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Frequently asked questions
Service
Q: What is currently delivered via CIX?
A: Inpatient and outpatient imaging and lab results
(hematology, blood bank, pathology and microbiology) results generated at Northern Health
facilities.
Q:
What will be delivered in the future?
A: Collaboration between Interior and Northern Health has resulted in the development of CDX (Clinical document eXchange). This platform has security and distribution enhancements. Transcribed documents and secure messaging between EMRS is currently in limited production release. These specifications for the new platform have been communicated to all BC EMR vendors. Please check with your EMR vendor on their plans to schedule availability to receive transcribed documents through CDX.
Q: How does the system know to send a physician results electronically?
A: Physicians and their offices must register to use CIX. Registered physicians who are listed as the family physician, consulting “copy to” physician, or ordering physician in Cerner Millennium, Northern Health’s Electronic Hospital Record (EHR) system, will have an electronic message delivered to the their Electronic Medical Record (EMR) inbox.
Q: Is the system secure?
A: Yes, all servers are securely stored and all transmitted data is encrypted using 128-bit SSL encryption
Q:
Which EMR vendors are eligible to take advantage of the CIX service?
A: Northern Health is committed to delivering results to any EMR vendor that passes Northern Health’s CIX conformance testing.
Click here to see qualified EMR Vendors.
Q:
Which EMR do you recommend physicians use?
A: We don’t recommend or prefer any particular EMR. If you don’t have an EMR, check out the BCMA Physician Information Technology Office (www.pito.bc.ca), visit the Canadian EMR website (www.canadianemr.ca), and talk to your colleagues.
Q:
What if a physician registers for this service, but is then unable to access his/her EMR?
A: Physicians can access lab results, discharge summaries, and diagnostic images remotely from their offices through Cerner Millennium (e.g., PowerChart inbox or patient-specific queries).
Q: When did the CIX project start, and what are the project timelines?
A: The CIX project started early in 2009, when Northern Health committed to developing a system that supported transmitting electronic lab results to EMRs. The project completion date for laboratory results was set for late 2009, with the intention that EMR vendors begin utilizing the service in early 2010. The
medical imaging results project was completed in early 2012. Participation
Q: Why should a physician office participate?
A: The use of CIX is a large step towards physicians and physician offices fully realizing the benefits of an EMR, including increased office productivity, improved quality of patient care, faster information access, cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits..
Q: Is there a cost for EMR vendors to utilize the service?
A: Northern Health is providing access to the service at no charge to EMR vendors.
Q: How do I participate?
A: The physician/physician office needs to have an EMR and internet access.
- If you don’t have an EMR, arrange to have one installed. Options:
- If a physician’s EMR is supported, then he/she and designate simply needs to register to have their office activated for Lab and Imaging results.
- For Transcribed documents to register here
Q: Can a physician office continue to receive fax copies of labs once they’re participating in the CIX service?
A: No, to participate in the CIX service the physician office must agree to discontinue fax services from Northern Health.
Q: Can physicians’ locums register to use the service?
A: Physicians who provide locum services are not eligible to register to use the service; however, a physician temporarily assigning rights to the locum in the EMR should permit the locum access to the service under the original physician’s own name.
Q: What if a physician leaves a physician office that is participating in the CIX service?
A: If a physician leaves, he/she or his/her designate will need to contact cix@northernhealth.ca to stop the service for the leaving physician.
Q: What if a physician or physician office changes EMR vendors?
A: If a physician changes EMR vendors he/she or his/her designate will need to contact cix@northernhealth.ca with the relevant details to help ensure there is little or no disruption of service for the physician.
Q: How do i have paper distributions turned off?
A: After 5 business days of receiving your reports electronically (time allowed to adjust workflows and validate that you are receiving all electronic results) a service desk ticket needs to be submitted to discontinue delivery of paper results to the providers at your clinic.
Q: How long does it take after sign-up for electronic results to begin showing up in my EMR?
A: It depends. Northern Health will process your request within 5 business days, but your EMR vendor will have to do software configurations (and possibly upgrades) before the service is available in the clinic. In most cases, clinics are receiving electronic results within a week.
Support
Q: What if a physician appears to be missing results for a patient?
A: The physician should first check if the results are in
PowerChart. If the expected results are not there, contact the originating
department directly. If the results are in PowerChart, the physician should
ensure he/she is listed as the ordering, consulting or family physician, as only
these physicians will receive electronic distribution of the results. If the
physician is not on the distribution list, he/she will have to contact the
resulting department to correct this.
If the physician is listed for distribution correctly, he/she should contact the Northern Health ITS Service Desk for support at 250-565-2784 (Prince George), 1-888-558-4357 (elsewhere), or via email at its.servicedesk@northernhealth.ca
Q: What if a physician receives results for a patient who is not registered in his/her EMR?
A: It is up to the EMR vendor to provide a means to print results, so that results for paper-based patients can be integrated into paper charts.
Q: What if a physician stops receiving results entirely?
A: The physician should contact the Northern Health ITS Service Desk immediately at 250-565-2784 (Prince George), 1-888-558-4357 (elsewhere), or via email at its.servicedesk@northernhealth.ca
Q: Why am I seeing preliminary results in Cerner but not in my EMR?
A: Northern Health currently does not send incomplete or preliminary results except for imaging preliminaries. This includes gram stain results when the remainder of the culture work is incomplete.
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