1. OceanMD
  2. eConsults & eReferrals
  3. Guide to Sending eConsults

Guide to Sending eConsults

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Note for Ontario Users: In Ontario, Ocean eConsults are currently in a limited release. For more information on eConsult in Ontario as part of the Ontario eServices Program, please review the Overview of eConsults in Ontario article.

  1. Accessing and Searching the Ocean Healthmap

    Utilize the Ocean Healthmap to search for a variety of specialists that meets your patient's unique needs.

    To properly send eConsults to specialists within your Med Access EMR, Accuro EMR or through the Ocean Portal, your first steps are to access and search the Ocean Healthmap.

    Access the Ocean Healthmap

    Med Access Accuro Ocean Portal
      • Begin in a test patient's chart and click the "Launch" button. This will cause any downloaded extensions in your EMR to appear in a new window.
      •  
      • Within the "My extensions" window, locate "Ocean by CognisantMD" and click "View Patient". This will launch you into the Ocean Patient Dashboard from an internet browser.
      •  
      • In the Ocean Patient Dashboard, you will be able to see basic patient demographics that were pulled from the individual's EMR chart along with any active eReferral or eConsult requests. To initiate a new one, click "Send eReferral" to be brought to the Ocean Healthmap.
      • From the Healthmap, your Ocean user account should be displayed in the top right corner next to your site name. The patient's address will be automatically pulled from their chart and a house icon will appear at its location on the map, ready to only display clinics nearby.

    Search the Ocean Healthmap

    The search bar in the top left allows you to search for a variety of health services. This can be done by either typing in the name of a specific specialist, or by inputting a general health service such as cardiology or physiotherapy.

    For example, in this demo, searching for cardiology causes any matching listings in the current Healthmap view to appear listed on the left and also on the map itself with a blue star icon.

    If a green arrow icon is visible next to the specialist, it means that they are both actively on the Ocean network and accepting eConsult requests.

    Note: To locate additional specialists, you can zoom out from the map or search the entire Ocean directory by clicking on their respective hyperlinks.

  2. Sending a New eConsult Request

    After you have found a specialist is a match for your patient, you must send them an Ocean eConsult request. In this request, you will include relevant information about the patient.

    How to send a new eConsult request

    Clicking on a specialist that you want to send an eConsult request to causes additional information to appear within the Ocean Heathmap. You should see the specialist's listing description, contact information and specific health services that they offer.

    Underneath this information, click the blue "Send Ocean eConsult" button to begin the request process.

    eConsult Form

    The eConsult form tied to the specialist's listing will now appear with the following relevant fields. 

    Patient Information
    This area includes demographic information about the patient that has been automatically pulled from their EMR chart. If you are accessing this form from the Ocean Portal, please note that this information will have to be manually entered.
    Reason for Referral
    Here, you will type in relevant information as to why you are referring the patient to this specialist.
    History
    You can include pertinent family history in this text box.
    Include CPP
    Checking this box will allow you to review and include cumulative patient profile values with the eConsult request. If you have accessed the Ocean Healthmap from your EMR, you might notice a number of these values have been pulled from the patient's chart.
    Add Attachments
    Clicking this box allows you to locate and select a file or files in your computer that need to be included with the eConsult request. After adding a file, you can preview it by clicking on the purple eye icon or remove it by clicking the red X.

    For Accuro users: You can also add attachments to eConsult requests through the Generate Letter workflow that is explained here.

    Sender's Information
    This section includes information about the individual sending the request. This will be automatically pulled from your Ocean user account. To update any information in this area, you can click the edit icon on the righthand side.
    Send eConsult
    Clicking this button will cause an "Obtain Patient's Email Consent" window to appear. This prompts you to either permit (if consent was obtained from the patient) or decline (if consent was not obtained) emailed notifications to the patient related to important status updates. Next, a "Confirm Clinical Information" window will appear where you can confirm the patient's name and age along with your Ocean site and user account details. Clicking "Proceed" brings up a receipt confirming that the eConsult was sent successfully.

    Accessing a Record of the eConsult Request

    Med Access Accuro Ocean Portal
      • From the patient's chart in Med Access, click "Tasks".
      • You will see a newly generated progress note containing a summary of the eConsult request.  
  3. Tracking and Updating a Sent eConsult Request

    Track the progress of a sent eConsult request or update it.

    After your eConsult request has been sent to a specialist, it is extremely straightforward to track its progress or edit/update it at any time.

    Med Access Accuro Ocean Portal
      • From the patient's chart in Med Access, click "Launch".
      •  
      • Within the "My extensions" window, locate "Ocean by CognisantMD" and click on "View Patient". This will launch you back into the Ocean Patient Dashboard from an internet browser.
      •  
      • Here, you will see a user-friendly view of your sent eConsult request, with the date sent, health service description, referrer, source Ocean site, provider the request was sent to and status displayed.  
      •  
      • Clicking on the request will cause a more detailed view to open in a new page. From here, clicking on each edit icon allows you to update information in the section it is located. Additionally, you can add a new note or send a message to the specialist from this page by typing in the respective text boxes. Any time information/content is edited or created on this page, the specialist will be notified.

Accessing and Searching the Ocean Healthmap

Utilize the Ocean Healthmap to search for a variety of specialists that meets your patient's unique needs.

To properly send eConsults to specialists within your Med Access EMR, Accuro EMR or through the Ocean Portal, your first steps are to access and search the Ocean Healthmap.

Access the Ocean Healthmap

Med Access Accuro Ocean Portal
    • Begin in a test patient's chart and click the "Launch" button. This will cause any downloaded extensions in your EMR to appear in a new window.
    •  
    • Within the "My extensions" window, locate "Ocean by CognisantMD" and click "View Patient". This will launch you into the Ocean Patient Dashboard from an internet browser.
    •  
    • In the Ocean Patient Dashboard, you will be able to see basic patient demographics that were pulled from the individual's EMR chart along with any active eReferral or eConsult requests. To initiate a new one, click "Send eReferral" to be brought to the Ocean Healthmap.
    • From the Healthmap, your Ocean user account should be displayed in the top right corner next to your site name. The patient's address will be automatically pulled from their chart and a house icon will appear at its location on the map, ready to only display clinics nearby.

Search the Ocean Healthmap

The search bar in the top left allows you to search for a variety of health services. This can be done by either typing in the name of a specific specialist, or by inputting a general health service such as cardiology or physiotherapy.

For example, in this demo, searching for cardiology causes any matching listings in the current Healthmap view to appear listed on the left and also on the map itself with a blue star icon.

If a green arrow icon is visible next to the specialist, it means that they are both actively on the Ocean network and accepting eConsult requests.

Note: To locate additional specialists, you can zoom out from the map or search the entire Ocean directory by clicking on their respective hyperlinks.

Sending a New eConsult Request

After you have found a specialist is a match for your patient, you must send them an Ocean eConsult request. In this request, you will include relevant information about the patient.

How to send a new eConsult request

Clicking on a specialist that you want to send an eConsult request to causes additional information to appear within the Ocean Heathmap. You should see the specialist's listing description, contact information and specific health services that they offer.

Underneath this information, click the blue "Send Ocean eConsult" button to begin the request process.

eConsult Form

The eConsult form tied to the specialist's listing will now appear with the following relevant fields. 

Patient Information
This area includes demographic information about the patient that has been automatically pulled from their EMR chart. If you are accessing this form from the Ocean Portal, please note that this information will have to be manually entered.
Reason for Referral
Here, you will type in relevant information as to why you are referring the patient to this specialist.
History
You can include pertinent family history in this text box.
Include CPP
Checking this box will allow you to review and include cumulative patient profile values with the eConsult request. If you have accessed the Ocean Healthmap from your EMR, you might notice a number of these values have been pulled from the patient's chart.
Add Attachments
Clicking this box allows you to locate and select a file or files in your computer that need to be included with the eConsult request. After adding a file, you can preview it by clicking on the purple eye icon or remove it by clicking the red X.

For Accuro users: You can also add attachments to eConsult requests through the Generate Letter workflow that is explained here.

Sender's Information
This section includes information about the individual sending the request. This will be automatically pulled from your Ocean user account. To update any information in this area, you can click the edit icon on the righthand side.
Send eConsult
Clicking this button will cause an "Obtain Patient's Email Consent" window to appear. This prompts you to either permit (if consent was obtained from the patient) or decline (if consent was not obtained) emailed notifications to the patient related to important status updates. Next, a "Confirm Clinical Information" window will appear where you can confirm the patient's name and age along with your Ocean site and user account details. Clicking "Proceed" brings up a receipt confirming that the eConsult was sent successfully.

Accessing a Record of the eConsult Request

Med Access Accuro Ocean Portal
    • From the patient's chart in Med Access, click "Tasks".
    • You will see a newly generated progress note containing a summary of the eConsult request.  

Tracking and Updating a Sent eConsult Request

Track the progress of a sent eConsult request or update it.

After your eConsult request has been sent to a specialist, it is extremely straightforward to track its progress or edit/update it at any time.

Med Access Accuro Ocean Portal
    • From the patient's chart in Med Access, click "Launch".
    •  
    • Within the "My extensions" window, locate "Ocean by CognisantMD" and click on "View Patient". This will launch you back into the Ocean Patient Dashboard from an internet browser.
    •  
    • Here, you will see a user-friendly view of your sent eConsult request, with the date sent, health service description, referrer, source Ocean site, provider the request was sent to and status displayed.  
    •  
    • Clicking on the request will cause a more detailed view to open in a new page. From here, clicking on each edit icon allows you to update information in the section it is located. Additionally, you can add a new note or send a message to the specialist from this page by typing in the respective text boxes. Any time information/content is edited or created on this page, the specialist will be notified.