Program 2020

Through a virtual interactive session, participants will explore root causes of Indigenous health disparities, while recognizing culture as treatment and critique how digital health initiatives may or may not improve health of Indigenous Peoples.

September 30, 2021 is Digital Health and Virtual Care Day, but more importantly, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day provides an opportunity for Canadians to recognize and commemorate the tragic legacy of residential schools. OMD is honoured to have Dr. Sarah Funnell, Founding Director of the Centre for Indigenous Health Research and Education at the University of Ottawa, deliver the keynote address for Digital Health and Virtual Care Day.

Presented by Presented by: Dr. Sarah Funnell, Founding Director of the Centre for Indigenous Health Research and Education (CIHRE)

More about Dr. Sarah Funnell

Stream 1: Burnout and Efficiency

In this session, participants will learn about:

• Burnout – definition, scope, causes

• Technology as a factor leading to burnout

• Impact of virtual care on burnout

• Impact of virtual care on burnout

At the end of this session, participants should have a better understanding of how to manage burnout within their practice.

Presented by Dr. Mamta Gautam, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa; Psychiatrist, Psychological Oncology Program, The Ottawa Hospital; President of CEO, PEAK MD Inc.

Dr. Mamta Gautam is an internationally renowned psychiatrist, consultant, certified coach, author and speaker.  She is a pioneer in the area of Physician Health and Well-being, and is known as the “The Doctor’s Doctor”.  Her two main areas of focus are Physician Health and Physician Leadership, allowing her to address both individual and system-level factors in physician wellness.  She is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards for her innovative work in physician health, and has been awarded Distinguished Fellowships in both the Canadian and American Psychiatric Associations

Stream 2: Patient Care and Innovation

In this session, participants will learn about:

• Which apps to recommend to patients and how to use apps carefully

• Which apps are useful in practice

• Share apps that other doctors will find useful

At the end of this session participants will have a better understanding of medical apps that can be successful to use with patients.

Presented by Dr. Chandi Chandrasena, Chief Medical Officer, OMD

Dr. Chandi Chandrasena joined OntarioMD (OMD) as its Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in 2021. She is a family physician practicing in Ottawa for almost 20 years and a former OMD Physician Peer Leader who has mentored many of her colleagues to use EMRs and digital health tools effectively to enhance patient care. As CMO, she provides clinical advice at provincial and national tables and clinician advisory groups and is instrumental in forging system-level partnerships.

Stream 3: Digital Awareness for Clinics

In this session, participants will learn about:

• How to improve your practice management using your EMR and virtual care tools.

• How to use the available features in virtual care tools and your EMR

• Which add-on products for your EMR are available today

At the end of this session participants will learn how to better manage their practice through their EMR and virtual tools.

Presented by Mr. Stephen Beckwith, OMD Clinic Manager Peer Leader

Stephen Beckwith has over 16 years of experience in health care administration and is a Clinic Manager Peer Leader with OntarioMD. Stephen has worked in several areas: emergency, specialty and primary care. He has also worked on the implementation of a variety of ministry initiatives and has a strong passion for efficiency in health care. Stephen is currently the IT and Operations Lead for the South East Toronto Family Health Team – a large, multi-site academic FHT that focuses on quality improvement.

Stream 2: Patient Care and Innovation

Learning In this session, participants will learn:

• The relationships between health, healthcare, and the environment

• Site infrastructure changes that can lessen waste production and lower carbon footprint

• Care-based ideas that can improve both patient and planetary health

At the end of this session, our hope is that participants will know more about our practical, tested, evidence based green health care initiative tools and be inspired to use them.

Presented by Dr. Meghan Davis, OMD Luminary Award Winner and Tatiana Gayowsky, Hamilton Family Health Team

Dr. Davis graduated from McMaster in 1986 from chemical Engineering and in 1992 from medical school. She has been practicing medicine in Hamilton since 1994 within a group family practice in the east end of the City. She is an associate lead physician at the Hamilton Family Health team where she has led the Green Initiative since November 2019. She also works with Cancer Care Ontario/Ontario Health as the medical lead for the Screen For Life mobile cancer screening coach and as the regional primary care. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster. Dr. Davis is passionate about proactive health care and wellness.

Tatiana Gayowsky graduated from McMaster University in 2019 with a combined honours Arts & Sciences and Anthropology degree and a minor in Psychology. Her dual passions for healthcare and environmentalism have led to her engagement with the Hamilton Family Health Team, assisting the Green Initiative Project there since January 2021.

Stream 3: Digital Awareness for Clinics

OntarioMD’s General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer will provide an overview of significant legal developments from the past year, with an emphasis on issue relevant to virtual care. The session will also introduce key concepts related to privacy and security issues.

The session will include insights from recent guidance from the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. The presentation will incorporate practical insights to assist clinicians in managing their obligations under relevant policies and the Personal Health Information Protection Act, as informed by recent case law. Forthcoming legislative changes will also be discussed.

There will be an opportunity for questions about compliance management and virtual care best practices.

Presented by Ariane Siegel, OMD General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer

Ariane joined OntarioMD as General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at the beginning of January, 2016. Ariane is recognized internationally as one of Canada’s leaders in the field of data protection and technology law. In 2015 and 2016 Ariane she was listed among Who’s Who’s leaders in Technology Law. She has an in-depth background on issues pertaining to privacy and technology law, particularly as they relate to the health care system and electronic medical records. Prior to joining OntarioMD, Ariane established her own law firm, Signal Hill Digital Law, she also spent 11 years as a lawyer and Partner at Canada’s largest law firm. She acted as General Counsel for the launch of Richard Branson’s Virgin Mobile in Canada. Ariane has also served as Law Clerk to the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice and worked as constitutional counsel to the Attorney General of Ontario. A leader in the area of data protection and privacy, Ariane has provided counsel to private sector organizations, including pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers and doctors on compliance with Canada’s privacy legislation. Ariane has worked as a senior investigator with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Ariane works closely with the American Bar Association Cyberspace Law Committee and currently co-chairs their sub-committee on data analytics. She has provided counsel to global and Canadian companies in a variety of sectors, including telecommunications, financial services, transportation and hospitality. Ariane obtained both her LLB and LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School and has written and spoken extensively on the field of privacy and technology law in Canada and abroad.

Stream 1: Burnout and Efficiency

In this session, participants will learn:

• The Shared experiences of what to expect with CPSO QI/QA

• Ideas for practical approaches to successfully start a CPSO QI/QA Program

• Recommendations for support & tools available to physicians with CPSO QI/QA

• Benefits realized from Quality Improvement Intervention 

Presented by Dr. Emad Henein and Dr. Farnaz Ghorbani

Dr. Emad Henein studied for his M.D. at Alexandria University, Faculty of Medicine in Egypt. He has a USMLE Certificate to practice in the United States and got his licence to practice in Canada in 2002. He did his family medicine residency at the University of Western Ontario in 2004 and in 2006 obtained a CFPC Specialists certificate.

Dr. Ghorbani is a family physician practicing in Richmond Hill, Ontario. She graduated as an international MD in 1991 from National (Melli) University in Tehran and has 30 years of experience in Family Medicine.

She had a few years of Rural medicine experience before moving to Canada in 1995. After receiving the Canadian qualifications she worked in Newfoundland and Labrador for the duration of 4 years from 1996-2000.

Her work in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador included Rural medicine, emergency medicine, in-patient hospital care, home visits and Geriatric care in addition to patient care in remote areas and small communities in the province. At present she works as a full-time Family Physician in Richmond Hill, Ontario since Oct 2000. She also has an interest in Women’s health.

Dr. Ghorbani holds a fellowship in family practice.

Stream 3: Digital Awareness for Clinics

Expanding on the preceding Medico-Legal Update, this session is designed to provide an overview of essential privacy and security concepts. The presentation will address:

• Key privacy policies and laws, and their application to healthcare;

• Key privacy policies and laws, and their application to healthcare;

• Cybersecurity best practices; and

• Privacy breach management and reporting.

In addition, attendees will benefit from a personal case study, presented by Dr. Artur Gevorgyan, regarding the threats posed by hackers. Dr. Gevorgyan was a victim of a recent cyberattack and will share his lessons learned from the experience.

The session will conclude with a brief explanation of cyber liability insurance, led by a representative from OMA Insurance.

Presented by Dr. Artur Gevorgyan and OntarioMD Chief Privacy Officer and General Counsel, Ariane Siegel

Dr. Gevorgyan is an Otolaryngologist – Head and Neck Surgeon, practicing in Oshawa, ON. He graduated from Yerevan State Medical University in Armenia in 2001. He was briefly a resident physician in Armenia before moving to Canada. He has worked as a Research Fellow, while doing a Master’s degree at the University of Toronto and the Hospital in Sick Children. He subsequently trained in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto, which was followed by a fellowship in Advanced Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He has been a staff surgeon at Lakeridge Health since 2013, and the Head of the Division of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery since 2018. Dr. Gevorgyan’s practice focuses on general otolaryngology and rhinology. He is a Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer of OMA Section on Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and a District 6, Durham country delegate. His interests include medical leadership, road cycling and cybersecurity.

Stream 2: Patient Care and Innovation

In this session, participants will learn:

• Use of remote monitoring in CHF, COPD, and COVID care

• Optimizing the referral experience from EMR

• Working with community partners to ensure provider friendly pathways with no rejected referrals 

Presented by Dr. Paul Gill, OMD Physician Peer Leader and Jennifer Littlejohn, OMD Practice Enhancement Consultant

Dr. Gill is a family physician with the Maitland Valley Family Health Team in Goderich. In addition to working as a primary care provider, he is the OH West – SW Digital Clinical Lead, Chief of Anesthesia at the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, and Chair of Rural Pain Medicine at the Gateway Rural Health Institute. Prior to accepting the role of Huron Perth Clinical Lead, Dr. Gill was the South West LHIN Primary Care Co-Lead for two years, and currently teaches at the University of Toronto. Dr. Gill received his Doctor of Medicine from McMaster University in 2010, and completed his residency and Family Practice Anesthesiology Fellowship at the University of Toronto. He is currently chair of the OH West – SW Primary Care Covid Response.

Jennifer Littlejohn is is a Practice Enhancement Consultant with the Insights for Care (i4C) Program at OntarioMD.  Jennifer has been working in Healthcare for over 20 years and applies her deep knowledge of practice workflows, digital health technology and change management to support clinicians and their practices in achieving their population health and quality improvement goals.  Jennifer has her Bachelor of Arts Degree and has recently completed her Certificate in Quality and Safety from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Stream 1: Burnout and Efficiency

In this session, participants will learn:

• How to use EMR Add -ons for in office and virtual care in a specially practice

• How to use an EMR Core clinical dataset for quality care and research

• Preventing burnout in specialty practice using Scribes

At the end of this session, participants will have a better understanding of how specialists can work virtually and in coordination with primary care practices.

Presented by Dr. Vandana Ahluwalia, OMD Specialist Physician Peer Leader

Dr. Vandana Ahluwalia is the past Chief of the Rheumatology Division of the William Osler Health System in Brampton, Ontario. She is a graduate of Queen’s University and completed her medical training at the University of Toronto Medical School. She did her Internal Medicine training and Rheumatology fellowship at U of T with a subsequent research fellowship focus on lupus. She sees patients in her Brampton community practice as well as in the combined Rheumatology/Orthopedics MSK clinic at Brampton Civic Hospital. She continues to be actively involved in clinical trials and studies related to inflammatory arthritis and has co-authored various articles within this therapeutic area. She is a keen proponent of models of care in Rheumatology and is a published researcher in this field.

Dr. Ahluwalia held the position of President of the Ontario Rheumatology Association (ORA) from 2010-2012 and just finished her tenure as President of the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) in February 2020.  She continues to sit on the board of the CRA as the past- President.

In 2012, Dr. Ahluwalia received the “Community Rheumatologist of the Year” award by the University of Toronto, Rheumatology Division. In May 2016, she was further recognized for her pioneering work in models of care (MOC) and electronic medical records (EMR) adoption and received the “Rheumatologist of the Year award” by the Ontario Rheumatology Association. In 2017, she received the “Philanthropy award” presented by the William Osler Health System Foundation for her successful fundraising efforts supporting the hospital and patient care.

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Presented by Dr. Rashaad Bhyat, Canada Health Infoway

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The digital health landscape in Ontario has seen a massive shift over the last couple of years, in part due to the pandemic and the implementation of Ontario Health Teams. While challenging, this combo means new funding and new technologies are now available for health care providers and in turn, plenty of opportunities to leverage these digital tools for better patient care and physician workflows.

In this session, Samantha Fitzsimons, Sr. Manager of Business Development, and Dr. Doug Kavanagh, Medical Director, Co-Founder, and practicing family physician, will discuss the changes they’ve seen and how primary care doctors, specialists, and OHTs can make use of Ocean’s provincially-funded eReferral program, verified virtual visit solution, and online appointment booking platform.

Presented by Samantha Fitzsimons, Sr. Manager of Business Development and Dr. Doug Kavanagh, Medical Director and Co-Founder

Samantha Fitzsimons 

Building on her experience as a Physiotherapist, Samantha’s career has included a diverse set of leadership roles within the public and private health care sectors. She brings over a decade of experience in business development, system level collaboration, program design and implementation, working to create a health care system that functions better for its users. She has successfully led several multidisciplinary teams through the relationship building, ideation, solutioning and implementation phases of care model redesign, with the goal of improving clinical and system-level outcomes. Her passion is helping people to thrive in their communities as they age and bringing together people from across the health care system and adjacent industries to create solutions with the greatest impact. Samantha currently serves as the Senior Manager of Business Development at CognisantMD.

Dr. Doug Kavanagh 

Doug Kavanagh, co-founder of CognisantMD™, is a Toronto-based family physician who specializes in electronic medical records development and knowledge translation. He is the author and former chief architect of TELUS PS Suite, Canada’s leading electronic medical records system. Doug has also created many clinical decision support systems deployed across the country, including Ontario’s first ePrescribing network for the Georgian Bay Family Health Team. 

Doug has over fifteen years’ experience working with physicians and allied health professionals to improve their healthcare IT in a variety of clinical settings. He graduated at the top of his software engineering class at the University of Waterloo in 2006, received his medical doctorate from the University of Toronto in 2011 and now works as a community family physician and clinical instructor within the North York Family Health Team. 

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Presented by Allison Cooney – Product Manager, Paige O’Hearn – Practice Consultant, Zohra Charaniya – Practice Consultant

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Presented by Sherry Hnatyshyn-Webster, RN, Managing, Director, CareChart and Carepath Inc.

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We are at a turning point in how we think of the health record and its role in healthcare delivery. In an age of ever-increasing amounts of health information and changing demands on healthcare, patients, primary care providers and healthcare teams need digital tools to better communicate with one another, to coordinate care and ultimately, to collaborate on improved health outcomes.

During this session, Dr. Puneet Seth, a practicing family physician and Managing Principal at TELUS Health, will discuss what collaboration means in the context of the health record, how TELUS Health is making this possible through its EMRs and patient engagement tools, and what the future looks like with the Collaborative Health Record (CHR).

Presented by Dr. Puneet Seth, Family Physician, Managing Principal, TELUS Health

Dr. Puneet Seth is a physician, technologist and entrepreneur who is passionate about redesigning healthcare. An alumnus of the School of Medicine at McMaster University, Dr. Seth has been engaged in the digital health industry for nearly a decade having worked on a healthcare podcast, a social media health educational tool and the TELUS Collaborative Health Record (formerly from InputHealth) – a future-forward digital health record platform. He is currently Managing Principal at TELUS Health, part-time Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) at the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University, and a practicing physician in family medicine and occupational health in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Seth routinely writes, speaks and advocates on improving patient access to their health information and accountability of the healthcare system. 

At the end of the workshops, participants will recognize opportunities for how to optimize the use of their EMR  identifying better workflows, examining and reviewing toolbars, and how to benefit more from other EMR functionality such as prescribing, billing, and integration with other digital health tools.

Stream 4: Billing Information

Are you currently practicing in a Primary Care Model and would like to learn more about virtual care billing? The OMA seminar will discuss Virtual Care Billing for family physicians, focusing on the FHO model. The session will cover primary care codes and give you a better understanding of topics such as premiums, Q codes and bonuses available.

Attendees will be able to assess different virtual care billing codes and how to use them when billing.

Presented by Dr. Rick Tytus, Family Physician, on behalf of the Ontario Medical Association

Dr. Tytus is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. 
 
Dr. Tytus is the current OMA District 4 Chair and a member of the National Virtual Medicine Task Force Guidelines. 
 
He is a former member of the OMA and CMA Boards and is co-founder of Banty, a Medical Virtual Video Platform.
 
Dr. Tytus is the Past Chair of OntarioMD, and Past President of the Hamilton Academy of Medicine. He was the Co-Chair of the Virtual Care Working Group and was a member of the Ontario Physician eHealth Council. 
  
Dr. Tytus has received numerous awards including the 2012 Family Physician of the Year presented by the Ontario College of Family Physicians. 
  
Dr. Tytus is a strong believer that technology improves patient outcomes and enhances healthcare access.