How do I resubmit a cancelled or declined eReferral/eConsult?

If an eReferral/eConsult is cancelled or declined, the original sender can resubmit it to the original recipient at any time using the 'Resubmit' option within the 'Action' menu.

If necessary, the original sender can update or add additional information to their referral form answers prior to resubmitting by pressing the pencil icon within the 'Referral Form Summary' area.


Can I download a complete copy of the referral record?

Yes, you're able to download a complete copy of the entire referral record at any point in a referral's lifecycle.

  • Locate and open the relevant referral within the Ocean Portal.
  • Open the 'Action' menu in the top right corner, and select 'Download Referral Record'.
  • A new tab will open in your web browser showing the complete referral record, including all scheduling information, notes, messages, and attachments included in the eReferral.
  • Use your web browser's printing or downloading functions to save a copy of the record.

How can I communicate with an eReferral sender/recipient?

  • You're able to communicate with an eReferral sender or recipient by using the 'Messaging' area within an eReferral.

How do I send a message?

  • Within the 'Messaging' area of the eReferral, simply select the appropriate message recipient (if multiple parties are involved in the referral), type your message into the text box, optionally add an attachment, and press 'Send'.
  • For increased efficiency, you can also create canned responses for your Ocean Site that are easily selectable using the speech bubble icon.
  • The message recipient will receive an email notification that you have sent them a message.

Additional Message Functionalities

  • Once a message has been sent, additional functionalities can be accessed by clicking clicking on the message header.
  • Note: The 'Amend' and 'Delete' options are only available to the user who sent the message.

Download Addendum Letter
Downloads a PDF document containing basic eReferral information and the selected message.
Amend
Copies the selected message into the new message text field, to allow for additional information to be added.
Delete
Deletes the message.

Can I add notes to an eReferral/eConsult?

  • Yes, the 'Notes' area within an eReferral or eConsult can be used for general documentation regarding the request.
  • Additionally, if you're taking advantage of the eReferral reviewal workflow, the note generated by the review form will be automatically stamped into the 'Notes' area.

How do I add a new Note?

  • To add a new note to an eReferral or eConsult, simply open the request and type into the 'New Note:' text field and press 'Save'.
  • Alternatively, you can use the speech bubble icon to select a short pre-worded note.

Additional Note Functionalities

  • Once a note is saved to an eReferral, additional functionalities are available by clicking on the note header.
  • Note: These functionalities are only available for Notes created by your own Ocean site.

Edit*
Allows you to modify the responses to the Review Form.
*Only available for the note created by the Review Form. For more information on Review Form notes, please see how to review incoming eReferrals.
Email Note
Emails a copy of the note to the original referring provider.
Download Note
Downloads a PDF document containing basic referral information and the selected note.
Make Private for This Site
Makes the note private, so only users on your Ocean Site can see the note. Private notes are shown in italics.
Delete
Deletes the note.

Can I send messages and eForms to patients ahead of their referral appointment?

Yes, eReferral recipients can use Ocean's Patient Messaging functionalities to securely message patients and send them Ocean eForms to complete ahead of their appointment.

Please note that to use Ocean's Patient Messaging functionalities, a Patient Messaging & Reminders License is required. For additional information on the cost of Ocean's Patient Engagement products, please see our pricing page.

1. Set Up Patient Messages

Complete the steps in the Set Up Patient Messages guide to enable and configure patient messaging on your Ocean site.

2. Sending a Patient Message and/or eForms from an eReferral

  • Locate the relevant eReferral within Ocean, and click on it to open it.
  • Within the eReferral, expand the 'Patient's Note' tab by clicking on it, and then press the envelope icon.
  • Use the pop-up window to send a customized message and/or eForm to the patient, or select one of your existing templates for convenience. When your message is ready, press 'Send'.

    For additional information regarding the options in this window, please refer to Patient Messages Settings.

3. Patient Confirms Secure Message and/or Completes eForms

  • The patient will receive an email prompting them to view any secure messages, and complete any outstanding eForms.
  • After clicking the hyperlink in the email, patients will be able to view any secure messages, and press 'Next' to complete any outstanding eForms.

3. Review Patient's Note within the eReferral

  • After the patient completes their eForm(s), the generated eForm note can be found within the 'Patient's Note' area of the eReferral.

    Note: If your Ocean site is integrated with your EMR, the generated eForm note will automatically be added to the respective patient's chart.

    If your Ocean site is not integrated with your EMR, you will need to manually import the generated notes.


Can I assign an eReferral to be reviewed by someone on my Ocean Site?

Ocean has built-in functionality to allow you to easily assign an eReferral for review by another user on your Ocean site.

This is helpful for triaging, organizing, and actioning incoming eReferrals. An eReferral can be flagged for review at any time during the referral process, allowing for appropriate reviewal even before deciding to accept or decline it.

The review process can also be performed without flagging a specific person that an eReferral needs to be reviewed. In other words, the review form functionality can be used as a standalone tool for applying a structured review process to the referrals that you receive.

Please expand the appropriate tab below to learn more about each aspect of the reviewing process:

Steps to Flag an eReferral for Review
  1. Locate and Open your eReferral

    • Start by logging in to the Ocean Portal.
    • Navigate to the eReferrals area by opening the 'Menu' and selecting 'eReferrals'.
    • Locate the eReferral that you wish to flag for review by using the folder categories or the search bar. Open the eReferral by clicking on it.
  2. Flag the eReferral for Review

    • After opening the eReferral, locate the 'Needs review' field in the bottom left.
    • Clicking inside the text box presents a list of users on your Ocean site. Select the user that you wish to notify. Alternatively, type their name to automatically filter the list.
    • Once you have selected your desired user, the 'Notify' button will appear. Press it to send an email notification to the user you selected, indicating that their reviewal is required.

      Note: To assign an eReferral for review without triggering an email notification, simply press 'Save & Close' after selecting a user.

    • A confirmation message will appear on screen confirming that an email notification has been sent, and the email address that it was sent to.

      Note: The email notification will be sent to the Email Address listed in the reviewer's Ocean user account settings.

    • An example of the email that the reviewer will receive can be seen by expanding the image on the right.
    • Press 'Save & Close' to close the eReferral.
    • The eReferral will be moved into the site-wide 'Needs Review' folder. It will also appear in the 'For Me' folder of the assigned reviewer.
Steps to Review an eReferral Flagged for Your Review
  1. Locate and Open your eReferral

    • Open the assigned eReferral by clicking the 'View the eReferral' button in the notification email.
    • Alternatively, if the eReferral was assigned to you without an email notification, locate the eReferral in the 'For Me' folder.
  2. Review the eReferral

    • The 'Review' panel within the eReferral will automatically open for physician users. For non-physician users, this panel can be accessed by selecting the speech bubble icon in the 'Notes' area, and pressing 'Review...'.
    • Assign a priority level to the eReferral and any additional comments.
    • Complete the review process by selecting one of the options below:
1. Request Decline
Stamps a simple note into Notes pane indicating that the eReferral should be declined, and moves the eReferral into the folder it was previously in. The eReferral should then be manually declined by the next user actioning it.
2. Save
Stamps a summary note of the review into the Notes panel.
3. Reviewed
Stamps a summary note of the review into the Notes panel, completes the reviewal process, and moves the eReferral into the folder it was previously in.
4. Reviewed Arrow
Provides additional options for completing the reviewal.
'Review and Accept' completes the reviewal process, and moves the eReferral into the 'Pending Booking' folder. Note: This option is only available if the eReferral has not already been accepted.
'Review and Decline' completes the reviewal process, and moves the eReferral into the 'Declined' folder.

Quick Tip

  • The 'Enable Review Mode' toggle button in the bottom left corner can be used to expedite the process for reviewing eReferrals.
  • When review mode is enabled and there are multiple outstanding eReferrals for review, the 'Reviewed & Close' button in the bottom center of the eReferral is replaced with a 'Reviewed & Next' button, allowing you to quickly move into the next outstanding eReferral without having to manually close and open each time.
Step to Review an eReferral without being Flagged

1. Locate and Open your eReferral

  • In the 'eReferrals & eConsults' area of the Ocean Portal, locate your referral and click on it to open it.

2. Review the eReferral

  • Within the 'Notes' area of referral, press the speech bubble icon and select 'Review...'.
  • The review note area will appear on the right hand side.

    Note: Review forms can be customized to suit the review processes of each Ocean Site, so your specific form may look slightly different.

  • Assign a priority level to the eReferral and any additional comments. Your review form may have additional questions if it has been customized.
  • Complete the review process by selecting one of the options below:
1. Request Decline
Stamps a simple note into Notes pane indicating that the eReferral should be declined, and moves the eReferral into the folder it was previously in. The eReferral should then be manually declined by the next user actioning it.
2. Save
Stamps a summary note of the review into the 'Notes' panel.

Can I send the patient details about how and where their eReferral Appointment is occurring?

eReferral recipients can now specify the method for how appointments booked on their referrals will occur (in person, as a home visit, or a virtual visit by phone or video). This is done in the Scheduling pane of eReferrals in the Medium dropdown to the right of each appointment date and time.

  • To specify the appointment Medium, click on the dropdown to the right of the appointment time and select if the appointment will be In Person at the listing location, In Person at an alternate location, by Phone, Video Visit, or as a Home Visit.
    • Ocean will include the selected appointment medium, alongside the other scheduling details, in the booking email notifications automatically sent to the patient and referring provider.

Note: Medium is a mandatory field. It will default to "In Person" at the address of the directory listing the referral belongs to. If this is not accurate, please ensure the dropdown selection is changed before saving the booking details.

  • If you select "In Person (Alternate Location Specified in the Booking Comments)" please ensure the address details are included in the booking comments. If desired, you can configure the alternate locations as canned booking comments.
  • Details regarding the phone, video or home visits can also be configured and included in the canned booking comments.
  • If booking multiple appointments on the eReferral, you can select a separate medium for each appointment.
  • Patients who have consented to email notifications will receive the standard booking email with the appointment date and time, followed by the medium. See the following support article for further examples.

What does the "Copy of referral and status updates to" setting do on an eConsult and/or eReferral?

When a consult or referral is first sent or when it is updated, the user can specify additional stakeholders for the consult and/or referral. The stakeholders must exist as directory listings within the Ocean Health Map.

The "Copy of referral and status updates to" stakeholders can be automatically notified regarding important status changes, such as a booking or a cancellation.

The stakeholders are shown in the following areas:

  • The Referral Notification Sheet, which is used to help sites notify other offline sites via Fax
  • The Referral Record
  • The Referral Note
  • The electronic view of the consult and/or referral
  • The list of electronic message recipients in the Messages tab of the consult and/or referral (if the stakeholder listing has been claimed by an Ocean site)

When a status changes, Ocean determines how each stakeholder should be notified.

Stakeholder listings that have been claimed by an Ocean site are notified automatically via a notification email sent from Ocean, similar to how referrers/senders are notified in the Ocean eReferral Network.

Stakeholder listings that have not been claimed by an Ocean site cannot be notified via an Ocean email or be sent results electronically via Ocean. Consequently, the consult and/or referral and its associated information must be faxed to the listing or sent in some other manner. Similarly, when a consult and/or referral with one of these "offline" stakeholder listings is updated by a user, Ocean informs the user that a manual notification is necessary for the listing. Users can send these manual notifications by printing the "Fax Notification Sheet" and faxing it to the recipient.


Can I add multiple patient appointments to my eReferral?

Once you've accepted a referral and begin scheduling a patient's appointment, you may want to schedule more than one appointment time. You can do so within the eReferral window.

  1. Once you've accepted a referral, open your referral from the "Pending Booking" tab and navigate to "Scheduling". 
  2. To add an additional appointment, click the (+) button. Similarly, to remove an appointment, click the (-) button.
  3. You can select an appointment label depending on the appointment labels configured for your site. The appointment label is important as it will impact which appointments are saved to your referral analytics and used in wait time calculations. It is also what will be displayed in referrer and patient booking email notifications. To see how you can add appointment labels, and review these details, refer to Step 4 of this guide: Confirm Your eReferral Site Settings.
  4. Confirm the appointment time and details, save your changes. 

 

Note: If you are unsure of the exact appointment time, you can book a blank appointment slot which will place the referral back into "Pending Booking". This allows you to keep track of appointments to book in the future. Once you confirm the appointment, you can repeat the steps above.


Can I make a copy of a received referral?

If your site receives a referral that needs to be managed in a couple different ways, or split into multiple health service offerings, you can use the Add Related Referral functionality. For example, perhaps your site receives an Orthopedic referral for a patient's right hip, but an assessment outcome determines the left hip should be treated as well. The related referral functionality allows the recipient to make a copy of the original referral for the right hip, so that the left hip referral can be forwarded or booked separately.

  • Open the referral you wish to make a copy of and select the Action menu. Choose Add Related Referral.
  • In the pop up window, choose the desired Health Service for the new referral.
  • If you would like to change the description of the original referral, add it to the Original Referral Description field. To add a new description to the copy of the referral, type in the Related Referral Description field.
  • Click Add. You will now see a copy of both referrals in the eReferrals page in your Ocean site, with their own unique descriptions. The referral note and information on each referral will be identical, but they can now be booked and managed separately. Ocean refers to each of these as "child" referrals.
  • Note: The inbox the original referral was sitting in will impact which inbox(es) the child referrals will be found in, after the related referral is generated. For example, if the original referral was in the Booked Confirmed inbox, it will maintain it's booking information and remain there after the related referral is added. The new related referral will be found in the Pending Booking inbox with a blank scheduling pane.
  • If you open one of the child referrals, you can view the status of the other child (or the related referral), in the Related Referrals section below the referral note. Click the blue text of the related referral to open it directly from the current referral.
  • When a related referral is added, a third referral, called the "source" referral, is also created and stored in the Ocean site. Updates made to the patient's information in the source referral will be pushed to all child referrals. You can also add Source Notes, which are notes that can be viewed on both child referrals. To open the source referral, click the "View Source Referral" link in the Related Referrals section of the child referral, or click "View Source Referral" from the Action Menu of any child referral.

How can I save an eConsult and/or eReferral for completion at a later time?

There may be times where an Ocean eConsult and/or eReferral is initiated, but further information is required before it can be completed and sent (e.g. physician is waiting on a prior imaging report, or lab result to include in the referral).

From the Referral From PS Suite
  • In these scenarios, the "Save for Later" function in the bottom left of the form can be clicked.
  • Clicking this provides a URL that you can use to access it for later completion. If you are not using an EMR, copy and store this link for later use.
  • For EMR users, a referral note with this URL will be automatically downloaded in the patient's chart notes. So you can simply click "OK" here and close out of the window.
  • To access it again, copy and paste the URL from the patient's chart notes into a new browser window.

Warning: This consult and/or referral will only be saved for 30 days, so you'll need to complete the it in that time frame. After 30 days, this URL can no longer be used, and you'll need to initiate the consult and/or referral again.