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. Understanding the eReferrals & eConsults View

    Learn how to navigate Ocean's eReferrals & eConsults area, and the basic sections within an eConsult.

    The eReferrals & eConsults view is used for viewing, tracking, and managing all of your eConsults in one central area. Learning the basic functionalities of this area will allow you to confidently navigate Ocean and handle your eConsults with ease.

    eReferrals & eConsults View Opening an eConsult

    The diagram below outlines the key areas and functionalities in the eReferrals & eConsults view.

    1. Search Box
    To find a specific eConsult, type into the search bar. You can search by patient surname, or the names of the related healthcare providers.
    2. General Folder Group
    These folders are used to flag eConsults that need to be reviewed, eConsults that have been flagged for your specific attention, and eConsults you have recently viewed.
    3. Sent/Received Status Folder Group
    The 'Received' and 'Sent' folder groupings contain individual status folders which are used to organize eConsults as they progress through their lifecycle. The specific purpose of each status folder is defined in this support article.
    4. Actions Menu
    Used for quick access and advanced functionalities, including launching the Ocean Healthmap, exporting your eReferrals and eConsults, batch print eReferrals and eConsults, and viewing a patient's referral and consult history.
    5. Group-Level Filters
    Contains filters that can be applied across all status folders within the 'Sent' or 'Received' folder grouping.
    6. Folder-Specific Filters
    Contains filters that can be applied only within the currently-opened status folder.
    7. Patient Referral List
    Shows basic information about the patient eConsults that match your currently selected folder and applied filter(s).
    8. Settings Button
    Used for accessing the configuration options available for eReferrals & eConsults at your Ocean Site.
    9. Status Icons
    Used for quickly indicating relevant statuses and characteristics for each eReferral & eConsult. A full legend for all icons is found in this support article.
  2. Accepting & Declining eConsults

    Learn how to accept, decline, and import eConsults into your EMR.

    PS Suite Med Access Accuro OSCAR Pro Non-Integrated

    1. Receive an email notification and access the eConsult

    • Locate the eConsult under the 'Received' tab and within the 'New' status folder. Click on the eConsult to open it and view more details.

      Tip: Certain columns can be used to sort your referrals into ascending/descending order. Simply click the column header.

    2. Review and accept or decline the eConsult

    • Use the 'Decline' or 'Accept eConsult' button at the bottom of the eConsult to indicate your decision.

      If you believe that the patient should be referred to your clinic instead, click 'Accept as eReferral'. Then, follow the steps in this guide.

    Accept Decline
    PS Suite Med Access Accuro OSCAR Pro Other EMR
    • When you accept a new eConsult, the referral information will be automatically imported as a new Active Task in the patient's chart with the matching healthcard number and date of birth in your Med Access EMR.
    • In Ocean, the eConsult will be automatically moved to the 'Accepted as eConsult' status folder.
    • If no chart with a matching healthcard number and date of birth is found, Ocean will automatically generate a new chart and import the consult notes into it. The patient's demographic fields will also automatically update in the patient's chart.
    • Note: The 'Patient Status' field in new charts generated by Ocean will be set by default to 'Unconfirmed'. Ensure that you update the status to 'Active' (or your preferred status) after accepting the eConsult.

      • If Ocean automatically generated a new patient chart and the name of the referring provider already exists in your Med Access address book, the 'Referring Provider' chart field will also be updated with the referrer's name.

    Note: Ocean matches the referring provider's information with the Med Access address book using First Name and Last Name.

    If more than one provider exists in the Med Access address book with the same first and last name, Ocean uses the referrer's fax number to match with the correct provider.

    If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, and fax number, Ocean will not update 'Referring Provider' field.

    If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, but no matching fax number is found, Ocean will not update 'Referring Provider' field.

    Ocean-MA Extension: Task Category and Type Adjustments

    • If you use the Ocean-MA Extension, it will automatically recognize upon opening the Task that it is related to an Ocean eConsult.
    • The extension will automatically adjust the Task 'Category' and 'Type' values to correspond with the Ocean eConsult.

    After reviewing the changes and making any other necessary adjustments to the Task, click 'Save'. The Task will be automatically categorized into the 'Active Requests' section of the corresponding 'Consults ' or 'Investigations' area of the patient chart.

  3. Providing Consultation Advice

    Learn how to respond to an eConsult with consultation advice using the Messaging functionality.

    Once you have accepted an eConsult, your next step will be to review the details of the consult and provide advice accordingly.

    How do I provide consultation advice?

    • Within the 'Messaging' area, simply select the appropriate message recipient using the 'To:' dropdown (if multiple stakeholders are involved in the eConsult), type your message into the text box and optionally add an attachment.

      Tip: For increased efficiency, you can also create canned responses for your Ocean Site that are easily selectable using the speech bubble icon.

    • Ensure the box next to 'Respond as an eConsult' is checked.
    • Select an accurate timespan from the 'Billing time' dropdown for tracking purposes. Click 'Send'.
    • Once you have sent your consultation advice, select 'Close'.
    • The eConsult will now shift into the 'eConsult in Progress' status folder.
    • The sender of the eConsult will receive an email notification that you have provided consultation advice.

      Note: All messages within an eConsult are visible to all involved stakeholders.

    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 eConsult 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.
  4. View Responses to Consultation Advice

    Learn how a sender can respond to the consultation advice you have provided.

    After you have responded to an eConsult with your consultation advice, the sender can take action in a few different ways:

    Sender Follows Up with Additional Information

    • The sender may review your consultation advice and follow up with additional questions or information.
    • These can be reviewed in the 'Messaging' area of the eConsult, where you can respond. Correspondence with the sender can continue as long as necessary.
    • If a sender follows up with additional information, the eConsult will remain in the 'eConsult in Progress' status folder. It will also be found in the 'Needs Review' status folder.
    • Any messages that have not been reviewed will be indicated by a yellow exclamation icon. To acknowledge that messages from the sender have been seen, mark the eConsult as 'Reviewed & Close'. The eConsult will then be removed from the 'Needs Review' folder.

    Sender Changes the eConsult to an eReferral

    • At any time during the lifecycle of an eConsult, the sender can choose to change the eConsult to an eReferral.
    • If an eConsult is changed to an eReferral by the sender, it will be found in the 'Needs Review' and 'New' status folders in the Ocean Portal.

      Follow the steps in this guide to take action.

    Sender Requests to Proceed with eReferral

    • If the sender has reviewed your consultation advice and feels that a referral is necessary, they can request that you proceed with a eReferral for the patient.
    • In this case, the eConsult will be automatically moved to the 'Needs Review' and 'New' status folders in the Ocean Portal.
    • In the 'Messaging' area of the eConsult, you will find a message containing a request to proceed with an eReferral, along with the reasoning for this request.

      Follow the steps in this guide to move forward with an eReferral.

    Sender Completes eConsult

    • If the sender has reviewed your consultation advice and is satisfied with your exchange, they can choose to mark the eConsult as completed.
    • The eConsult will be automatically moved to the 'Needs Review' and 'Completed' status folders.
      • Open the eConsult and select 'Reviewed & Close' to acknowledge that you have reviewed the completed eConsult.

        The eConsult will then move out of the 'Needs Review' status folder.

    Note: Upon acknowledging the completed eConsult as reviewed by selecting 'Reviewed & Close', a final copy of the eConsult record will be automatically downloaded into the patient's chart in your EMR. This applies to Med Access, Accuro, or OSCAR Pro users.

    For other EMRs, you can manually download a final copy of the referral/consult record.

    Mark a Completed eConsult as Incomplete

    • If you believe that the eConsult is not yet complete, you can select 'Mark Incomplete' to continue the exchange with the sender.
    • The eConsult will automatically move to the 'eConsult in Progress' status folder for both parties. You can then continue communicating with the sender until they mark the eConsult as completed.

Understanding the eReferrals & eConsults View

Learn how to navigate Ocean's eReferrals & eConsults area, and the basic sections within an eConsult.

The eReferrals & eConsults view is used for viewing, tracking, and managing all of your eConsults in one central area. Learning the basic functionalities of this area will allow you to confidently navigate Ocean and handle your eConsults with ease.

eReferrals & eConsults View Opening an eConsult

The diagram below outlines the key areas and functionalities in the eReferrals & eConsults view.

1. Search Box
To find a specific eConsult, type into the search bar. You can search by patient surname, or the names of the related healthcare providers.
2. General Folder Group
These folders are used to flag eConsults that need to be reviewed, eConsults that have been flagged for your specific attention, and eConsults you have recently viewed.
3. Sent/Received Status Folder Group
The 'Received' and 'Sent' folder groupings contain individual status folders which are used to organize eConsults as they progress through their lifecycle. The specific purpose of each status folder is defined in this support article.
4. Actions Menu
Used for quick access and advanced functionalities, including launching the Ocean Healthmap, exporting your eReferrals and eConsults, batch print eReferrals and eConsults, and viewing a patient's referral and consult history.
5. Group-Level Filters
Contains filters that can be applied across all status folders within the 'Sent' or 'Received' folder grouping.
6. Folder-Specific Filters
Contains filters that can be applied only within the currently-opened status folder.
7. Patient Referral List
Shows basic information about the patient eConsults that match your currently selected folder and applied filter(s).
8. Settings Button
Used for accessing the configuration options available for eReferrals & eConsults at your Ocean Site.
9. Status Icons
Used for quickly indicating relevant statuses and characteristics for each eReferral & eConsult. A full legend for all icons is found in this support article.

Accepting & Declining eConsults

Learn how to accept, decline, and import eConsults into your EMR.

PS Suite Med Access Accuro OSCAR Pro Non-Integrated

1. Receive an email notification and access the eConsult

  • Locate the eConsult under the 'Received' tab and within the 'New' status folder. Click on the eConsult to open it and view more details.

    Tip: Certain columns can be used to sort your referrals into ascending/descending order. Simply click the column header.

2. Review and accept or decline the eConsult

  • Use the 'Decline' or 'Accept eConsult' button at the bottom of the eConsult to indicate your decision.

    If you believe that the patient should be referred to your clinic instead, click 'Accept as eReferral'. Then, follow the steps in this guide.

Accept Decline
PS Suite Med Access Accuro OSCAR Pro Other EMR
  • When you accept a new eConsult, the referral information will be automatically imported as a new Active Task in the patient's chart with the matching healthcard number and date of birth in your Med Access EMR.
  • In Ocean, the eConsult will be automatically moved to the 'Accepted as eConsult' status folder.
  • If no chart with a matching healthcard number and date of birth is found, Ocean will automatically generate a new chart and import the consult notes into it. The patient's demographic fields will also automatically update in the patient's chart.
  • Note: The 'Patient Status' field in new charts generated by Ocean will be set by default to 'Unconfirmed'. Ensure that you update the status to 'Active' (or your preferred status) after accepting the eConsult.

    • If Ocean automatically generated a new patient chart and the name of the referring provider already exists in your Med Access address book, the 'Referring Provider' chart field will also be updated with the referrer's name.

Note: Ocean matches the referring provider's information with the Med Access address book using First Name and Last Name.

If more than one provider exists in the Med Access address book with the same first and last name, Ocean uses the referrer's fax number to match with the correct provider.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, and fax number, Ocean will not update 'Referring Provider' field.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, but no matching fax number is found, Ocean will not update 'Referring Provider' field.

Ocean-MA Extension: Task Category and Type Adjustments

  • If you use the Ocean-MA Extension, it will automatically recognize upon opening the Task that it is related to an Ocean eConsult.
  • The extension will automatically adjust the Task 'Category' and 'Type' values to correspond with the Ocean eConsult.

After reviewing the changes and making any other necessary adjustments to the Task, click 'Save'. The Task will be automatically categorized into the 'Active Requests' section of the corresponding 'Consults ' or 'Investigations' area of the patient chart.


Providing Consultation Advice

Learn how to respond to an eConsult with consultation advice using the Messaging functionality.

Once you have accepted an eConsult, your next step will be to review the details of the consult and provide advice accordingly.

How do I provide consultation advice?

  • Within the 'Messaging' area, simply select the appropriate message recipient using the 'To:' dropdown (if multiple stakeholders are involved in the eConsult), type your message into the text box and optionally add an attachment.

    Tip: For increased efficiency, you can also create canned responses for your Ocean Site that are easily selectable using the speech bubble icon.

  • Ensure the box next to 'Respond as an eConsult' is checked.
  • Select an accurate timespan from the 'Billing time' dropdown for tracking purposes. Click 'Send'.
  • Once you have sent your consultation advice, select 'Close'.
  • The eConsult will now shift into the 'eConsult in Progress' status folder.
  • The sender of the eConsult will receive an email notification that you have provided consultation advice.

    Note: All messages within an eConsult are visible to all involved stakeholders.

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 eConsult 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.

View Responses to Consultation Advice

Learn how a sender can respond to the consultation advice you have provided.

After you have responded to an eConsult with your consultation advice, the sender can take action in a few different ways:

Sender Follows Up with Additional Information

  • The sender may review your consultation advice and follow up with additional questions or information.
  • These can be reviewed in the 'Messaging' area of the eConsult, where you can respond. Correspondence with the sender can continue as long as necessary.
  • If a sender follows up with additional information, the eConsult will remain in the 'eConsult in Progress' status folder. It will also be found in the 'Needs Review' status folder.
  • Any messages that have not been reviewed will be indicated by a yellow exclamation icon. To acknowledge that messages from the sender have been seen, mark the eConsult as 'Reviewed & Close'. The eConsult will then be removed from the 'Needs Review' folder.

Sender Changes the eConsult to an eReferral

  • At any time during the lifecycle of an eConsult, the sender can choose to change the eConsult to an eReferral.
  • If an eConsult is changed to an eReferral by the sender, it will be found in the 'Needs Review' and 'New' status folders in the Ocean Portal.

    Follow the steps in this guide to take action.

Sender Requests to Proceed with eReferral

  • If the sender has reviewed your consultation advice and feels that a referral is necessary, they can request that you proceed with a eReferral for the patient.
  • In this case, the eConsult will be automatically moved to the 'Needs Review' and 'New' status folders in the Ocean Portal.
  • In the 'Messaging' area of the eConsult, you will find a message containing a request to proceed with an eReferral, along with the reasoning for this request.

    Follow the steps in this guide to move forward with an eReferral.

Sender Completes eConsult

  • If the sender has reviewed your consultation advice and is satisfied with your exchange, they can choose to mark the eConsult as completed.
  • The eConsult will be automatically moved to the 'Needs Review' and 'Completed' status folders.
    • Open the eConsult and select 'Reviewed & Close' to acknowledge that you have reviewed the completed eConsult.

      The eConsult will then move out of the 'Needs Review' status folder.

Note: Upon acknowledging the completed eConsult as reviewed by selecting 'Reviewed & Close', a final copy of the eConsult record will be automatically downloaded into the patient's chart in your EMR. This applies to Med Access, Accuro, or OSCAR Pro users.

For other EMRs, you can manually download a final copy of the referral/consult record.

Mark a Completed eConsult as Incomplete

  • If you believe that the eConsult is not yet complete, you can select 'Mark Incomplete' to continue the exchange with the sender.
  • The eConsult will automatically move to the 'eConsult in Progress' status folder for both parties. You can then continue communicating with the sender until they mark the eConsult as completed.