Digital Health Virtual Symposium Program

Program Overview AGENDA PDF Evaluations

This program is accredited for up to 5 Mainpro+® credits by the College of Family Physicians, Ontario Chapter (Transferrable for specialists)

Morning Sessions

8:30 A.M. – 8:45 A.M.

Opening Remarks

Presented by:

  • Zainab Abdurrahman, MD, President, Ontario Medical Association 
  • Robert Fox, Chief Executive Officer, OntarioMD
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Dr. Darren Larsen

8:45 A.M. – 9:30 A.M.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify emerging digital trends that can support community-based clinical practice
  • Distinguish between practical, high value technologies vs bright shiny trends that may not deliver real workflow benefits
  • Explore opportunities to strengthen care delivery by thinking beyond electronic medical record

Presented by:

  • Darren Larsen, MD, Family Physician and Influential Leader in health system transformation and digital health across Canada.  
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9:30 A.M — 9:45 A.M. Break

9:45 A.M. – 10:15 A.M.

Stream 1

Front-line staff play a critical role in the stability and efficiency of family practices. This session explores common digital pain points that impact clinic workflows and contribute to physician burnout when staff leave. Learn how a standardized, staff-centered EMR toolbar can reduce variability, support onboarding, and build workflow resilience—especially during staffing disruptions. Attendees will gain practical strategies rooted in human-centered design to co-create simple, sustainable digital tools that enhance team function without needing advanced technical expertise. 

Presented by:

  • Preshanthini Shanmugathasan, MD, Digital Health Workflow Strategist, Family Physician, Ancaster FHO  
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9:45 A.M. – 10:15 A.M.

Stream 2

Improving office efficiency goes beyond adopting the latest technology. This session will share practical strategies clinicians can use today to streamline workflows and reduce administrative burden in their practices.

Topics will include improving inbox management, using automated reminders for cancer screening, identifying patients overdue for preventive care, optimizing medication refill practices, and enabling office staff to work to their full scope through medical directives and clinical decision support tools.

Participants will leave with practical ideas they can apply immediately to improve efficiency and free up more time for patient care.

Presented by:

  • Philip Vandewalle, MD, Physician Peer Leader, OntarioMD
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ariane siegel

9:45 A.M. – 10:15 A.M.

Stream 3

Join OntarioMD’s General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer for a practical discussion on the impact of AI and digital health technology on legal privacy, obligations of physicians and health information custodians. This session will explore use of digital health tools in clinical settings, recent IPC guidance, and the current Canadian legal and regulatory environment. The session will offer practical insights into emerging risks, emerging legislation and strategies for clinicians to maintain professional responsibilities. 

Presented by:

  • Ariane Siegel, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, OntarioMD
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10:15 A.M — 10:25 A.M. Break

bosnic and lubitz

10:25 A.M. – 10:55 A.M.

Stream 1

Learn about success with S.E.E.D., a process designed to reduce administrative burden. This session offers practical strategies to improve team productivity by stopping duplicate reports, eliminating unnecessary requests, and streamlining workflows. Learn how to effectively educate staff to ensure clarity and confidence in their roles and delegate tasks to optimize team efficiency. Through actionable insights and proven techniques, this talk will help you enhance workflow efficiency, reduce burnout, and focus what truly matters –delivering exceptional patient care.

Presented by:

  • Rebecca Lubitz, MD, Physician Peer Leader, OntarioMD 
  • Olivera Bosnic, Practice Enhancement Consultant, OntarioMD 
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10:25 A.M. – 10:55 A.M.

Stream 2

Explore a fully Canada-hosted, privacy-compliant AI solution for referral summarization designed to reduce reading burden and improve accuracy in specialist workflows. This session highlights results from a 500-case pilot study and introduces a five-step quality assurance checklist to safely integrate AI-generated summaries into certified EMRs while maintaining patient safety and data integrity. 

Presented by:

  • Hanmu Yan, MD, Urologist
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10:25 A.M. – 10:55 A.M.

Stream 3

Clinicians spend time, every single day, tracking down medication information that should be easy to find. Medication lists often incomplete, out of date, or spread across systems, slowing down visits and pulling attention away from patients. This session focuses on what medications a patient is really taking and how accessing that information in your EMR can make a real difference. Using the Digital Health Drug Repository as the starting point, we will look at how better access to dispensed medication information can reduce manual work and follow-up ensuring patient visits run more smoothly.

Presented by:

  • David Fearn, Area Manager, Central Ontario, OntarioMD
  • Roger Mandjlekian, Clinic Executive Peer Leader, OntarioMD 
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10:55 A.M — 11:05 A.M. Break

chris lebouthillier

11:05 A.M. – 11:35 A.M.

Stream 1

This session examines how front desk workflows impact clinic efficiency and workload, focused on the evolving role of medical office assistants and office managers. Participants will identify common lost time scenarios   and explore practical approaches to upskill clinic staff in digital literacy, expanded responsibilities and technology-enabled tasks that reduce team burden. Real-world examples  will highlight how MOAs and office managers can lead meaningful workflow improvements using digital tools in everyday clinical settings.

Presented by:

  • Chris LeBouthillier, Executive Director, Carleton West Family Health Team and Clinic Executive Peer Leader, OntarioMD
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11:05 A.M. – 11:35 A.M.

Stream 2

This session explores how AI scribes can support detailed documentation in complex clinical encounters. Learn how to effectively prompt an AI scribe to generate comprehensive geriatric assessment notes, including in cases involving cognitive impairment. Attendees will also examine how AI scribes perform in multi-speaker environments and gain practical insights to increase comfort and confidence in using these tools in real-world practice. 

Presented by:

  • Nihal Haque, MD,  Geriatrician, Specialize Geriatric Services Clinic, North York General Hospital 
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11:05 A.M. – 11:35 A.M.

Stream 3

EMR certification shapes far more than technical compliance. It influences your access to provincial services, your data integrity, and your clinical workflows.

This session offers a clear, practical overview of how certification works, how vendors are monitored over time, and what happens when problems arise. Designed for clinicians, it focuses on real world implications and the questions you should be asking before making EMR decisions. Co-presented with a physician, this session translates policy and process into real clinical impact and value

Presented by:

  • Andrew King, Chief Technology Officer, OntarioMD
  • Kevin Samson, MD, Physician Peer Leader, OntarioMD
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Lunch Break 11:35 A.M. to 12:50 P.M.

Lunch Spotlight Session 12:00 P.M. to 12:30 P.M.

Afternoon Sessions

12:50 P.M. – 1:35 P.M.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering clinical practice, but beyond the headlines and hype, what is actually being used in real clinics today? This panel will explore practical applications of AI that are reducing administrative burden, supporting clinical workflows, and improving patient and staff experience. Community family physicians and specialists will share real-world examples of tools such as AI scribes, inbox management supports, and other AI, along with lessons learned about implementation, privacy, change management, and workflow integration. The discussion will also consider how AI adoption fits within provincial legislation, governance, and system wide scalability.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Explore insights from OMD’s Provincial AI Survey.
  2. Identify practical AI tools currently being used in clinical practice (primary care and specialist community clinics) and describe their impact on workflow, administrative burden, and patient care.
  3. Recognize common implementation challenges, including privacy, integration, and change management considerations, and apply lessons learned to their own settings.
  4. Discuss key system-level considerations such as governance, legislation, and scalability to support responsible and sustainable AI adoption across the province.

Moderator: Chandi Chandrasena, MD, Chief Medical Officer, OntarioMD

Panelists:

  • Ariane Siegel, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, OntarioMD
  • Usha Parthasarathi, MD, Specialist (Psychiatry) Physician Peer Leader, OntarioMD
  • Keith Thompson, MD, Physician Peer Leader, OntarioMD
  • Barkaat Ahmad, Clinic Manager, One Health Medical Centre
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1:35 P.M. — 1:45 P.M. Break

1:45 P.M. – 2:30 P.M.

In the push towards connected care, many regions are exploring whether community clinics should align with hospital based Health Information Systems (HIS) or continue operating independent EMRs connected through interoperability solutions.

This panel will have a balanced discussion on:

  • What success looks like
  • Understanding what we currently have and what we stand to gain
  • What we stand to lose and what problem are we trying to solve?

Key topics include interoperability, governance, autonomy and privacy & security considerations.

Moderator: Anish Mody, MD, Physician Peer Leader

Panelists:

  • Daniel Glatt, MD, Family Physician and Hospitalist
  • Kevin Samson, MD, Physician Peer Leader
  • Julia Swedak, Innovation and Transformation Officer, Campbellford Memorial Hospital
  • Aidan Lee, Technology Solutions and Vendor Accountability, OntarioMD
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2:35 P.M. — 2:45 P.M. Break

2:45 P.M. – 3:45 P.M.

 Family Health Organization are undergoing the most significant change in 20 years with the implementation of the FHO+. This session will provide practical guidance on hourly rate, continuity of care, billing and digital workflows embedded within your EMR and practice systems.

Participants will explore key changes to billing codes and fee values, what’s staying the same and what’s not, and practical guidance on what to bill and what to avoid.  We will also look at digital tools such as EMR guides, billing submission, and team-based workflows to improve accuracy, efficiency, and compliance. Real-world examples will demonstrate how practices can reduce administrative burden, improve data capture, and ensure appropriate submission of premiums, bonuses, and incentives.

Designed for physicians, practice managers, and administrative leads, this session focuses on actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately to strengthen billing performance while supporting high-quality patient care.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the changes from FHO to FHO+ – hourly rate, continuity of care, billing codes and more.
  • Understanding how FHO+ incentives greater patient attachment.
  • Integrate digital tools and EMR-based workflows to improve billing documentation.

Moderator: Chandi Chandrasena, MD, Chief Medical Officer, OntarioMD

Presented by:

  • Ryan Banach, MD, Family Physician
  • Salesh Budhoo, MD, Family Physician
  • Melissa Bastin, Practice Enhancement Consultant

On behalf of the OMA and OntarioMD

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2:45 P.M. – 3:45 P.M.

This session will explore how eReferral Ontario and Central Intake are improving the referral experience for primary care clinicians, specialists, and patients. Presenters will highlight how digital referral workflows reduce administrative burden, improve the clarity and completeness of referral information, and offer real‑time visibility into referral status. The session will also share updates on the continued expansion of eReferral across Ontario and its impact on care coordination.

Learning objectives 

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

  • Identify common points of referral breakdown. This includes unreliable transmission, incomplete information, unclear destination details, and challenging follow‑up communication and how eReferral helps address these issues.
  • Understand how eReferral Ontario workflow supports sending, receiving, tracking, and communicating referrals to reduce administrative burden. Participants will also understand how eReferral can be used as a stand‑alone tool or integrated directly within an EMR.
  • Understand how Standardized Referral Forms have been co‑designed with clinicians to ensure patients are directed to the appropriate destination with the appropriate information.
  • Discuss how Central Intake supports referral routing to help patients access the right care in the right place, in a timely way

Presented by:

  • David Urbach, MD MSc, Head, Department of Surgery and Strategic Lead, Ambulatory Innovation, Women’s College Hospital Professor of Surgery and Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Provincial Clinical Lead, Central Intake, Ontario Health
  • Stephen Pomedli, Family Physician and Provincial Clinical Lead, eReferral, Ontario Health
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chandi chandrasena

4:00 P.M. – 4:10 P.M.

Closing Remarks

Presented by:

  • Chandi Chandrasena, MD CCFP FCFP, Chief Medical Officer, OntarioMD