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Surrey Place and Developmental Services Ontario – Toronto Region Partner to Streamline Primary Care and Hospital Referrals

JULY 3, 2024

Surrey Place, in collaboration with Developmental Services Ontario Toronto Region (DSO-TR), proudly announces a pivotal initiative with Strata Health to improve referral processes for primary care clinicians and hospitals. This initiative, realized with the Ontario eServices Program and OceanMD, marks a significant advancement in healthcare coordination.

Primary care providers can now refer patients to developmental services more efficiently and effectively, with hospital clinicians in the GTA soon to follow. The integration of Strata Health’s centralized intake and matching technology with OceanMD’s trusted primary care e-referral capabilities simplifies the referral process to Surrey Place and DSO-TR, enhancing the connection between primary care, acute care, and developmental services.

Benefits of the New System

  • Efficiency and Ease of Use: OceanMD’s user-friendly eReferral Platform integrates directly with Electronic
    Medical Records (EMRs), accelerating referrals to Surrey Place, and DSO-TR.
  • Visibility and Transparency: Resource Matching & Referral application, powered by Strata Health, enables
    39 participating organizations including acute, rehabilitation, complex continuing care, and in-home care
    health service providers in Toronto and Central regions to eliminate fax.
  • Reduced Administrative Burden: Automation significantly lightens the administrative load, freeing
    healthcare providers to concentrate on patient care.

Enhancing Patient-Centered Healthcare

This collaboration is part of Surrey Place and DSO-TR’s commitment to enriching healthcare for both patients and clinicians. Moving away from traditional time-consuming communication methods, this digital overhaul will help enable a more dynamic and responsive healthcare environment. Primary care clinicians can explore the eReferral destination by searching DSO on the Ocean Healthmap. Resource Matching & Referral users can simply select Surrey Place or DSO as a referral destination.

Quotes

The new eReferral system implemented by Surrey Place and DSO-TR, is streamlining
communications among hospitals, primary care and developmental services, to target backlogs and bridge service gaps. This integration will help support patients and their families in accessing the primary, acute, and mental health care they deserve, as we continue to build out a comprehensive continuum of healthcare for the province.

Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister for Mental Health and Addictions

Surrey Place is deeply committed to enhancing the lives of persons with developmental disabilities and their families. This transformative partnership marks a new chapter in healthcare coordination and accessibility. Family physicians, nurse practitioners, and hospital clinicians play an irreplaceable role in supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. Their unique contributions, combined with this new initiative, will ensure that every patient receives timely, integrated care tailored to their specific needs. Together, we are crafting a future where the complexities of care coordination become a thing of the past, allowing families and individuals to focus on what truly matters — their health and well-being.

Jeanny Scantlebury, Vice President at Surrey Place

At Strata Health, we are thrilled to partner with Surrey Place and DSO to drive a monumental shift in how care is coordinated for individuals with developmental disabilities. This collaboration reflects our core mission to bridge gaps in healthcare through innovative technology. Family physicians, nurse practitioners, and hospital clinicians are the unsung heroes in the continuum of care. By integrating our technology into their daily workflow, we’re not just streamlining processes — we’re empowering these professionals to make a profound impact on the lives of patients and their families. Together, we are setting a new standard for healthcare efficiency and patient-focused care.

 Peter Smith, CEO at Strata Health

At OceanMD, we are proud to support this groundbreaking initiative with Surrey Place, DSO-TR, and Strata Health. Our commitment to interoperability is at the core of everything we do. By seamlessly connecting systems from primary care EMRs to end-user applications, we are not only enhancing the efficiency of referrals but also improving the overall quality of patient care. This partnership exemplifies how innovative technology can advance healthcare by making it more efficient, increasing transparency, and providing patients with real-time updates throughout their referral journey. Working closely with the team at Strata Health, we are excited to lead the way in creating a more integrated and patient-centered healthcare system.

Jeff Kavanagh, CEO of OceanMD

About Surrey Place: Surrey Place is a not-for-profit organization that helps people of all ages with autism-, developmental-, and sensory-related concerns push the boundaries of what’s possible to achieve new victories. With a holistic circle of care approach, Surrey Place brings together caring clinicians, staff, valued partners and other experts to collaborate for the client’s best interests. The organization works with clients throughout their lives, creating inventive and innovative programs so they can keep building their skills, grow their self-confidence and set their sights even higher. Since 1962, Surrey Place has supported people with varying and complex needs in the Toronto region and more recently, Northwestern Ontario. Surrey Place is accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada through the healthcare program.

About the Ontario eServices Program: The Ontario eServices Program enhances healthcare delivery with digital solutions that support clinical workflows, ensuring seamless care transitions and elevating the patient experience. Learn more at eServicesProgramOntario.ca.

About DSO-TR: DSO Toronto Region, supported by Surrey Place Centre and funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, embodies a mission to assist individuals with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder to lead socially inclusive lives. The DSO is the single point of access and primary contact point for information about ministry-funded adult developmental services and supports in Ontario. Offering bilingual services, we strive for excellence in assisting individuals and families to access services and supports. 

About Strata Health: Strata Health, with over two decades in  the health tech arena, is at the forefront of developing smart digital tools for optimizing resource allocation and enhancing patient flow across the healthcare continuum. Serving an international clientele, Strata Health is instrumental in improving the care experience for millions globally. Discover more at www.stratahealth.com.

About OceanMD: OceanMD, a WELL Health Company (TSX:WELL), is Canada’s leading provider of EMR-integrated patient engagement and eReferral solutions, built on the secure, cloud-based Ocean Platform. Ocean integrates with the nation’s leading electronic medical records systems, provincial resources, and other digital health solutions to allow patients, healthcare providers, and systems to securely share and exchange patient health information. By replacing outdated, fax-based technology with EMR-integrated eReferrals, the Ocean eReferral Network is helping to reduce wait times and improve access to care. Ocean’s full suite of integrated patient engagement tools is also helping improve digital access for patients, increase access to primary care, and support virtual care across Canada. To learn more, visit https://www.oceanmd.com/.

About Resource Matching & Referrals (RM&R): RM&R is a shared, web-based application that matches patients to appropriate clinical programs and services. The primary focus is from acute care to post-acute care settings with some community based programs. The application currently has 39 participating organizations including acute, rehabilitation, complex continuing care and in-home care health service providers in Toronto and Central regions. On average, the application processes over 150,000 referrals annually between the regions.

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