LAST UPDATED NOVEMBER 24, 2022. Content will evolve as Connect Care is launched across the province, and as optimizations are made to the system. Please also note that the delivery information on these pages applies to mixed-context practitioners only, and in the majority of circumstances, but some exceptions may not be reflected here.
Delivery of Referral Communications and Appointment Notifications
Practitioners who deliver services in Alberta Health Services (AHS) departments where Connect Care is the legal record of care will order, triage and schedule any referrals to or from that department in Connect Care. Referrals that are received from community-based practitioners will be managed in Connect Care/Epic.
Referral notifications are not sent via eDelivery. Notifications for referrals are sent by different methods depending on whether the clinic being communicated with is internal (an AHS clinic on Connect Care) or external (a private, non-AHS clinic or a clinic not yet on Connect Care). Communications for internal clinics are sent to In Basket. Communications with external clinics, either for a referral incoming to AHS or outgoing from AHS, are sent by fax or mail.
For more information about the types of referral notifications sent and examples, see the guide.
Consult notes and letters from a referral are delivered to practitioners as described in the section Delivery of Hospital and Outpatient Care Documents: Clinical Care Notes and Letters.
Referral notifications for the referring practitioner
The practitioner requesting the referral - the Referring Provider (a.k.a. Referred By, Referrer, From, Referral Source) - may be sent notification for status updates (e.g., confirmation of receipt, letter of acceptance), information requests and appointment notifications.
Referral notifications for the consulting practitioner
The practitioner receiving the referral and performing the consult - the Consulting Provider (a.k.a. Referral To, Consultant) - may be sent notifications including a referral request or request for update. Referrals to internal AHS clinics on Connect Care are managed with work queues, and practitioners may receive notifications for triage.
Additional Resources and Notes (click to expand/collapse)
Additional Resources
Notes
This information was last updated November 24, 2022.
The information provided in this subsection of the Manual is specific to practitioners who work at AHS sites using Connect Care/Epic as the AHS Legal Record of Care, and who also work in a clinic or clinics with a private record of care.
Until Connect Care is fully implemented within AHS, the information and tables in this subsection of the Manual refer to results or reports that are routed through the Connect Care clinical information system, Epic. The information in this document does not suggest that other systems will manage information the same way. Some legacy systems still in use, like eScription, may continue to route information directly to private clinics in some areas, until all parts of the province are using Connect Care.
Technical limitations exist within Epic such that some messages generated within Connect Care for tests or interventions ordered outside of Connect Care (e.g., at a community clinic) will only be delivered to the practitioner’s Epic In Basket, if an In Basket exists for that practitioner. There is no technical option to deliver the results to another EMR or via fax/mail.