Secondary Outcome Records a secondary (non-primary) clinical outcome as defined by the pathway. For example, for the MSK pathway, this records the re-entry outcome when a patient returns the RAC within the 6-12 month timeframe. A true value indicates that the patient is a returning patient that was previously assessed within the prior 6-12 months and a false value indicates that the patient has not been assessed within the prior 6-12 months.
ax_receivedReferralComplete Received Referral Was Complete Indicates whether the referral received had all of the required information or not when the referral was initially received, particularly at central intake sites.

Set Up eConsults and/or eReferrals on Your Website*

Once you're set up to receive eConsults and/or eReferrals, you can optionally choose to set up Website Forms on your website to accept Ocean eConsults and/or Ocean eReferrals from both your website and the Ocean Healthmap.

Ocean lets you accept eReferrals/eConsults not only from the Ocean Healthmap, but also from an eReferral Website Form URL that you can add to your clinic website.

eReferral Website Form submissions appear in the 'eReferrals & eConsults' area of Ocean Site in the same way as submissions sent to you via the Ocean Healthmap do.

Notes

  • This is an optional step in setting up your Ocean Site to receive eConsults/eReferrals.
  • There are no Ocean license fees associated with setting up an eReferral Website Form link for referring providers to use.

To set up an eReferral Website Form, follow the steps below:

  • In the Ocean Portal, open the 'Menu' and select 'Admin'.
  • In the Admin Settings page, select 'Website Forms'.
  • In the bottom right corner, click 'New Website Form Link Configuration'.
  • In the 'Name' field, enter a meaningful name for this Website Form link that you will recognize in the future. This name is never shown publicly to patients or referring providers.
  • In the 'Directory Listing' field, select the Directory Listing that you would like to associate with this Website Form link. eReferrals submitted using this link will be associated with this Directory Listing.
  • For the 'Website Form Type', select 'eReferral'.
  • Optionally specify a 'Redirect URL'. If a URL is entered, the referring provider will be automatically redirected there upon submission of the Website Form.

  • In the 'Service' area, choose the 'Health Service Offering' from your Directory Listing that submissions should be associated with, and select the relevant 'Offering request form'.

    Note: An 'Offering request form' must be configured for the relevant Health Service Offering in your Directory Listing to be chosen here.

  • Optionally enable the 'Send a notification email to the requester when accepting this website form' if desired.

  • When you're ready, enable the 'Active' checkbox to activate this eReferral Website Form. This can also be done later. When inactive, users will not be able to access the website form.

    Note: The 'Accepting eRequests' checkbox in the 'Enablement' tab of your Directory Listing must also be enabled to permit referring providers to submit requests.

  • Click 'Create'.

  • Your unique eReferral Website Form URL will be generated and provided to you. The URL will also be available in the main 'Website Form Links' page for your convenient access.

    You can make this URL accessible on your clinic website for referring providers to access.

  • You can modify, deactivate, or delete your eReferral Website Form link at any point in the future in the 'Website Form Links' management page.

Note: If you would like to set up a Patient Self-Referral Website Form link (i.e., for patients to self-refer to you), then Ocean's standard Website Form fees will apply. If your Ocean Site has a Directory Listing approved by a Regional Authority (RA), a single Patient Self-Referral Website Form link, that is configured to 'Submit this website form as an eReferral', will be covered under the RA license.

Set Up Your Site to Receive Walk-Ins*

If you are a receiving site that accepts walk-in patients, you will want to enable the "Accept Walk-In" feature in your site.

This is an an optional part of setting up eReferrals.

If you are a receiving site that accepts walk-in patients (i.e. patients who can come in whenever they're available, without necessarily having a pre-booked appointment), follow the steps outlined below to enable this walk-in setup.

  • Open the 'Menu' and select 'Admin'.
  • In the Admin Settings page, select 'Directory Listings'.
  • Click 'Edit' on the relevant listing.
  • Under the 'Health Service Offerings' tab, select the offering that accepts walk-in patients.
  • Set the 'Self-reported wait time' value to 'Walk-In'.
  • Click 'Save'.
  • Now when you accept any new incoming eReferrals for this specific health service offering, the "Accept" option at the bottom of the referral will default to "Accept Walk-In".
  • After clicking the 'Accept Walk-In' button, the referral will move to the "Walk-ins" status folder.
  • Once the patient comes in to the office, you can simply search open the referral from this folder and mark the referral as "Completed".