As the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out continues across Canada, many healthcare providers are navigating how this impacts their practices.
Even if clinics aren’t directly involved with vaccine administration just yet, it’s worth considering what this may look like in the near future.
Many patients are urgently looking to “pre-register” or book online at immunization clinics across the country. Clinics are inundated with inquiries about how to book, where to book, whether vaccines are safe, which vaccine is best, and more.
Similar to what we did during flu season, we’ve put together a list of tools and resources our clinics are using to prepare for their vaccination clinics.
Here are some ways Ocean can help:
- Pre-register patients and collect consent ahead of time with a Website Form
- Allow patients to self-report when they’ve been vaccinated
- Book COVID-19 vaccination appointments online
- Automatically remind patients of appointment details, follow up doses, after care instructions, and more
Website Forms are a secure, efficient, and compliant way of collecting information from your patients. They allow you to create a dedicated link to share with your patients or display on your website, which directs them to a secure Ocean form. This allows you to reduce the burden on your phone lines and administrative staff. Using a Website Form for pre-registration can allow your clinic to easily collect contact information, patient consent, and priority group status, which can ultimately assist with vaccine triaging and waitlist management. As eligibility criteria changes, our version of the consent form is kept up-to-date based on the official PHAC and Ontario forms. Website Forms can be used by existing or new patients, depending on your clinic’s preferences. In both cases, the patient chart is automatically updated in the EMR upon approval by staff. For new patients, Ocean can also create new patient charts in the EMR using information collected from Website Form submissions.
Clinics are reporting a high volume of patients looking to get in touch their primary care providers so they can alert the them of their recent COVID vaccines. To facilitate this process, clinics can also use a Website Form that directs patients to complete our Vaccine Self-Reporting Form, created by Dr. Joan Chan of Guelph Family Health Team. Patients can report the date and time of the vaccine in a structured way, making it easier for the nurse or provider to update the chart. This form doesn’t need to be used for just COVID vaccines; it can be used to report other vaccines like the flu shot as well.
Allowing patients to schedule their COVID-19 vaccination appointments online helps drastically reduce call volume and takes a lot of the burden off clinic staff. Ocean’s online booking solution lets you incorporate important information like eligibility screening or consent forms right into your booking flow. By using Ocean Forms, you can collect more information upfront, and automatically update the patient chart. If your clinic will only accept bookings from registered patients, you can also lock down your booking portal. If you’re accepting bookings from new patients or walk-ins, Ocean’s technology lets you easily create and update new charts in the EMR. Depending on what your needs are, Ocean is extremely flexible and can be adapted to suit your specific needs.
Reducing no-shows for COVID-19 vaccines is extremely important so reminders can be used to improve appointment adherence. Since these appointments occur in person, we also want to minimize the risk of patients showing up with potential symptoms. Ocean’s Patient Reminders can be configured in a variety of ways to safely support your workflows. Including Ocean forms such as the COVID-19 Email Screen, the COVID-19 Vaccination Consent, and patient-friendly tip sheet as part of your reminder means patients are screened and fully prepared before their visit. After the visit, reminders can be used to automate follow-up. You can easily schedule reminders that send aftercare instructions or prompts to book their second dose. By including the link to your online booking portal in the follow-up reminder, patients can easily schedule their booster within the appropriate timeframe.
If you’re interested in learning more about how these tools work, please watch the following demo video presented by Dr. Doug Kavanagh, CognisantMD’s Co-Founder and Medical Director:
